Mar 23, 2016

Top Truck Stops in Trucker Path Pro

It’s said that word of mouth is the best advertising, and with the Trucker Path Pro app, we found out that truckers talk about truck stops – a lot.

In fact, over 450,000 truck drivers use Trucker Path Pro to constantly update each other on the latest truck stop info, including ratings, reviews, real-time parking, and more. That’s why it’s America’s most popular app for truckers. We wanted to see what all those drivers were saying, so we looked at 3,500 truck stops that had more than 5 ratings within Trucker Path Pro – a grand total of over 71,000 ratings. Here are some of our findings based on a 0-5 point scale.

State by state analysis

First in our research, we wanted to find out which state was most likely to have good truck stops. If your truck stop is in Wisconsin, you’re in luck. With an average score of 4.20, Wisconsin grabs the top spot for highest average rating among states with over 1,000 reviews. Meanwhile, although Vermont doesn’t have as many reviews as Wisconsin, their truck stops rate a 4.40 out of 5, on average. Perhaps they use maple scented soap in the bathrooms.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the number of truck stop reviews. Texas has the most reviews and location pins in the Trucker Path Pro app by a wide margin. The Lone Star State has 327 facilities with at least 5 reviews, and it boasts a grand total of 6,600 truck driver ratings. It hasn’t quite caught up with Wisconsin yet, though – the average rating for a truck stop in Texas is 3.68.

If you want to know the best truck stop in your state according to Trucker Path Pro users, check out our full list of top truck stops by state here.

Big chains vs. independents

Once we figured out which states had the best truck stop ratings, we started to wonder whether the major brands or mom-and-pop truck stops ranked better with truckers. In general, we found that the independent truck stops outrank major chains. With over 21,000 reviews across 1,500 locations, independents score a high 3.89 – slightly more than the average major chain ranking of 3.73.

When it comes to major chains, though, Petro claims the top spot with an average rating of 3.92. Interestingly, Petro’s sister company TA doesn’t score quite as well with a 3.6 average. The same split occurs with Flying J, which edges out its sister Pilot by 0.1 point.

The best stops according to truckers

Next, we narrowed the data even further. We wanted to see who was the best of the best in Trucker Path Pro. So, we collected a list of the top truck stops in the app based on ratings. The Busy Bee in Live Oak, Florida came in at the top of our list, closely followed by Tullo Truck Stop in Kearny, New Jersey and Travel Express in Lathrop, MO.

Check out the rest of the top ten below, and take a look at the top 100 truck stops in Trucker Path Pro here.

What truckers are saying about top truck stops

So what do truckers like about the top spots? Good diesel prices, for one. We took a qualitative look at user reviews for some of the top truck stops in Trucker Path Pro and found several recurring themes.

Truckers like places with lots of parking – no surprise there. Cleanliness is also key, along with nice bathrooms, showers, and laundry facilities. Users also rave about stops with lots of restaurant options, especially those that include healthy choices. Scales are often noted as nice to have, as are ATMs and free wi-fi.

Make your stop stand out

Overall, it’s the little things that can make a big difference at a truck stop: great customer service, a safe and well-maintained parking lot, clean facilities. And when it comes to the pros and cons of truck stop life, truck drivers are making themselves heard with Trucker Path Pro.

You can join the conversation by requesting a free Trucker Path sticker to place in the window of your business. When truckers see this sticker in your window, they’ll know that you’re listening – you’re reading their reviews and working with them to make your stop the best it can possibly be. Visit the following link to get your free sticker.

