Step 2, working with the trip records

Open your new file "truckyou_database.xls" if you haven't done so already and think of it as a "form". Note that I've filled in an example trip that covers a 24-hour period with the basics of any routine trip.

You can see there are three main areas of the form. The top where the main categories are listed...

...The body in which individual entries are made according to your needs…

And the bottom where totals are given...

Leave the "top" and the "bottom" of the form alone for now and concentrate on the area where you'll enter your data. Click on any entry, a "piece" of information in the body of the form. Information is "entered" in a "cell" and each cell can be formatted or have a formula. For example, click on the entry "yes" in the "driving" column. Look below and note that in the "formula bar" there is an = sign with a yes after it.

The formula bar is where you edit "information" or enter "formulas". Type in the word "truck" to replace the word "yes" in the formula bar and press enter on your keypad and see what happens to the "cell" that use to have the word "yes" in it. Now it should say "truck". Amazing!

Now click on "205" in the "home state miles" column and look at the formula bar…

In this case, the formula bar shows the formula to get the total "home state miles" for a part of the trip. The formula reads "=M9-M8" and all this means, is that column "M" row "9" minus column "M" row "8" equals 205. Look at the home state miles, get your pencil and figure it out manually to get it straight in your brain.

The entire body of the form is set up using these easy to follow "formulas". All you need to do is replace your information with the information already in the form. All should work fine and make sense after some practice- ya right! When you get it figured out move on to "step 3".

Copyright © Jeffry Blair