Jun 29, 2015

“I can see 15 truck stops near where I am right now.”

“I’ve been driving a truck for about 30 years,” says Florida native Allen Wilcher, “ever since I was old enough to get behind the wheel.” He still remembers learning to drive his father’s International Transtar 2, hauling ammonium nitrate.

Trucker Path gave veteran trucker Allen Wilcher a whole new perspective

“I learned real quick, you didn’t want to grind gears with him in the truck,” Allen laughs. “Working with my father, you were going to learn something. By the time I was 14, I was helping him change brakes.”

On the road again

Allen recently returned to long-haul trucking, and his home state, after 16 years hauling trash locally in Missouri, while his son grew-up. “That’s a lot of trash!” says Allen. “After my son graduated high school and moved-out on his own, I was ready to get back out there.”

And the best part is

Allen’s now an Owner Operator with Roadrunner Expedite, and he couldn’t be happier with his decision to get back on the road. In large part, because his fiancée [Sierra Sugar, whose Trucker Path profile you can read here decided she wanted to join him. “She’s smarter than me!” Allen says. “She’s the one who found Trucker Path, and now we use it for everything from planning our routes to the places we stop for the night.”[/p]

Another day, another roadside gem

Tonight, Allen and Sierra are at the Little Nashville Truck Stop in Nashville, Illinois. “We looked at all the reviews for this place, and there wasn’t a single bad one.” And while Sierra is well-known for her cooking skills, “we’re not cooking tonight.” It’s why the two of them prefer the small Mom & Pops to the larger truck stops – where the menu is often limited to fast food fare.

Well, what do we have here?

“When we know where we’re going, we program our route into Trucker Path. Then we’ll switch to the Satellite setting – which gives us an overhead view of the places we stop. Right now, I’m zoomed-into the area where we’re parked. I can see our parking lot, the gas station across the street, and the pool next door.”

Allen can also see the nearby field where he and Sierra plan to enjoy a long walk before dinner. “It’s important to both of us that we get exercise out on the road,” which factors into most of their daily parking-site selections, says Allen. “The satellite view really helps us with that. And we geo-cache just about every place we go, for future reference.

Download the App. Discover America

With Trucker Path, Sierra’s helped Allen find spots he never even knew existed. And what would he consider his best new discovery? “There’s a rest area Sierra found along 191 in Moab, Utah – which is already one of my favorite places. When she zoomed-in on it, we saw that it was surrounded by huge climbing rocks. We walked all around them. It’s amazing.

“I bet I’ve been up and down that road fifty times, and here she finds this place the first time we passed through.”

Better still, earn extra money while you play!

Allen even credits Trucker Path with a recent cash windfall. “Sierra found a truck stop with a casino in Las Vegas, and we stayed there for three days. Our last night, I was playing a slot machine when Sierra figured she wanted to ‘help out’. So she pushed my hand down and the machine paid $600.” Being a wise money manager, Sierra looked Allen right in the eyes, and said, “Time to go!” Wherever they went next, you can be sure Trucker Path had a hand in it.

SUMMARY: Our profile of Owner Operator Allen Wilchire, a fan of Trucker Path – the App he and his fiancée Sierra Sugar use every day to find the best truck stops, rest areas and overnight parking lots. Allen particularly appreciates the App’s Satellite view, which helps the two of them scout the areas where they’ll be staying for the night.

