October 2009 |
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Staying Ahead of the Tech Curve
By Misty Bell
The days of getting by on nothing more than a CB, a map, an AM/FM radio and plenty of fuel and mechanical knowhow are things of the past for truckers. From GPS navigation to iPhone applications to specially designed mounting devices, the number of technological toys available is ever-increasing. Such equipment can help owner-operators manage their business, help all drivers stay in touch with loved ones, and more generally make the road that much better of a place to be.
In-cab tools
When looking to buy tools that can help with business aspects, truckers should consider several things. Foremost, put some thought into what the upfront cost will be, and think about whether the return on investment will be sufficient to merit purchasing that expensive piece of equipment. Is it something you will actually use?
New Century Transportation Driver John Jensen, 42, of Carlisle, Pa., says he has not regretted his decision to take the tech plunge. He primarily uses in-cab tech to help with routing. “A couple of years ago I got a laptop in the truck, and that was really great for finding customers and getting around,” Jensen says. “The laptop is mainly used for GPS.”
Jensen runs a Dell Inspiron E1405. “We run LTL, and I might have five or six stops during the day. I plug them into the map software and know exactly where I need to go. It probably takes 10 or 15 minutes, and I have the whole day mapped out for myself.”
Jensen also gets some extra help from a newer toy; in May he bought an iPhone, “which is a wonderful piece of technology,” he says. “It helps me out more than the laptop sometimes, being able to get on Google Maps and see a satellite view of an area.”
Google Maps, a free service offered by online search-engine powerhouse Google, allows users to look at a traditional map or “street view,” an interactive recording of what the area actually looks like. Google hires drivers to take video of streets using 360-degree cameras, then compiles the available images to create the street view. “If I get on Google maps,” Jensen says, “I can see, well, ‘this building looks pretty industrial. … This area looks pretty residential.’” By typing in the address of the building he’s looking for, Jensen usually can even see what that building, and the ones surrounding it look like.
Owner-operator and flatbed hauler John King, leased to Anderson Trucking, is another Google Maps user, saying it allows him to “actually look and say, ‘Oh, I’m looking for a building that looks like this, and this is the building that’s across from it.’”
King also utilizes ALK Technologies CoPilot software and Microsoft Streets and Trips with an add-on feature for lane and height restriction on his Hewlett Packard DV9000 “17-inch widescreen, Blu-ray-equipped, Bluetooth-equipped laptop,” as he describes the machine. King says the mapping technology also has helped him pick the best route through winter weather and even find a good place to park at night.
In addition to mapping and routing, King uses his computer to simplify a chore dreaded by many drivers: his logbook. “I do all my logging on the computer,” he says. “I use a program called Driver’s Daily Log. Until the government goes with onboard recorders or electronic logs, I’m going to keep the program. It’s a good program. You’ve got quite a few companies that will accept a printed log off of Driver’s Daily Log.”
King says his in-cab technology also helps with his business in other ways, including enabling easy planning ahead for accounting purposes. But he says even though he has a love for technology, he carefully plans his tech purchases.
“When you’re talking about subjects like this, this is a passion for me,” King says. “I’m not one of those guys that says, ‘Oh, golly, a new tool’s come out. I’ve got to go get it.’ I look. I do research on it. I try to get what I actually need and figure out what’s going to be a tool and what’s going to be a toy.”
Jensen concurs. “A friend of mine reminded me of the difference between the ‘bleeding edge’ and the ‘cutting edge,’” he says. “The bleeding edge is this stuff right when it comes out, beta testing or when it costs a lot of money. I wouldn’t even say I’m on the cutting edge, because I sort of wait until something is tried and true before I buy it.”
Bryan Martin, boss man with 4 State Trucks (home of the Chrome Shop Mafia), says the tech tools available to truckers range even further than computers, phones and GPS. Some of the more interesting and useful tools he’s seen include in-cab performance monitors for diesel engines and tires.
For the engine-performance monitor, Martin says 4 States sells “Pittsburgh Power, but it’s really the best of both worlds. You plug it into your engine and there’s a digital readout on the dash, and from there you can actually increase the horsepower of your engine from the cab. … You get more power and more fuel mileage.”
Martin says in-cab tire-pressure monitors are fairly new technology that “hasn’t really caught on.” The system is a digital monitor for the truck’s dash “that’ll tell you what your tire pressure is on all your truck tires and really all your trailer tires if you want it to.” This also helps with mileage by allowing easy pressure monitoring, he says.
Other in-cab tools drivers might find helpful are vehicle back-up systems and night vision cameras. Back-up systems will typically include a camera that can be mounted on the license plate frame of the truck or trailer or elsewhere on the vehicle, along with an in-cab monitor that allows the driver to see clearly where he or she is backing. A night-vision camera can help prevent collisions at night by allowing the driver to view thermographic images, allowing him or her to see up to five times as far as possible with only headlights.
Bring on the toys
For all the benefits of having great business tools in the cab, having a few tech toys may be worthwhile as well. A high-quality TV or a laptop with a wireless Internet connection can make long evenings feel a little shorter, and a good sound system with satellite radio might help on those workdays that won’t end.
King says he has put together a system that helps him relax in his sleeper before he goes to sleep in the evenings. “I run a 20-inch flat-panel for TV and Blu-ray for a DVD player,” he says. The television is a Vizio, the DVD player an RCA. “And those were all simple. Drivers can go up to Wal-Mart and buy one. It wasn’t something where you have to go down to Best Buy and get this and get that. Those were low-end investments.”
Martin says something that’s seen increasing popularity in recent years is in-sleeper satellite TV. “It’s all self-aligning,” he says. “You literally push a button when you park there at the truckstop, and you can immediately start flipping channels.” Martin says 4 State sells a brand of satellite called VuQube, which “lets you enjoy Dish Network or DirecTV right there in your sleeper.”
If he had to pick just a few devices to put in a rig, Martin says he’d go with the VuQube, a higher-end sound system with satellite radio capability, a 20-inch flat-panel TV and a power inverter, which converts DC to AC power, allowing drivers to plug in multiple items such as TV, coffee pot, laptop, etc.
A good sound system doesn’t have to be outrageously priced, Martin says, and truckers can get “a sound system that’s far superior to what the truck came with from the factory” for less than $1,000. And even adding in the other equipment Martin recommends, a trucker can nicely outfit his sleeper for about $5,000.
The best part, Martin says: “Those are all items that the driver could take with him to the next truck. All of those are transferrable to another vehicle.”
“Big boys like big toys,” King, who has a degree in transportation management and avionics, says. “My call sign is Big Papa, and I’m — well, I wouldn’t say ‘a fat, overweight man,’ but I’m a big man, and I love electronics. … If I have a little bit of extra money, I put it toward my toys. I’ve gone to school while I’m on the road. I’ve done schooling there. I’ve done webinars through my computer. So I’m very, very into the latest tech. I Twitter. I Facebook. All the norms, and I try to keep on the edge and do a lot of research when I can.”
Old meets new
There’s much to be said for good old common sense when driving. Jensen says a driver should know what he’s doing before he turns to technology to tell him how to do the job. “The one thing that I’d recommend to people before getting GPS is, always, you should be able to drive without it first,” he says. “They’re great to have, but I think that as a new driver you should not depend on it at first. You should be able to get around old-school, with an atlas.
“As a seasoned driver, I still look at that GPS, and it’ll say, ‘Take this way, it’s the shortest.’ But I may realize that I should stay on the U.S. highway for a little longer rather than driving through a residential neighborhood.”
Of course, with all the new technology, distractions abound, so the most common-sense thing a driver should remember is to simply keep your eyes on the road, and drive safe. |
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