May 11, 2015

Where are the best truck stops, and how do you find them?

In the summer of 2014, Talking Truckers published a list of the six truck stops that appeared on the most Top Ten US Truck Stops polls published online.

Yep, there’s an app for that!

Those truck stops (in alphabetical order) are:

IOWA 80 (Walcott, IA)
LITTLE AMERICA (Flagstaff, AZ)
MORRIS TRAVEL CENTER (Morris, IL)
SAPP BROTHERS (Sydney, NE)
SOUTH OF THE BORDER (Hamer, SC)
WHISKEY PETE’S (Primm, NV)

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.

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.

So how do you find good truck stops?

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 mostly 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.

At the same time, Word of Mouth isn’t always available where you need it, when you need it.

What if there were an app for that?

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.

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 and user rating. Tap on a truck stop’s listing, and you’ll find the following information and / or options:

Current fuel price
Directions
Phone / fax / web address
Parking availability and parking load history
Scales? Y/N
Showers? (# available)
Wi-Fi Internet
ATM
Bulk DEF
Tire care? Y/N
TRANSFLOW Express
RV dump station? (# available)
Overnight parking? (Y/N)
Truck parking spots
Nearby restaurants with distance & directions from truck stop

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.

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.”

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.

How to find better freight brokers. And carriers [p]There’s a reason most Independent Owner Operators have relationships with freight brokers: They don’t have the time and resources it takes to find a steady stream of loads, in addition to time and resources it takes to haul a steady stream of loads. That’s not even counting the time and resources it takes to [i]manage[/i] loads from point to point.[/p] [h2]There’s a better way than Load Boards to get the information you need[/h2] [p][b]How many drivers have time for [i]that[/i]?[/b][/p] [p]Lisa Lowery with Birmingham, Alabama-based [a href="http://www.baggettservicesinc.com/"]Baggett Services[/a] – where revenues today are more than ten times what they were before 2010 – points to the sheer volume of busy-work she handles for drivers.[/p] [p]“Number one would be cold calling,” she says. In other words, building a strong network of quality customers who need the kind of freight shipped that pays well. One of Baggett’s main sources for quality loads over the past few years has been the commercial Aerospace industry. Not the easiest market to crack, but certainly a very good one, once you’ve proven yourself.[/p] [p]Another time-consuming task would be building and maintaining a Rate Matrix. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, a Rate Matrix is a hauler’s per-mile price on a state-by-state basis. It’s a relatively new concept to the industry, but one that more and more shippers require from brokers as a reference point when comparing prices for loads. And naturally, the more brokers have to compete on price, the less time and energy they can afford to dedicate to service – and the more valuable a broker’s computer-automated support becomes.[/p] [p][b]We have the technology...[/b][/p] [p]“In just the past year alone, our business has become a lot more computer-driven,” says Lowery. And while the percentage of truckers with smartphones and tablets rose, according to [a href="http://www.ccjdigital.com/"]CCJ[/a], from 30 % in 2011 to 80 % by the end of 2014, “most drivers still aren’t that interested in using technology to manage the kind of work we do for them every day.”[/p] [p][b]... so what’s wrong with the technology?[/b][/p] [p]One big reason drivers may be reluctant to rely more on technology for their business is the number of bad stories connected to Load Boards. The main reason for that? Lack of reliable information, through Load Boards, about Brokers. And, for that matter, about Carriers.[/p] [p][b]The future? Better information for everyone.[/b][/p] [p]Charlie Myers – a 35+ year industry veteran and President, from 2002 to 2008 of Getloaded.com – believes the industry’s future is in the Marketplace concept, where quality information is freely available to everyone interested in connecting online. “Trust is a huge issue in our business, and information is the key to building trust.[/p] [p][b]Trust, but verify![/b][/p] [p]“In the ideal online marketplace, both parties benefit. Carriers should be able to see what loads a broker has, and brokers should have easy access to critical background info on carriers that’s published by the government – from their CSA scores to their safety ratings and insurance coverage. Most importantly, in that marketplace, [i]everyone[/i] has the opportunity to offer candid ratings and feedback about their working experiences.[/p] [p]“That kind of Open Information environment has a great way of attracting quality partners, and driving out the people who give our industry a bad name,” Myers continues. And while the overwhelming majority of brokers and carriers are honest business people, just about anyone in the business has been burned at least once.[/p] [p]How long before the marketplace concept takes hold? Stay tuned.[/p] [br][p][i]SUMMARY: Advice for independent carriers looking to expand their network of quality brokers and shippers, from the developers of Trucker Path – an App which is now accepting members to its Truckloads trucking marketplace.[/i][/p]

