Feb 14, 2016

New Feature: Trucker Path Pro Views

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.

We’re thrilled to introduce our newest Trucker Path Pro feature. We call it Views, and we think you’re going to love it.

Trucker Path Pro Views

The Views feature gives you four different ways to see what’s around you in Trucker Path Pro:

All Places View
Weigh Stations View
Parking View
Diesel Prices View

There’s a new Views button 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.

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.

All Places View

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 All Places View, 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.

Weigh Stations View

If you want to quickly see all the open and closed weigh stations on your route, the Trucker Path Pro Weigh Stations View is the tool for you. Just tap that Views button, and then tap Weigh Stations. 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.

Parking View

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 Parking View. Tap the Views button. Then, tap Parking Availability, 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.

Fuel Prices View

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 Fuel Prices View. When you tap the Views 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.

Keep your filters in mind

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.

Good things take time

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 Views feature yet, but rest assured – it will be available to everyone soon.

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.

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

An Owner Operator's Best Friend - Trucker Path Pro [p]Owner operator team Tracy and Sharon Wilson discovered the advantages of Trucker Path Pro after their GPS led them on a less than ideal route. Now, it's their favorite trucking app.[/p] [h2]Tracy & Sharon Wilson’s indirect route to their favorite app[/h2] [p]Not long ago, Tracy and Sharon Wilson – an owner operator team based in Lexington, NC – were headed to Denver from Kentucky, and programmed their GPS for directions. “We didn’t even think about the route it recommended,” Sharon remembers, “but it sent us down to Nashville and then up through Nebraska – when it should’ve taken us straight across on 70.[/p] [p]“So the very next load we got, we decided to use Trucker Path to plan our route, and we did just what it said – no matter [i]what[/i] our GPS told us. Now, we always check our GPS against Trucker Path. It’s that good.” [i](Editor’s note: Please always use your best judgment as a professional driver. Pay attention to the roads you are on and the dangers they may have).[/i][/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/01/wilson1e.png" alt=""] [h2]It must be a sign![/h2] [p]Sharon will tell you she and Tracy were a bit wary about downloading Trucker Path in the first place. “We already had the Pilot app on our phone, but it only tells you where Pilots are located. So I started Googling truck stop apps, and that’s where I learned about Trucker Path.” She and Tracy being cautious types, “we weren’t sure it was safe. But one day we were in a truck stop, and we saw this big sign for Trucker Path. That’s when we figured maybe it [i]is[/i] safe.” Now, they’ll tell you Trucker Path is their favorite app.[/p] [img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2016/01/wilson3e.png" alt=""] [p]“We use it for so many different things, but our favorite thing is the weigh station information. Before, we never knew whether they were open or not, and it’s saved us so much time and trouble.”[/p] [p]Tracy and Sharon, an auto hauler team operating under the name [a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/T-S-Transit-Inc/939171309458058"]T & S Transit[/a], have been on the road together since October – when Sharon decided it was time for a change. “Tracy was a semi driver for 28 years, and after both our kids were grown and married, I was ready to get out of the house myself.” It’s one of the best decisions she’s ever made.[/p] [p]Childhood sweethearts, the couple have been married 35 years – since the two were just 18 years old. Like any marriage, Sharon says, “we’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re closer now than we’ve ever been.” She also reports another unexpected benefit to being auto haulers: “I’ve lost 20 pounds since I started doing this. It’s a lot of work.” And that’s a good thing, she’ll tell you, because “to tell you the truth, we don’t eat very healthy. Lots of burgers and pizzas for us!"[/p] [p]“That’s another place we get a lot of help from Trucker Path: Finding places to eat where I can use my coupons. I’m big on using my coupons."[/p] [h2]See what’s ahead[/h2] [p]Like most Trucker Path users, the couple also appreciates its available parking feature. “People are really good about reporting on available spaces. And we always do the same ourselves. Lots of times, we’ll just check Trucker Path for the total number of parking spaces at a truck stop. If there’s just, say, 45, we know that isn’t a good bet – but if they have upwards of 150, you can almost always find a space. It’s such a great time saver.”[/p] [p]And time is one of those luxuries the couple doesn’t have much of, these days. “We’re already busy enough with our RAM 5500 hauling three cars at a time, but Tracy says he just can’t accept not being in a semi. We’ll see!” Whichever road life takes them down next, they know one thing they can trust. “Like I said, just do what Trucker Path says!”[/p]

Jan 05, 2016

Truck Stops to Family Values: Choosing the Right Path [p]Whether he's driving a big rig or raising his kids, father of 7 Ed Brooks knows just where to look for guidance.[/p] [p]Ed Brooks found the Trucker Path app the same way a lot of our users do (searching for a smarter way to get from the proverbial Point A to Point B),but the feature he’s used most often lately is a favorite of his son – Ed’s on-the-road companion for the past five months. “When you travel with an 11-year-old,” he says with a smile, “you need to know where the bathrooms are.”[/p] [p]And not just any roadside truck stop will do, mind you. “We always check user ratings to see if the bathrooms are clean, and the atmosphere is family-friendly. Most times, we try to shoot for full-service truck stops. After all, if you have to stop, you might as well make it a good one.”[/p] [h2]Not your typical driving experience[/h2] [p]Ed’s been driving OTR since April – delivering RVs, buses and box trucks across the country. Before that, the Ann Arbor native drove several years locally for Uber and Lift – two jobs which offered a bit more, let’s say, ‘adventure’ than the average 62-year-old wants in life. “I drove a lot of students from club to club at nights, and it just got too wild. I wouldn’t even take rides after 11:00. By then, a lot of them could barely walk or talk.”[/p] [p]Which, in a roundabout way, raises a couple of questions: Where does a 62-year-old get the energy to raise an 11-year-old son, and how’d that happen in the first place? “Oh, we’re joined at the hip,” says Ed. “We’ve been on the road together nearly full time since I took this job. My wife and I adopted Roman when he was 11 months old.”[/p] [h2]Answering the call[/h2] [p]Ed admits that, at the time, he and Linda weren’t exactly looking for number seven (of whom, three others are also adopted),“but the Lord intervened. Roman had suffered a brain injury as a baby, and we just felt like he needed us.”[/p] [p]The injury led to early comprehension challenges, especially during pre-school and kindergarten. Roman’s going into fifth grade this year, and, Ed’s proud to say, “he’s doing well and making his grades. We home-schooled him last year,” which is how he was able to spend so much time on the road during April and May, “and now he’s all caught-up, and he’ll be going back to school this year.”[/p] [h2]A message of hope[/h2] [p]Although the next nine months on the road are likely to be a bit lonely for Ed, he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to make a difference when he’s home. A chaplain at the Washtenaw County jail for seven years before he began his driving career, Ed’s a member of Bethesda Bible Church in East Lansing – and still maintains an active ministry counseling recently-released inmates.[/p] [h2]Making good choices[/h2] [p]There is one upside to traveling solo for Ed: “Roman mostly liked eating at McDonald’s, whereas I do my best to stay away from carbs and starches.” Yet another area where his favorite driving app comes in handy every time he hits the road. “If a place ain’t on Trucker Path,” Ed says flatly, “I won’t go there.” Words of wisdom from a man who knows a little something about keeping it on the Straight and Narrow.[/p]

Dec 03, 2015