Healthy, happy, connected. Meet Sierra Sugar [p]We recently caught-up with Sierra Sugar (the pen name she’s used since 2007 for her blog, [i]The Sweet Life Of Sierra Sugar[/i]) while she was preparing dinner in the truck. “I’m marinating chicken breasts in salsa, ginger and garlic – which I’ll serve over steamed spaghetti squash. For our side dish, I’m thinking about sautéed Brussels sprouts.”[/p] [h2]Here’s a Trucker Path fan who can teach us all a thing or two[/h2] [images src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/06/sierrasugarface-1.jpg" alt="Cost of parking" width="200px" align="left" ] [p]Hardly what comes to mind when most of us think of Road Food – but nothing out of the ordinary for this retired nurse. Sierra recently left her 20+-year career in healthcare for life on the road with fiancée Allen, and is now a member of no less than half a dozen different Facebook groups dedicated to healthy cooking and eating.[/p] [p]Which brings us to one of the things Sierra loves most about the Trucker Path App: She and Allen were tired of eating what’s served in most truck stops today.[/p] [p][b]We love the Mom & Pop truck stops[/b][/p] [p]For the occasional meal she doesn’t prepare herself, Sierra enjoys visiting the kind of truck stops that still offer healthy, thoughtful alternatives to fast food. “I’ve been using the Trucker Path App since Day One. Allen tells me where we’re headed for the day, and I’ll start looking for the best truck stops.”[/p] [p][b]She’s got questions. Trucker Path has answers[/b][/p] [p]“We read the reviews for all kinds of answers about the places we might stop, like: How many showers do they have, and are they clean? Do they have parking available, and is it safe? Do they have regular diesel or bio-diesel? We try to avoid bio-diesel because our engine always needs a burn off when we use it.”[/p] [p][b]A handy navigation aid, of sorts[/b][/p] [p]“We even use Trucker Path for backup to our GPS, because GPS can’t tell us which side of the road a truck stop or rest area is on – and we like to pick spots that are convenient to the places we’ll be dropping-off or picking-up loads.”[/p] [p][b]You’re never too old to learn something new[/b][/p] [p]When Sierra told her brother she’d decided to go on the road with Allen, he tried to convince her she wasn’t cut-out for the life. Needless to say, he failed. “I was really excited to do it. And so was Allen. Especially since I’m the one who found the Trucker Path App! Now we use it every day.”[/p] [p][b]A new calling on the road[/b][/p] [p]Sierra’s also one of the Missing Truck Driver Alert Network’s most active supporters. She and four other like-minded volunteers comprise a group the network’s founder, Kari Fisher, calls The Fab Five – for their tireless efforts to locate missing drivers on the road.[/p] [p]Between the locations of their companies’ terminals and corporate headquarters – not to mention the place they call Home when they’re [b]not[/b] on the road, Sierra explains, “when it comes to finding drivers who’ve gone missing, there are a lot of jurisdictional issues to deal with. It’s easy for them to get lost between the cracks.”[/p] [p]The network helps fill-in those cracks by gathering relevant information from family members, employers and police departments – then posting Digital Alert flyers on their Social Media networks.[/p] [p][b]And yes, it works[/b][/p] [p]Asked for a recent success story, Sierra mentions an older gentleman who went missing. “Here was a man who is always punctual, and who always checks-in with his family.” So when he didn’t call-in one day, it was clear something was wrong.[/p] [p]Thanks to the network’s efforts, he was found in his truck, says Sierra. “But he was very sick. They were able to rush him to the hospital, and he survived.” Without the network’s help, who knows what might have happened?[/p] [p][b]Look for her in Dallas this August[/b][/p] [p]Sierra’s been asked to host a cooking demo in the Health Pavilion at GATS this August – although she admits she hasn’t yet decided on a dish. Until then, she’ll have lots of time on the road – to try new recipes, follow her new calling, and keep connected with her new friends and family.[/p] [br][p][i]SUMMARY: Meet Sierra Sugar, a well-connected fan of Trucker Path – the App she and her fiancée, an Owner Operator, use every day to find the best truck stops, rest areas and overnight parking lots.[/i][/p]

