TruckTrek
A Trucker's Resource Database
TruckTrekA Trucker's Resource Database |
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You've got your load assignment, the road is clear and the day is young, and you're ready to go. But do you have everything you need to complete the assignment?
Most truckers start out trying to do trip planning on the cheap - buy a copy of the latest Rand-McNally map book and plot the route by hand. Consult the list of company fuel stops and try to figure the least number of stops that will get you there. Run until the DOT says they must stop, and start looking for a place to park, hoping that they won't be disturbing any residential area and earning an early morning visit from the local police.
Many truckers get by on this, and it seems to work better as the trucker gets familiar with the more frequented routes. They learn where the rest stops are, where the better food is, and even a few places where they can get a prescription filled or load up on groceries. It all works well-enough.
Until a new route into a new area is encountered. Until a tight schedule requires the most efficiency in how you plan. Until a snowstorm stops you in a strange town where you've never been before. Or until an unexpected route change leaves you without a company approved fueler in easy range. Until a new state weigh station crops up before they can get the load scaled. How can one prevent or recover from these problems?
The capabilities of modern computers and software, along with their availability and ease-of-use for almost anyone, means that computers can be used to enable a new level of efficiency, and the trucking industry is certainly not untouched by this. The trucking company uses computers to plan loads and keep resources where they are needed, and they use automated messaging, "Qualcomm", to facilitate that. The trucker can use this technology too, and with a cheap laptop and software he or she can plan to go where no trucker has dared to go before.
TruckTrek continues to expand, with more items in almost every category (see here). A thousand new scale locations are identified and a method for being able to see at a glance where scales and washes are is in place, even when zoomed out to the state level.
A database of Walmart locations is included; the entire roster of 3300 locations nationwide.
A trucking company, Martin Transport, has drop yards, terminals and fuelers identified in their special edition. See the User's Guide for a complete rundown of the contents.
New categories of pushpins include Low Clearances and Toll Roads/Tunnels/Bridges.
See the notice about these modules here.
Credit: You can receive a one-time credit for most of the purchase price of one or more modules when you purchase the full version of TruckTrek. All you need to do is, after installing the module, go to the folder "C:\Trek" and open the file POP_xx.txt, where xx is a couple of letters denoting the module(s) you own, in NotePad. It will contain a single line reading "Proof of Purchase:" followed by a 6 character code. Those codes may be applied as promotion codes against the purchase of TruckTrek; the amount of the discount will be $15.00 for a $19.95 module, $18 for a $24.95 module and $5 for a $9.95 module. Apply all that you have codes for, but only once for each one.
Updates: Updates for TruckTrek and its modules are free for a full year after purchase, which will generally net at least two bi-annual updates of the data. Extensions of the update period are available on a yearly renewal basis (referred to as a "subscription") for between a third and a half of the initial purchase price per year thereafter. Notice of the availability of updates will be sent by email to all registered buyers when they become available.
Update retrieval and installation: TBD
Subscription termination: This subscription may be terminated at any time before it is billed by sending an email to TKE. Because of the vagaries of email, make sure you get an acknowledgement of termination before considering the subscription cancelled. A cancelled subscription will still have effect until it expires by date; cancelling further subscripions one month after a subscription is billed will leave the 11 months of the currect subscription still in place for that time period.
Download Extension Fee: You may notice an item for a "download extension" fee of 1 cent ($0.01) added onto your purchase. This enables your ability to download your purchase and updates for the term of the current subscription extension. Do not delete this item unless you intend to never download or update in the future.
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This page last updated on Sat Feb 28 2009 |