New Feature: Trucker Path Pro Views [p]When it’s time to find parking in Trucker Path Pro, the number of options can be overwhelming. It’s easy to end up hunting and pecking among several different pins on the map before you find what you need. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just glance at the map and quickly see all the available parking in your area, all the open and closed weigh stations, and even all the fuel prices at nearby pumps? Good news: Now you can.[/p] [p]We're thrilled to introduce our newest [a href="http://go.onelink.me/1362444146?pid=Blog&c=website"]Trucker Path Pro[/a] feature. We call it [b]Views[/b], and we think you're going to love it.[/p] [h2]Trucker Path Pro Views[/h2] [p]The [b]Views[/b] feature gives you four different ways to see what’s around you in Trucker Path Pro:[/p] [ul] [li]All Places View[/li] [li]Weigh Stations View[/li] [li]Parking View[/li] [li]Diesel Prices View[/li] [/ul] [p]There’s a new [b]Views button[/b] located at the bottom left of the map screen, and it has an icon on it that looks like planet earth. Go on, give that button a tap and check out what’s near you.[/p] [p]Once you tap the Views button, you'll see a menu containing several options that will help you based on where you are and what you are looking for.[/p] [h2]All Places View[/h2] [p]The first view should look pretty familiar. It's the default view in the app, but we've given it a name so you can tell it apart from the new views. It's called [b]All Places View[/b], and as the name implies, it displays all the places you regularly see on the map. Anytime you want to see the regular map, just tap All Places and you're set.[/p] [android-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/02/allplaces-e.png" alt=""] [h2]Weigh Stations View[/h2] [p]If you want to quickly see all the open and closed weigh stations on your route, the Trucker Path Pro [b]Weigh Stations View [/b] is the tool for you. Just tap that [b]Views[/b] button, and then tap [b]Weigh Stations[/b]. All the pins you don't need disappear, leaving only weigh station pins on the map. The best part? You can see whether a weigh station is open or closed without even tapping it – the status is written right there on the pin.[/p] [android-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/02/weighstations-ed.png" alt=""] [h2]Parking View[/h2] [p]Picture this: your HOS minutes are ticking down, and your e-log knows it. Problem is, you're on an unfamiliar road in a town you've never heard of. You've got to find a place to stop, and quick. Enter Trucker Path Pro's [b]Parking View[/b]. Tap the [b]Views[/b] button. Then, tap [b]Parking Availability[/b], and boom – you can instantly see everywhere there's available parking. You beat your HOS clock, while finding a safe place to park that has a restaurant nearby.[/p] [android-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/02/parking-e.png" alt=""] [h2]Fuel Prices View[/h2] [p]Nothing eats profit like high diesel prices. Even when fuel prices are low, it’s still the one of the biggest operational costs. Make sure you're getting the most for your money with the Trucker Path Pro [b]Fuel Prices View[/b]. When you tap the [b]Views[/b] button and then tap Fuel, you immediately see where the nearest stations are and how much they're charging per gallon. No more searching through place details. It's all right there on the map so you can make a quick decision and get where you need to go.[/p] [ios-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/02/fuel2.jpg" alt=""] [h2]Keep your filters in mind[/h2] [p]Filters are a great way to make sure you are viewing location types that you are most interested in. Make sure you have your favorite brands selected. If we know the price of fuel, it will be displayed on the map.[/p] [h2]Good things take time[/h2] [p]All this new stuff is super exciting, but our top priority is making sure it works well for you. In order to assure the switch from the old map to the new views goes smoothly for everyone, we're doing what's called a “controlled rollout”. That means we release the feature to a few small groups of users at a time. By doing a controlled rollout, we're better able to answer your questions and make sure it's easy for you to use the views. Some of you might not see the [b]Views[/b] feature yet, but rest assured – it will be available to everyone soon.[/p] [p]Oh, and one more thing about new stuff. You know when you get a new pair of shoes and you have to walk around in them a bit to break them in? That's kind of how this feature might feel for the first couple times you use it. Once you get comfortable with it, though, you'll be off and running. If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, let us know.[/p]

