Jun 16, 2022

6 Keys Steps for Owner Operator to Navigate Down Markets

6 Keys Steps for Owner Operator to Navigate Down Markets

Trucker Path Community Names Best Truck Stops <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Top choices for chain and independent facilities for trucker-friendly services chosen by more than one million app users</em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong> </strong><strong>PHOENIX</strong> – March 2, 2022 - Trucker Path, the most comprehensive and most used mobile app for North American commercial truck drivers,<strong> </strong>today announced the results of its annual ranking of truck stops. The Best Truck Stops winners among chain and independent facilities were based on ratings, reviews, feedback and votes by the more than one million Trucker Path app users.</p> <p><strong>The Trucker Path Top 5 Best Trucks Stops</strong></p> <p><u>Independent Truck Stops</u><br> 1<sup>st</sup> Place -- Bert's Travel Plaza, Wellsville, Kansas<br> 2<sup>nd</sup> Place -- Big Apple Travel Center, Joplin, Missouri<br> 3<sup>rd</sup> Place – Boise Stage Stop, Boise, Idaho<br> 4<sup>th</sup> Place -- Russell's Endee Truck and Travel Center, Glenrio, New Mexico<br> 5<sup>th</sup> Place -- Truck World Truck Stop, Hubbard. Ohio<br></P> <p><u>Chain Truck Stops</u><br> 1<sup>st</sup> Place – Pilot Travel Center #1, Mill Hall Pennsylvania<br> 2<sup>nd</sup> Place – Love's Travel Stop #812, Bliss, IdahoD<br> 3<sup>rd</sup> Place – Rocky Mountain Truck Centers of Little America, Green River, Wyoming<br> 4<sup>th</sup> Place – TA Oakley #91, Oakley, Kansas<br> 5<sup>th</sup> Place – Love's Travel Stop #814, Hamilton, Alabama<br></P> <p>“When I found out we’d won I was shocked because our store just opened on May 1, 2020,” said Kim Jackson, general manager of Bert's Travel Plaza in Wellsville, Kansas. “But we’ve worked so hard to make it a great place. Being family owned, especially having owners that also operate a trucking company, really helps. They put all their trucker knowledge into our facility. The owner really wanted a place for drivers so it was built for the drivers. There’s lots of concrete, bigger spots to prevent accidents and a security guard at night to help drivers. We also have free parking, a wash bay, and we have a 24-hour cleaning crew for clean showers and restrooms. I am very thankful for a great staff that also cares about the drivers. At the end of the day, I’m very proud to show my kids that hard work really pays off.”</p> <p>For its annual Best Truck Stops award, Trucker Path uses in-app ratings, reviews and driver feedback to determine the top 20 chain and independent truck stops. The Top 5 lists are then created through voting on those locations by Trucker Path app users. Each Best Truck Stops facility receives a window decal honoring the location.</p> <p>“Truck stop ratings by drivers reflect the locations that offer the best parking, food and a range of other amenities,” said Chris Oliver, CMO at Trucker Path. “Recognition by drivers means these facilities are the right place to stop based on their features and customer service. This year’s winners are what drivers tell us are the best chain and independent truck stops from among the more than 6,000 locations in the Trucker Path app.”</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2022/03/Top-20-Truck-Stops-of-2021.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-6485 size-full" src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2022/03/Top-20-Truck-Stops-of-2021-e1646244968536.png" alt="" width="643" height="571" /></a></p> <p><strong>About Trucker Path</strong></p> <p>Trucker Path, the North American trucking industry’s most comprehensive and most used mobile app for truckers, is in use by more than 1 million drivers. The online platform’s unmatched capabilities provide access to vital up-to-date information about truck stops, real-time parking availability, fuel prices, weigh station status, truck scales and wash locations and much more. The advanced technology, designed to mitigate inefficiencies in the transportation industry, offers navigational assistance with truck optimized routing, and its TruckLoads freight matching load board connects drivers, carriers and brokers. </p> <strong>Media Contact:</strong><br> Susan Fall<br> LaunchIt Public Relations<br> 858-490-1050<br> <a href="mailto:susan@launchitpr.com">susan@launchitpr.com</a>