Jun 22, 2015

Trucker Path downloads pass the 240,000 mark [p]With nearly 7000 ratings at the Google Play store, and an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5, we couldn’t be happier. OK, so maybe we’d be happier if [i]everyone[/i] gave us a 5-star rating – but then, we wouldn’t be as motivated to keep improving. Here’s a breakdown of our ratings as of June 2, 2015:[/p] [h2]Find out what other users are saying about us, and how you can benefit[/h2] [p][b]Total number of ratings: 6804[/b][/p] [ul] [li]5-star: 5152 (76 %)[/li] [li]4-star: 1195 (18 %)[/li] [li]3-star: 239 (4 %)[/li] [li]2-star: 95 (1 %)[/li] [li]1-star: 123 (2 %)[/li] [/ul] [p]Below is a representative sample of what our users have said about Trucker Path.[/p] [h2]Five star ratings[/h2] [p][b]Raymond M.[/b][/p] [p][i]CHICKEN HUT NOT. I use this app more than my GPS. It’s fast and it knows all the Mom and Pop truck stops. Also you get an idea if anyone is in the chicken coop.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Jeff L.[/b][/p] [p][i]LOVE IT. Now I know if the scale houses are open or not, so while getting fuel I don't have to worry that I'll be over weight because I got an extra 10 gal of fuel. I'm probably doing something wrong, but when I put a destination address in it does not set up the trip route to follow. Otherwise love this program. Every load I run, I have this program running. Love knowing if a weigh station is open or not. Makes the difference of running with fuel or fumes to make weight.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Brandon S.[/b][/p] [p][i]This app is awesome. It's like a CB radio and a truck stop guide all in one.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Danny S.[/b][/p] [p][i]GREAT APP. I deleted my other truck apps. Super handy and is a big help trying to find a place to park.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Greg B.[/b][/p] [p][i]GREAT APP. Really helps truck drivers know where to park and eat and sleep.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Raymond M.[/b][/p] [p][i]AWESOME. This makes the job sooo much easier and safer. Thnx. Awesome tool.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Ted T.[/b][/p] [p][i]I LIKE IT BUT... I often find obscure truck stops all around the country that aren't listed and would like to post as a courtesy to other drivers. That would be a helpful addition for all of us.[/i][/p] [p][b]NOTE TO TED:[/b] Hi. You can do that! Go to Menu-Feedback-Add new place. Thank you.[/p][br] [p][b]Tavo S.[/b][/p] [p][i]BEST APP EVER!! Saved me from a violation, everything about it is perfect thanks to the inventor. I’m new on trucking and this is the app to have old or new. I was about to buy a little book for parking spots but no need. For that I would pay to have this app. You guys should merge with radar express and ur app would be little more complete.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Abe K.[/b][/p] [p][i]GREAT APP. Absolutely love this app, the more people that use it, the more effective it will be![/i][/p][br] [h2]Four star ratings[/h2] [p][b]Johnny R.[/b][/p] [p][i]Really helpful and is very handy very informative, especially in areas I am NOT familiar with. Highly recommended for all drivers.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Robert M.[/b][/p] [p][i]ALMOST PERFECT. Love the weigh station feature, but the gps function is almost useless. If u leave the app or get a call u have to redo the destination. If u could save ur routes it would definitely be 5 stars.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Andrew D.[/b][/p] [p][i]O/O. So far so good, but like to learn how to put in information.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Kenny S.[/b][/p] [p][i]TOTALLY TWISTED TRANSPORT OWNER OPERATOR. I think it's a great app. But it's only as reliable as another driver inputs the correct info. I've found some false info.[/i][/p][br] [h2]Three star ratings[/h2] [p][b]Sondra D.[/b][/p] [p][i]Cool. Glad to have it. I am a truck driver so thank you.[/i][/p][br] [p][b]Misty P.[/b][/p] [p][i]Always stops working. It would be better if they would fix the bugs.[/i][/p] [p][b]NOTE TO MISTY:[/b] We are working on that. Thank you.[/p][br] [h2]Two star ratings[/h2] [p][b]John P.[/b][/p] [p][i]GOOD APP BUT. Latest update holds GPS after app is exited. Only thing I’ve found is to greenify it to release GPS. Edit disabling freight tracking did not fix problem.[/i][/p] [p][b]FULL DISCLOSURE:[/b] John P. actually gave us three stars, but we scrolled (on our phones) and searched (on our computers) to the end of the published ratings, and we couldn’t find a single one with two stars. Our sincere apologies.[/p] [br] [p][b]How can we improve your Trucker Path experience?[/b][/p] [p]We really do want to hear from you, and we’ll always try to help when we can. Please send your feedback and suggestions to [a href="mailto:team@truckerpath.com"]team@truckerpath.com[/a]. Thanks again![/p] [br][p][i]SUMMARY: A cross section of Google Play user reviews and comments on Trucker Path – the best App for truckers (company drivers, owner operators and independent carriers),available as a free download for Android and iPhone – helps truckers find parking at truck stops, rest areas and overnight parking lots. The app also helps truckers find open weigh stations and nearby TRANSFLO.[/i][/p]