May 18, 2015

What is crowdsourcing, and how can it make your life easier? [p]Imagine if there was an App that could tell you whether or not there’s parking available at the truck stop just up the road from where you are right now. Well there is, but more on that later.[/p] [h2]Our App for truckers does just that[/h2] [p][b]First, what is Crowdsourcing?[/b][/p] [p]According to [a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing"]Wikipedia[/a], Crowdsourcing is the process of obtaining information or services from an online community. It’s an increasingly powerful tool for solving problems and saving time and money.[/p] [p]For instance, Waze – which has been downloaded nearly 100 million times from the Google Play store alone – uses data gathered by crowdsourcing to give its users up-to-the-minute traffic information. And when there’s trouble reported ahead, Waze offers you alternate-route suggestions.[/p] [p][b]Other current and future benefits of crowdsourcing[/b][/p] [p][i]Helping you find better roadside restaurants.[/i] These days, [i]way[/i] too many truck stops offer only fast food as an option – and that’s no way to eat on a daily basis. Using a crowdsource app like Yelp in conjunction with a trip planner, you’ll find endless suggestions for eating healthier, better and cheaper.[/p] [p][i]Helping you finding more quality load opportunities.[/i] Imagine an online “marketplace” that does a lot of things Load Boards [i]should[/i] have been doing for years. Like providing more, and better, info on drivers and brokers. And includes a User Ratings option – to help you avoid brokers (or drivers) you don’t want to work-with.[/p] [p][b]Too many trucks, too little parking[/b][/p] [p]As the [a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/truck-drivers-face-shortage-of-legal-safe-places-to-park-1421799404"]Wall Street Journal[/a] reported in early 2015, the parking shortage for truckers is getting worse. A recent FHA study, for instance, identified a stretch of I-40 through Arizona and New Mexico with barely 300 parking spots for the more than 10,000 trucks that passed-through daily. In a 2013 web survey of some 4,000 truck drivers, nearly 40 % said it typically takes them an hour or more to find parking at night.[/p] [p][b]So how does that crowdsourcing app work for parking?[/b][/p] [p]The first question you’re probably asking is: Who would take the time to grab their phone, when they’re pulling-into a truck stop or rest stop, and type-in detailed parking information? Lots of people, as it turns-out. The [a href="https://truckerpath.com/"]Trucker Path[/a] app has over 220,000 users, and its developers have made the sharing of parking info as easy as tapping your phone a couple times.[/p] [p]Using your phone’s GPS, the app sends you a quick message, when you pull-into a truck stop or rest area – asking if there is any available parking. If you answer Yes, it offers you three choices:[/p] [ul] [li]Lots Of Parking[/li] [li]Some Parking Spots[/li] [li]Lot Is Full. Which, of course, takes just one more tap to enter[/li] [/ul] [p]Oh, and incidentally, that “marketplace” app mentioned above? That’s another service Trucker Path will be offering soon. Now ask yourself: How much easier would an app like [i]that[/i] make your life?[/p] [br][p][i]SUMMARY: An overview of how carriers can use crowdsourcing technology to find parking at truck stops, rest areas and overnight parking lots. With the Trucker Path App, truckers can also find open weigh stations and nearby TRANSFLO.[/i][/p]

Mar 31, 2015

Trucker Path crowd-sourcing parking info

May 04, 2015