Mar 03, 2022

Small Fleet recap: How should owner-operators manage downturns? <p align=center>Understanding your costs and developing quality relationships are key, says Trucker Path’s Oliver</p> <p>This fireside chat recap is from the FreightWaves virtual Small Fleet & Owner-Operator Summit on Wednesday.</p> <p><strong>FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC:</strong> What steps can owner-operators take to manage downturns?</p> <p><strong>DETAILS:</strong> Owner-operators face increasing uncertainty in the freight markets, but there are steps they can take to handle whatever the market throws at them. Understanding your costs and building quality relationships serve carriers better than taking the “bear down and hope” approach that small fleets have operated under in the past.</p> <p><strong>SPEAKER:</strong> Chris Oliver is the chief marketing officer of Trucker Path.</p> <p><strong>BIO:</strong> Oliver has more than 25 years’ experience leading small to midsize businesses. In addition to Trucker Path, he led growth and development efforts for several transportation brands, including Cargomatic, Zonar and PrePass. He holds degrees in marketing, international management and finance.</p> <p><strong>KEY QUOTES FROM OLIVER</strong></p> <p>“It all comes down to the basics. How do you know if you’re making any money if you don’t understand what your costs are? So the very first that you have to do is understand those costs. And there’s a lot to consider there — it’s not just your truck and your fuel.” </p> <p>“Over time, after you have built a relationship and trust and that shipper knows you’re a go-to guy that’s going to get the job done for you, they tend to loosen the purse strings a little and trust you a little bit more and share a little bit more of the revenue. Just to build those types of go-to relationships over time is just a smart thing to do.”</p> <p>“We’re not just here to book a load, send it to you and get our little percentage out of the way. We’re trying to help people be better businesspeople.” </p> <strong>Source</strong>:<strong> <a href="https://www.freightwaves.com/news/small-fleet-recap-how-should-owner-operators-manage-downturns">FreightWaves </a></strong>