May 28, 2015

Where are the best truck stops, and how do you find them? [p]In the summer of 2014, [a href="http://bit.ly/1J9KBEa"]Talking Truckers[/a] published a list of the six truck stops that appeared on the most Top Ten US Truck Stops polls published online.[/p] [h2]Yep, there’s an app for that![/h2] [p]Those truck stops (in alphabetical order) are:[/p] [ul] [li][a href="http://iowa80truckstop.com/"]IOWA 80[/a] (Walcott, IA)[/li] [li][a href="http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/travel-center/gas-and-fuel-prices"]LITTLE AMERICA[/a] (Flagstaff, AZ)[/li] [li][a href="https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=MORRIS+TRAVEL+CENTER+truck+stop+illinois"]MORRIS TRAVEL CENTER[/a] (Morris, IL)[/li] [li][a href="http://www.sappbros.net/travel-centers/"]SAPP BROTHERS[/a] (Sydney, NE)[/li] [li][a href="http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/"]SOUTH OF THE BORDER[/a] (Hamer, SC)[/li] [li][a href="http://www.primmvalleyresorts.com/whiskey-petes"]WHISKEY PETE’S[/a] (Primm, NV)[/li] [/ul] [p]That said, our search for websites for the six winners above highlights the difficulty of answering the question posed in this piece’s headline. Given the revenue generated by a well-run truck stop, you’d probably think all six would have easy-to-find websites. You’d be wrong.[/p] [p]In fact, one of the six (Morris) didn’t even have a single page dedicated to it on TA /Petro’s website, while Whiskey Pete’s page in the Primm Valley Casino Resorts site mentions nothing about the truck stop itself.[/p] [p][b]So how do you find good truck stops?[/b][/p] [p]We’ve already demonstrated the problem with relying strictly on the Internet for ratings. There are still huge gaps in the information published online. Which is why, until very recently, there was only one [i]mostly[/i] reliable source of information. Word of mouth. We say “mostly” because opinions can vary widely – and what one driver considers good may not be remotely important to another driver.[/p] [p]At the same time, Word of Mouth isn’t always available where you need it, when you need it.[/p] [p][b]What if there were an app for that?[/b][/p] [p]That’s exactly what the founders of the Trucker Path app asked themselves when they started development of its Trip Planner feature – which shows users every major truck stop along whatever route they type into its extremely user-friendly interface.[/p] [p]Truck stops are displayed either as pins on a map or in List View – which displays results from the closest to the farthest along your route, by miles, and includes each truck stop’s address [i]and[/i] user rating. Tap on a truck stop’s listing, and you’ll find the following information and / or options:[/p] [ul] [li]Current fuel price[/li] [li]Directions[/li] [li]Phone / fax / web address[/li] [li]Parking availability and parking load history[/li] [li]Scales? Y/N[/li] [li]Showers? (# available)[/li] [li]Wi-Fi Internet[/li] [li]ATM[/li] [li]Bulk DEF[/li] [li]Tire care? Y/N[/li] [li]TRANSFLOW Express[/li] [li]RV dump station? (# available)[/li] [li]Overnight parking? (Y/N)[/li] [li]Truck parking spots[/li] [li]Nearby restaurants with distance & directions from truck stop[/li] [/ul] [p]And on top of all that information, the app features user ratings on thousands of those truck stops. Programming, for instance, the 146-mile trip from Birmingham to Atlanta yields 26 truck stops. Not to mention three Weigh Stations and one Overnight Parking lot. The app also lists route-side truck washes, rest areas and Walmarts.[/p] [p]So remember: The next time somebody tells you they’re having a hard time finding good truck stops, you have a ready response: “There’s an app for that.”[/p] [br][p][i]SUMMARY: An overview of the best US truck stops, from the developers of Trucker Path – rated one of the best Apps for truckers. Among its many features, the app helps truckers find open weigh stations and nearby TRANSFLO.[/i][/p]

May 11, 2015