Oct 27, 2015

Brad James on Trucker Path: The New CB Radio

Brad James, known across the internet as “The Singing Trucker”, spoke to the Trucker Path team about his passion for music, life out on the road, and the benefits of using Trucker Path Pro.

If you’re in need of road trip music, Brad James has got you covered.

In fact, you may have already found yourself singing along to one of his videos on YouTube. Known as “The Singing Trucker,” James has become a viral internet star since posting his first video.

The Trucker Path team sat down with James to talk about his experience in the trucking industry and how he became a YouTube sensation.

“I’ve always loved singing and doing karaoke,” James said. “When I found out there was a way to do karaoke on the iPhone, I was hooked.”

After that, James started creating videos of himself singing to share with friends and four sons while he was out on the road. Once he posted the first one, it took off.

“I posted [the video] on Facebook, and the next day it had gone viral,” James said. “I sat up and I watched it go around the world three times. I didn’t sleep for three days. Three million views, 7.5 million views all in all.”

Facebook and YouTube aren’t the only smartphone apps James uses out on the road. When it comes to navigation, he turns to Trucker Path for help.

“I use Trucker Path when my electronic log goes off and tells me I have an hour left,” James said. “I’ve got to make sure I know where I can stop.”

James said he recommends Trucker Path to friends because it helps him find convenient stops on his route, and it gives him the details he needs.

“Trucker Path comes in handy when I stop and need a ten hour break and when I need to plan ahead,” James said. “When you [tap] the truck stop it tells you how many miles away it is. And I know I can make it to the truck stop and if there’s any parking.”

In addition to getting information about truck stops, James likes to find restaurants he wouldn’t normally know about along his routes.

“It does get old – same food every day,” James said. “I like the fact that when you pull up a truck stop on the app, you can look for the restaurants there. If I am going to a Pilot, it doesn’t just tell me which Pilot restaurant is there. It tells me what the rest across the street is, what the rest down the street is… it tells me what’s in walking distance. It’s nice.”

James said that like Facebook and YouTube, an important part of the Trucker Path experience is contributing to the community.

“Every time I go by the weigh station and it asks me if it were open or closed, it’s just a simple punch of the button,” James said. “Hopefully the guy in front of me told me the right information, and the guy behind me – I’m telling him what I see.”

With the recent popularity of smartphones, James said apps like Trucker Path are picking up where older technology left off.

“Trucker Path is the new CB radio,” James said. “The drivers don’t speak to each other on the CB radios anymore. Cell phones had come out, and we don’t talk to each other as much anymore, and it’s hard to get that information.”

That information can be crucial when out on the road. James said truckers face unique challenges every day that can lead to stressful situations.

“Dealing with automobile drivers and less experienced people, when your truck’s overweight, law enforcement, you name it and we have to deal with it out there,” James said.

As tough as it can be, James said driving has its perks.

“Sometimes you get out on the open road, and driving a truck can be the most peaceful of times,” James said. “Sometimes you just get lost in your own thoughts as you’re driving.”

Check out Brad James on his YouTube channel and on his blog www.brad-james.com.