Feb 14, 2016

5 Things to Know About the New Trucker Path Pro [p]If you haven’t gotten the latest Trucker Path Pro update, you’re missing out on some cool new stuff. And if you have downloaded the update, there are some new things you may not know about. Here are some of the big changes worth checking out.[/p] [h2]1. We didn’t take away the weigh stations[/h2] [p]They’ve been there all along. We just added a bunch of different [b]Quick Views[/b] to the map, and weigh stations went under the Quick Views menu:[/p] [ul][li][b]All Places[/b] – displays all types of locations from truck stops to weigh stations to Walmart stores and more.[/li] [li][b]Weigh Stations [/b] – takes all pins off the map except weigh stations so you can quickly see which ones are open or closed nearby.[/li] [li][b]Parking Availability[/b] – takes all pins off the map except parking areas.[/li] [li][b]Fuel[/b] – takes all pins off the map except places with fuel and displays the price per gallon of diesel (if we know). These prices are provided by the stops themselves, not by truckers.[/li][/ul] [android-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/03/weigh_stations-e.png" alt=""] [h2]2. You choose what appears on the map[/h2] [p]No matter what [b]Quick View[/b] you’re using, you select what location types appear on the map. Tap the button with the pin on it, and a menu appears. Select each location type you want to see. Then, tap anywhere on the map to close the menu. A notification will appear that tells you your pin selections have been saved for the view you’re using.[/p] [p]So let’s say you’re on a fuel plan and only want to see a certain brand of fuel stops. Make sure you’re in the [b]Fuel View[/b], tap that pin button, and select the brand you want. Then, remove all the other types of fuel places. Once you’ve done that, only your selected fuel brand will appear in the Fuel View.[/p] [ios-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/03/select_pins-e.png" alt=""] [h2]3. Gray pins need updates[/h2] [p]Have you seen gray pins on the map? That means no one has updated the parking status in 24 hours. Help your fellow truckers out – let them know if the parking lot is full or empty.[/p] [android-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/03/gray_pin-e.png" alt=""] [h2]4. We’re adding new places with every release[/h2] [p]We get tons of requests to change and add info to the app. We’re keeping up as fast as we can. To let us know about a new place, open the menu, tap [b]Feedback[/b], and then tap [b]Add new places[/b]. Complete the e-mail form, and hit [b]Send[/b]. We’ll get it in the app as quickly as possible and you will start seeing them when you update the app.[/p] [ios-img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/03/add_place-e.png" alt=""] [h2]5. We’re here to help[/h2] [p]If there’s something you don’t understand about the new version, let us know. Drop us a Facebook message or email us at [a href="mailto:support@truckerpath.com"]support@truckerpath.com[/a]. We’d be glad to help you get the most out of Trucker Path Pro.[/p]

Mar 03, 2016

What's New in Trucker Path Pro [p]We’ve been hard at work improving the Trucker Path Pro app, and we’ve got lots of new features to share with you. Here is just some of what we’ve been working on.[/p] [h2]Get Industry News[/h2] [p]It’s been a busy news week in the trucking industry. The ELD mandate was just made official. Thousands of you helped deliver for Wreaths Across America. A new safety fitness determination could be on it’s way.[/p] [p]It’s hard to keep up with all of the trucking news. That’s why Trucker Path Pro now gives you direct access to the information you need. If you’ve downloaded the newest Trucker Path Pro update, you may have noticed the new [b]Industry News[/b] option on the menu. When you tap this option, your smartphone opens a menu containing headlines from the [a href="http://www.truckersnews.com/"]Truckers News[/a] website. You can tap one of the headlines to read the full article and keep up with this ever-changing industry.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2015/12/new_menu-e.png" alt=""] [h2]Be Safe Out There[/h2] [p]At Trucker Path, we care about your safety and the safety of others out on the road. Because of this, we’ve implemented an alert to warn our users about the dangers of distracted driving. The alert appears on your screen if you operate Trucker Path Pro while moving. We recommend pulling over, using a hands-free setup, or, if possible, asking a passenger to operate the app. Please remember, you can be subject to a hefty fine from the FMCSA and a 10 point CSA violation if cited with violation for using a handheld device while driving.[/p] [h2]Help Build the Community[/h2] [p]A lot of folks have been notifying us about some unsavory user comments in place reviews. We at Trucker Path take community seriously, and we know the foundation of a great trucking community is respect. So, we’re working hard to moderate offensive comments and make Trucker Path Pro a place where all truckers can contribute to building a stronger community.[/p] [p]Our approach to solving this problem includes a few different phases that we’ll be rolling out over the coming months. First, though, we wanted to notify everyone of the new comments policy in Trucker Path Pro: In order to build a constructive community of truckers, comments containing lewd, threatening, or explicit language are prohibited.[/p] [p]We’ve added a notification to the app which contains the new comments policy. Currently, the notification is only available for Android users, but don’t worry – we’re working hard to create a notification for iOS users too. In the meantime, we encourage all Trucker Path Pro users to be kind and respectful to one another.[/p] [p]You spoke, we listened – and we’re glad we did. We’re constantly striving to improve so we can be more helpful to truckers. Building our app based on community feedback is big part of what makes Trucker Path Pro so useful. Nothing complicated, no frills. Just truckers helping other truckers. Here at Trucker Path, it really is that simple.[/p]

Dec 17, 2015