It is Friday night and you are sure you worked hard all week. Then someone asks how much you actually made after fuel, a puncture and the mechanic, and you cannot say. You remember the jobs. You do not remember where the money went.
A driver who writes things down makes better decisions. You do not need an app or a spreadsheet. A plain jotter and a pen that lives in the cab will do.
What to write after every job
Keep it short. You are tired after a move, so make the habit take a minute.
- Date and customer's first name or a short job label.
- Pickup and drop-off area.
- The agreed price, and the hours the job really took.
- Anything unusual: long wait at the gate, stairs, bad road, extra stop.
That is enough. You are not writing a story. You are building a record you can read in a month.
Do not write customers' phone numbers or private details in a jotter that could be lost. Keep contacts in your phone.
Track money in and money out
Make two columns on each page: money in and money out.
- In: what you received for the job.
- Out: fuel, parking, gate fees, helper payment, small repairs, car wash.
At the end of the week, add each column. The difference is what you earned. Many drivers are surprised by how much leaves in small amounts. A small gate fee here and a helper payment there add up across a week.
Drivers keep 90% of each job on Sphere and Sphere takes 10%, so count what reaches you, not just what the customer pays. Our post on how drivers can increase weekly earnings on Sphere looks at this from the earnings side.
Write down fuel and service dates
Truck trouble rarely arrives without warning. Keep a short page at the back of the jotter for the vehicle.
- date and amount of each fuel fill, with the odometer reading if the dashboard works
- last oil change, filter change and tyre rotation
- repairs: what was fixed, who did it and how long it lasted
When something fails, you can see what was done and when. When it is time to service, you do not guess. Combine this habit with a short morning check, as described in checking your truck before a bulk move.
Notice which jobs are worth your time
After two or three weeks, read the jotter and ask a few plain questions.
- Which jobs took far longer than the offer accounted for?
- Which areas or customers had long waits or hard access?
- Which jobs paid well for the hours and the fuel?
This tells you where to counter-offer higher, what to ask the customer before you accept, and which jobs to take again. If many jobs waited at estate gates, ask for gate details before you accept. The post on questions drivers should ask before accepting a bulk move request is a good starting list.
Drive with Sphere
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Accept move requests in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan on your own schedule. Free to join, and you keep 90% of every job.
Plan the week on Sunday evening
Open the jotter on Sunday and look at the week behind you. Decide:
- which day to service the truck
- when to rest, since a tired driver makes expensive mistakes
- how many jobs you can honestly do in a day, given your own times
Write the plan on a fresh page. It should take ten minutes.
Keep it simple and keep it dry
A jotter in a plastic bag on the dashboard survives rain and heat. Number your pages. Do not rewrite things in a neat copy; neatness is not the point. If you miss a day, fill in what you remember and carry on. A messy record you use is worth more than a perfect one you abandon.
How to use this alongside Sphere
On Sphere, you see the details of each request: pickup, drop-off, load description and the customer's proposed price. When you accept an offer or send a counter-offer, write the agreed details in your jotter. After the job, note the time it really took and what you spent. Over a few weeks, your own numbers will tell you how to word your counter-offers. If you are not yet a Sphere driver, read about driving and earning with Sphere and the documents to prepare.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a spreadsheet or app to keep records?
No. A plain jotter with the date, job, money in and money out is enough, and you will actually keep using it.
How long should the record take after a job?
About a minute. Write the date, route, agreed price, real time taken and anything unusual.
What should I track about my vehicle?
Fuel fills, service dates and repairs. It helps you see problems early and know when the next service is due.
How do I know which jobs are worth taking?
After a few weeks, compare the hours and costs of each job with what you were paid. Jobs with long waits or hard access are the ones to price higher.
Can this help me get more jobs on Sphere?
It helps you make better counter-offers and choose jobs that suit you, which may help you plan steadier weeks.
Start driving
Turn your truck or van into steady income
Accept move requests in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan on your own schedule. Free to join, and you keep 90% of every job.
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