Jun 17, 2022

Best Places to Celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day if You’re a Truck Driver <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2022/06/Picture1.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6687 size-medium" src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2022/06/Picture1-300x34.png" alt="" width="300" height="34" /></a></p> <p>Just so you don’t find yourself wondering who let the dogs out, this Friday, June 24th is National Take Your Dog To Work Day.</p> <p>It’s a great idea for dogs and their owners…just not great for every workplace.</p> <p>Images of dogs fighting, ripping up the boss’s sofa or relieving themselves in office lobbies everywhere come to mind. Certain workplaces not being exactly conducive to canines do as well. Bone clinics, ball factories, nuclear facilities and operating rooms should be avoided.</p> <p>The worst workplaces to bring a dog to work could fuel an entire season of Seinfeld.</p> <p>And the best ones, could quite possibly transform an industry. Trucking for starters.</p> <p>In an industry defined by long hours, solitary work, depressive downtime and a need for healthy physical activity, bringing your dog to work is a big idea.</p> <h3><strong>Dogs were made for truck driving.</strong></h3> <p>As the commercial says, “Dogs love trucks.” They love being with their owners, too.</p> <p>And the benefits are far, far from one-sided.</p> <p>Over work, loneliness, stress, and an often-hostile work environment are downsides of trucking that dogs are uniquely qualified to alleviate by providing comfort and companionship.</p> <h3><strong>The Big Benefits of Having a Dog as a Copilot</strong></h3> <ul> <li>If you drive with a dog, you’re not alone. (How’s that for alleviating loneliness?)</li> <li>Petting a dog or even gazing into a dog’s eyes releases oxytocin, a stress-reducing hormone.</li> <li>When you have a dog, you have to walk them. (A dog can make you exercise when no one else can.)</li> <li>Who needs an alarm when you have a security guard with hearing that’s four-times as sensitive as a human’s protecting your truck?</li> <li>When motorists see a trucker with a dog, it makes them feel good.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>Key Considerations for Bringing a Dog to Work on the Road</strong></h4> <p>So what do you need to know if you’re a trucker with dog or a trucking company that wants to bring the quality-of-work benefits of canine copilots to their workforce?</p> <p>For starters, some lanes, states and regions are more dog-and-truck friendly than others. Good thing to know, because for all the big benefits of having a pup in your big rig, there are challenges.</p> <p>Driving with a dog can be a drag when truck stops aren’t good for a walk and a pee—or when hotel owners are downright anti-dog. It can be hard enough finding a safe place to pull over and rest—and even harder to find a dog-friendly one.</p> <p>We at Trucker Path crowdsourced our driver pool to find the sweetest spots in the country for drivers with dogs based on two simple criteria: the presence of pet-friendly truck stops and hotels. Here is what we found.</p> <h4><strong>Connecticut is the most pet-friendly state for truck drivers.</strong></h4> <p>Trucks may be banned from its beautiful parkways, but drivers still rank Connecticut the most pet-friendly state. Also, there appears to be no correlation between the quality of a state’s roadways and the attractiveness of its offerings for truck dogs. Connecticut ranks an abysmal 33rd overall according to the <a href="https://reason.org/wp-content/uploads/26th-annual-highway-report-state-by-state-summaries.pdf">Reason Foundation’s 2021 ranking</a> of states’ road quality.</p> <p>According to Trucker Path data, the other pet-friendliest states for truckers are: 2) California, 3) Montana, 4) Virginia and 5) Oregon. No surprise that dogs favor California’s beaches and Montana’s big skies.</p> <p>In a testament to dogs’ easy-going nature, they don’t seem to care that California and Oregon’s rough roads are ranked down there at 45th and 25th respectively in Reason Foundation’s rankings. The places to live the dog’s life for truckers who like good roads and canines who like good hotels and truck stops appears to be Virginia and Montana, ranked 2nd and 11th respectively in Reason Foundation’s findings.</p> <h4>Who would have thought the Northeast was the pet-friendliest region?</h4> <p>Long haul truckers don’t tend to limit themselves to single states, so looking at the regions by pet-friendliness, is significant…and surprising.</p> <p>Congested, with a reputation for being a little prickly at times, the Northeast nevertheless warms to pets better than any other region in the U.S. Tri-state roadways are dog-eat-dog, but their hotels and rest stops make up for the traffic and trauma they bring on truckers through their pet-hospitality. Whether you have a layover while you search for a <a href="https://www.tafs.com/tafs-360-benefits/prodispatch/">decent-paying backhaul</a>, or want to take find out while you refuel, the Northeast is the North Star of pet-loving amenities and accommodations.</p> <p>Other regions ranked in this order: 2) Southeast, 3) Midwest, 4) Southwest and 5) West. Why is the West so passive toward pets while the Northeast is so welcoming and attentive? Maybe the East just needs the calming influence of pets more than the laid-back West?</p> <h4>Experience life in the pet-friendly lane on I-95.</h4> <p>It sort of makes sense that the interstate that defines Northeast driving would also be the number one most pet-friendly lane. If there’s any interstate in America where truckers could benefit from the calming influence of a dog, it’s the I-95. Only the therapeutic gaze of a pup has the power to neutralize this interstate’s road-ragers and the corridor’s constant congestion. It’s a drive that man’s best friend was made for. And maybe not-so-coincidentally a roadway with truck stops and hotel accommodations that were made for trucker-dogs.</p> <p>Trucker Path users ranked the second most pet-friendly lane being the I-10 spanning from sultry Florida to sunny California with miles and miles of desert landscape and pet-friendly accommodations in between. A furry companion has always been a welcome friend on this stretch going back to wagon train days. I-10’s truck stops and hotels seem to understand and open their dog doors wide for pet-owning truckers.</p> <p>If you’re a driver who wants to take their dog to work every day, there are other pet-friendly lanes to consider. Coming in at #3 in pet-centricity is the I-15 (San Diego to Montana and the Canadian border). #4 is the I-90 (Massachusetts to Montana by way of Chicago and South Dakota). And #5 is the I-75 (North-South from Florida through the Great Lakes).</p> <h4>Appreciate drivers by appreciating their dogs.</h4> <p>They say you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their dog. The same goes for the way states, trucking companies, communities and hotels treat their trucker dogs.</p> <p>Companies and communities continue to look for ways to show appreciation to the heroes who move our goods. Showing love to truckers with dogs seems like a good way to reach the 40% of drivers who already bring their dogs to work—and the many more who would bark at the chance.</p>

Jun 24, 2022