What makes Apps4Truckers’ Tim Spence a Trucker Path fan? [p]Tim Spence has either been a trucker, or working in trucking, since 1986 – and like a lot of folks, he came to the industry through his father. “I was in Shreveport when the oil industry went sour, and he offered to teach me how to drive. You could say he taught me the Old School way,” Tim says with a chuckle. “Just take the wheel while the truck is rolling, and learn how to shift later.[/p] [h2]His favorite “benefit” may be something you’ve never even considered[/h2] [p]“These days, I’m mostly just driving this seat” – behind the desk in his Selma, Alabama home office, where he manages the Apps4Truckers website and produces a regular podcast with the same name. Tim recently hosted a segment featuring Trucker Path’s own Maria Melnyk, and agreed to spend a few minutes off the air sharing his thoughts with us.[/p] [p][b]Tim’s first impressions of Trucker Path? “Astounded”[/b][/p] [p]“When I interviewed Maria, I downloaded Trucker Path right before we started recording – so I could give her my first impressions live, on the air. What astounded me was the level of user participation I saw. Maria and I talked about how often people check-in to report whether or not Weigh Stations they’d passed were open. And when I started reading user reviews of restaurants, they were all pretty much up to date.”[/p] [p][b]We’ve lost something in the trucking community[/b][/p] [p]Like a lot of veterans from his generation, Tim has seen the industry change in ways he doesn’t always like. “I talk pretty often with older drivers about how we’ve lost a sense of community among truckers. You walk into a truck stop these days, everyone’s sitting by themselves and nobody’s talking. And yes, I’m guilty of doing the same thing myself. When I’m on the road, I’ll walk into a truck stop, and I might not say a word to anybody but the cashier.[/p] [p][b]Trucker Path is one way we’re getting it back[/b][/p] [p]“The beauty of Trucker Path is, it’s taking the very devices that stopped all that conversation, and it’s giving users a real sense of community. With the Trucker Path App, you can actually feel like you’re not alone out there – because there are a lot of people contributing helpful information every day. In that sense, I’d like to think it’s encouraging better social habits.[/p] [p][b]Dragging our industry into the 21st century?[/b][/p] [p]Tim sees another potential long-term benefit from Trucker Path: Helping the industry broaden its appeal to younger people through technology – an area where trucking is notoriously behind the curve.[/p] [p]“The other day,” Tim says with an eye-roll, “I met someone from a company that’s still sending its drivers messages recorded on cassette.” That may be extreme example, Tim notes, but it’s hardly unheard-of for an industry that just isn’t taking full advantage of technology to recruit younger people.[/p] [p][b]We couldn’t have said it better ourselves[/b][/p] [p]Which indirectly points to the ultimate benefit Tim sees in Trucker Path – “And to me, this is absolute gold: By inviting helpful user contributions,” Tim says, “Trucker Path encourages genuine camaraderie between drivers. It’s giving people the opportunity to Pay It Forward to others on the road every day.”[/p] [p]And at the end of the day, what greater good can an App do than help you while you’re helping others?[/p] [br][p][i]SUMMARY: Our profile of trucker app expert Tim Spence, who particularly appreciates Trucker Path’s user review feature for helping truckers help one another by sharing information on the best truck stop restaurant – and identify whether Weigh Stations along their routes are open or closed.[/i][/p]

Jul 20, 2015

A Match Made at MATS [p]Kevin Young and his wife Shannon have traveled together for half of his 16 year truck driving career, enjoying “the freedom of the open road and not having a boss standing over your shoulder.” Together, they’re on a mission to get the sense of community back in the trucking industry using new technologies like Trucker Path and podcasts.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ_Picture1-1.png" alt=""] [p]Kevin Young knows the secret to keeping a relationship happy and healthy while on the road.[/p] [p]“Love,” Young said. “When you’re two feet apart all day, you either love them or hate them. Love and patience.”[/p] [p]At the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in August, members of the Trucker Path team got to hang out with Young, a third generation trucker, and his wife Shannon in their truck.[/p] [p]“We know 99 % about each other,” Young said. “Sure, we get on each other’s nerves, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.”[/p] [p]When they need a break from one another, Young and his wife enjoy stops along the way like GATS and MATS. In fact, [a href="http://www.overdriveonline.com/a-match-made-in-mats-couple-gets-married-at-truck-show/"]they even got married at MATS in 2013[/a].[/p] [p]For Young, the highlight of GATS was the chance to talk to others in the trucking industry. “I love talking,” Young said, “and I had a lot of wonderful interviews. Talking to people is my main thing.”[/p] [p][a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/trucking-comes-up-short-in-search-for-young-drivers-1432071355"]Even the Wall Street Journal looks to Young for insight on trucking[/a].[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ2-1.png" alt=""] [p]Young said truckers come to GATS to learn about all the latest gadgets and technology in the industry. He said it’s important that truckers keep up with technology trends.[/p] [p]“Everybody has to change with the times,” Young said. “No old school mentality anymore.”[/p] [p]Along with over 400,000 other truckers, he and Shannon have turned to Trucker Path for help on the road.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ3-1.png" alt=""] [p]“Like my buddy Brad James said, ‘Trucker Path is the new CB radio.’” Young said. “Lots of new gadgets out there in the trucking industry, and you’ve got to roll with it.”[/p] [p]Young is hoping the Trucker Path Pro app will help with a growing issue in trucking – community. He said that, while there’s a strong sense of community at events like GATS, that hospitality doesn’t always shine out on the road.[/p] [p]After a flat on his trailer’s back axle in the fall of 2000, Young says other drivers stopped to help him right away. Nowadays, however, he fears that sort of camaraderie is fading from the industry.[/p] [p]“Drivers don’t help each other on the side of the road as they used to,” Young said. “Community like that in modern day trucking is missing.”[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/KJ4_edit-1.png" alt=""] [p]Young is on a mission to get that community back. He’s starting a podcast called [a href="https://www.facebook.com/Truckin-Roundup-page-1427419624228653/"]Truckin Round Up[/a] which brings together the elements of old school trucking with the trends of new school trucking.[/p] [p]Young’s podcast will take the form of a talk show full of interview segments with others in the industry. In it, Young plans to discuss new technology like Trucker Path that can keep old school trucking relevant.[/p] [quote]“You’ve got to have allies in this world and in this industry,” said Young. “It’s a never ending battle between good and evil. Stick together and be helpful on the road.”[/quote] [p]When Young isn’t recording his podcast or driving his truck, you can find him helping his wife Shannon learn to drive.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/09/Kj5-1.png" alt=""] [p]“If you want a hard challenge in your life, train your spouse how to drive a truck,” Young said jokingly. “I tell her do as I say, not as I do. She’s done drove me bald and took all my money. She might as well drive my truck too.”[/p] [p][i]Special thanks to Kevin and Shannon for sharing their stories with us and for their support of the Trucker Path app.[/i][/p]

