If you’re like most landmen, you spend a long time on the road traveling between courthouses and job sites. Sometimes these trips are right around the corner, but often they require cross-state or cross-country drives. When on an extended trip to the courthouse, are you able to stay safe and occupied? To get the information you need, it’s important to keep an eye out for safety and make the most out of time on the road.
Music and Podcasts
If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you long ago discovered the usefulness of listening to music on the road. What were once tapes turned into CDs, and now comes in the form of XM Radio or MP3 music. You can even connect your phone to your car and stream music directly from one source. Music helps you stay alert and provides entertainment while on the road, but are you really making the most out of your time?
If you haven’t already, it may be time to give podcasts a shot. Podcasts are prerecorded audio broadcasts available for download on your MP3 device. They come in a wide variety of topics, including sports, religion, news, politics, and industry-specific discussions. Yes, even the oil and gas industry.
People who enjoy reading and soaking up information will particularly enjoy podcasts, as they can take the place of books while driving. For those that hate reading, it’s an excellent alternative that only requires listening. Check out the following sites for some podcast resources.
Road Safety
In addition to staying occupied while on the road, it’s important to remain safe. Circumstances change and things happen while on the road for long periods of time, so be prepared to handle a number of situations.
It’s important to have an emergency kit in your vehicle at all times. This should contain sanitation wipes, some sort of food and drink, and survival equipment. Things to consider include: flashlight, emergency radio, duct tape, knife, batteries, gloves, fire-starter, reflective blanket, basic medication, and first aid kit.
For security purposes, you’ll want to include things like whistles, cash, pepper spray, emergency phone numbers, and a disposable camera. The latter could be valuable for documenting a car accident or injury.
While it’s not always practical to keep all of these things in your car, try to store as much as possible in your trunk. It’s always better to be over-prepared than underprepared.
By implementing these tips, you can turn surviving long trips to the courthouse into enjoying long trips to the courthouse. Safe travels!
If you’re looking for more tips on surviving the road as a landman, click the button below and download our Landman Survival Guide. This exclusive book from the CourthouseDirect.com team includes answers to frequent questions like:
- What are brokers looking for?
- What are tips for managing time and productivity in the field?
- What tax tips should I know?
- What will life on the road be like?
- What petroleum terms should I know?
- What networking and industry events should I be attending?
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