Driver Lifestyles

Trucking, Technology & You!

Living in the computer age has had its perks, particularly for truck drivers in search of more efficient means to boost their bottom line.  Now more than ever, truckers are seeing the benefits of having a computer on board. 

In fact, it is estimated that 48% of the 3.5 million or so drivers out on today's highways use computers regularly, 20% of these have laptops in their cabs.  These numbers are predicted to increase at a rate of about 5% every year. 

The reasons that each trucker uses a computer are much the same.  The computer has become a useful mapping tool, a means for keeping logs, filing paperwork and taxes, monitoring freight boards, searching for the best fuel prices, staying connected with family and friends, not to mention an endless source of entertainment. 

Dave Coffin, an expediting driver, states, "My wife and I are team drivers. We have his and her laptops, his and her palm pilots, and a scanner and printer in the truck. We use them for communications (e-mail), writing, contact management, business planning, mapping, web surfing, etc."  

Some have embraced technology through total curiosity while looking for ways to pass the hours between loads, while others were involved in the computer industry before trucking.  One trucker who goes by "ChetJester" told me he himself was a computer instructor and software designer before becoming an expediter (He also intimated to me that he is much happier now).

With the numbers of web sites devoted solely to truckers and trucking issues increasing at an equally fast pace, the trucker is never alone in his or her journey.  In fact, cyber space has become the virtual "oasis in the night" for truck drivers looking for anything - camaraderie, information, sports, news. (One would be amazed at what a general Google search could yield).

There are message boards, chat rooms, sites such as Expediters Online.com that offer free e-mail service, weather and open forums that discuss anything one could possibly imagine having to do with the expedited freight industry. 

Yet another site for truckers, the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association gives the latest information on legislation and safety.  OOIDA is a place where drivers can visit to learn more about the issues that directly affect them and the trucking industry at large.  These two sites represent merely a fraction of what's available.  And the list grows.
 
Truck stops (speaking of the "oasis in the night," the literal, that is) are now offering drivers everything from hot meals, cold lunches, TVs, phones, live entertainment, showers, barber facilities, flower shops, banking, video arcades, fax machines, computers with internet access and now Wi-Fi.

To accommodate technology-hungry truckers, truck stops all over the country (upwards of 3,000 and growing) have or will install wireless portals (HotSpots) in their parking lots and internet kiosks.  For those who have laptop computers in their cab, this service makes it entirely possible that drivers would never have to leave the comfort of their cab (unless they want to, of course).

Wi-Fi (short for Wireless Fidelity) is the hottest mode of communication to hit the highways since the CB and who better to drive this trend? "Truckers consist of a great deal of 'early adopters,' said Seth Rogers with WebRocker, "after all they pioneered wireless technology with CB. 

"Truckers have always been a quiet leader in anything having to do with wireless communication, said Alan Meiusi, Vice President and COO of Truckstop.net,  "Everyone is so hot about GPS, but truckers started getting into that 14 years ago." Says Dave Coffin, "I have used laptops in my cab for years running Delorme Street atlas with GPS."

Just as airports and hotels have in recent years catered to the "business traveler," two of the nation's largest chains of truck stops, Flying J and Petro have installed "HotSpots" in their parking lots to attract truckers and highway travelers. 

While not every location is wired for Wi-Fi just yet, the list of locations continues to expand daily.  (You can visit each company's web site for the locations equipped with Wi-Fi) Richard Tisdale, Chief Information Officer for Petro Stopping Centers, says "We have gone to great lengths to make sure our signal is fast and strong from all parts of our parking lots."

He continues, "While some competitors are building proprietary networks, our customers told us they wanted to join a single Wi-Fi network offering hot spots at all different kinds of locations. So we joined the nation's largest truck stop Wi-Fi network, Truckstop.net, and appreciate all their efforts to rapidly build out the system."

Alan Meiusi, of Truckstop.net., states, "Petro has really turned up the heat this summer with its new Wi-Fi hotspots, and we are delighted that Truckstop.net is making their parking spaces even hotter.  The internet will be burning brightly this summer as the country's biggest parking lots come alive with Wi-Fi." 

Even trucking companies see the merits of having its road-bound employees utilizing technology.  For example, with a computer, truckers can easily upload signed freight bills rather than mailing them, thereby speeding up the invoice process. 

Or, with the help of a digital camera, upload pictures of damaged cargo to operations, even taking pictures of accidents to expedite insurance claims. "At the company I was leased to, FedEx Custom Critical, the computer was needed for information data downloading from our refrigerated freight box for customer quality assurance. So we went and purchased our first laptop, printer and scanner," says independent contractor Glen Rice.

With the cost of computers declining daily (or weekly, anyway) and the numbers of users increasing at a rate nearly parallel to the speed of sound, the computer has never been more easily obtained. 

Sure, some people still have that phobia of anything electronic and yes, the computer does truly have a mind of its own, yet to manage your business more cost effectively and efficiently, having a computer on board truly does make sense.  Besides, the pocket calculator was never this much fun!