Sep 29, 2015

This financial advisor turned trucker means business [p]For Canadian Stacy Hill, his third turn as a trucker may well be his most satisfying. “If you look at the capital cost of buying your own truck and trailer, and you know what you’re doing, I don’t know of any business that offers a greater potential return on investment than trucking.”[/p] [images src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/08/stacy-hill.jpg" alt="Cost of parking" width="200px" align="left" ] [quote]If you’re not using Trucker Path you’re wasting time and money.[/quote] [p]Stacy knows a little something about ROI. He was a financial advisor from 1991 to 2000 – and in 2001, he started specializing in Reverse Takeovers. Which, by the way, is what? “A reverse takeover is when a private company uses the stock market to raise capital. My partners and I did this before there was such a thing as Kickstarter, and one thing I learned about the public markets: The better your product’s story is, the sharper the knives that come-out from the wolves and the crooks.”[/p] [p][b]A good deal goes bad[/b][/p] [p]Which is exactly what happened to the last company Stacy worked with. “A group of stock manipulators ran the company’s stock up and down – taking profits on the rise, then selling short to profit on the drops – until they’d bled the company dry. I’d personally raised $2 million for this company from family and friends, so I felt obligated to try and keep the company afloat by shouldering the financial load for as long as I could.” Which eventually drove him into bankruptcy, and very likely caused his heart issues in 2012n – and possibly his cancer in 2014.[/p] [p]You’d think a series of setbacks like that would leave Stacy bitter and defeated. You’d be wrong. “I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, I’m exactly where the Lord wants me to be. To me, there is nothing less stressful than driving. And by making what I do as efficient as possible, I reduce my stress even more.” That’s where Trucker Path comes in.[/p] [p][b]“I only used it about four times today!”[/b][/p] [p]“I use Trucker Path multiple times every day. If I’m in a busy area and it’s getting time to stop, I’ll call the nearest truck stop and find-out if there’s a wait time on the showers. If they’re busy, I’ll just go to the next one.[/p] [p]“Whenever I make a longer stop, I’ll get out of the truck and take a 30-minute power walk with my five-pound hand weights. With all the gyrations I make, I probably look crazy. But anybody who says they can’t fit exercise into their daily routine is just being inefficient with their time.”[/p] [p][b]Calculating fuel costs in advance[/b][/p] [p]“I created an Excel spreadsheet that lists and subtracts fuel taxes for every state I drive through. So when I’m planning my day, I use Trucker Path to look-up fuel prices at the truck stops in the states I’ll pass through. Then I’ll calculate my [i]real[/i] fuel cost at every potential stop – and plan where to refuel accordingly. I’m saving hundreds of dollars in fuel costs every month, using Trucker Path and my spreadsheet.” And here’s the real kicker: Stacy isn’t even an Owner Operator.[/p] [p]“That was one headache I didn’t want.”[/p] [p]“I could have bought my own truck, but with my financial resources at the time, it would’ve had to been an old used one. I didn’t want that. Besides, I was still able to work my way out of bankruptcy two years ago, and now my wife and I even have credit again.” Needless to say, his decision to become a company driver was a blessing for the man who owns the company. “Yeah,” Stacy says, with a smile, “you could say the boss has a good understanding of value!”[/p] [p][b]Mixing business and pleasure[/b][/p] [p]“Granted,” Stacy admits “truck driving may not be the best paying profession in the world,” but he’s clearly enjoying himself – on and off the road. “Another thing I love about Trucker Path is the Available Parking feature for Truck Stops and Rest Areas. Of course, I rarely ever park in truck stops. They’re too noisy. Besides, I like to find rest areas located next to big, cut-grass fields.”[/p] [p]Stacy carries his golf clubs in the truck with him, and when he doesn’t have time to play one of his favorite courses along a route, “I’ll just pull out my clubs, and pound a Shag Bag full of balls.” Asked which part of his game is strongest, Stacy says, “I’m best at the short game.” Something tells us he’s also pretty adapt at the long haul.[/p] [br] [p][i]SUMMARY: Our profile of a Company Driver who uses Trucker Path to save time and money every day on the road.[/i][/p]

Aug 10, 2015