A New Truckers App From TT: What Would You Like To See?

Hey folks,

Let's begin the brainstorming process for a new app I want to build for drivers.

We now have the technology available to build some seriously cool stuff. In fact, I intend to build an app that understands you and your circumstances well enough that many times it can help you without even being asked. It's a personal assistant for the road.

This app will have access to just about any tool on the Web: maps, routing, weather, traffic, business locations, informational websites - you name it. I mean, literally, you name it, and I'll see if I can incorporate it.

I want you to imagine having an experienced driver along for the ride who can act as your assistant while you're busy driving. This driver can look up directions, weather forecasts, traffic problems, reroute you around problems, call the customer for you, look up regulations, relay messages, find truck stops that fit your preferences, and whatever else you can imagine.

Here's the real kicker, though. This assistant knows everything you'd like it to know about you and has a perfect and permanent memory. What does this mean? It means it can remember anything you tell it, forever, and recall it when you need it.

For instance, you're driving down the Interstate , and you see "Jim's Burgers," and once again, you have forgotten it was there. You've heard it's great, and you keep meaning to stop. Next time through there, you will. You tell the assistant, "Hey, Jimmy (or whatever you name it), create a reminder for me. I want to eat at Jim's Burgers in Toledo, Ohio."

About a month later, you head out one morning from Cleveland on your way to Chicago. You say, "Jimmy, we're going to Chicago, IL, and the appointment is tomorrow morning at 8:00 am." You start the trip, and a message pops up: "You will pass by Jim's Burgers in Toledo, Ohio today. One month ago, you said you wanted to eat there."

How crazy is that, right?

You go to the Hershey's plant in Hershey, PA, and you accidentally go through the wrong entrance. "Hey, Jimmy, create a reminder for me. Remind me to go in the side entrance at the Hershey's Plant in Hershey, PA"

Three months later, You tell Jimmy, "We're heading to Hershey's in Hershey, PA for tomorrow morning at 8:00." A message pops up on your way to the Hershey plant, and your assistant reminds you to go in the side entrance.

Yes, my dudes, this sh*t is real. I can build this.

So I want you guys to imagine what capabilities you would like Jimmy to have, and of course, he/she/it needs a name. I want you to really reach for something amazing. If I can't do it, I'll say so. But assume this thing has limitless potential. If you had some futuristic super-intelligence, what would you ask it to do for you? During your travels, think this over. Anytime you have to do something, think about the potential for us to automate that for you or assist you with it.

Throw your ideas at me. What information or communications would you love to have built into an app?

I hope you guys come up with some crazy stuff!

Road construction areas and how traffic is moving through it as I'm coming up to it. If it's just creeping along at less than 10 or 15 mph, then suggesting an alternate route around it.

This also applies to closed roads due to accidents. I would like to see routing around the accident. If possible, on both of these, how many miles is added on, would be valuable to know if it's worth driving around or not

Laura

Will the app have the capability to provide information to Driver B based on information entered by Driver A? Sort of like a way to share information publicly to all users?

Similarly, will a person using the app be able to choose whether they want their input to be shared with all users or if they'd prefer to keep it private?

Like the example you provided about the correct entrance to the Hershey Plant. It would be great if that kind of information could be shared with all users.

Maybe users of the app could click on a toggle button for this. Not only to choose whether or not they want to make their input public, but also to decide whether they want to receive alerts based on other drivers' input, or whether they just want to receive alerts based on their own input. Sometimes a driver may not want to be flooded with too much information. Other times a driver might want as much information as possible.

I occasionally enjoy a hotel stay while on the road. Every time I do this I struggle with finding one on my route with truck parking. A way to easily locate a hotel which accommodates big rigs would be valuable information to me.

Old School likes to relax sometimes:

I occasionally enjoy a hotel stay while on the road.

The DAT truck app used to have truck friendly hotels & parking info, but no longer. That would be a great piece of information to have. When I drove truck delivery drive away I had to stay in hotels every night. So for some it's not just the occasional cushy bed kind of thing.

When I first started, I has brain stormed an app called Docksmart. The idea was to have final mile data and photos, satellite images to and from shippers and recievers. Like a nav system but based on real drivers input. A lot of us mark up google maps.

I think it would be handy for new drivers, heck even anyone going to somewhere they never have, bring able to have detailed instructions and images on how to safely get in, dock and our of a place. I think it would help eliminate a lot of incidents and accidents

Fantastic, guys! An excellent start!

I'm gonna keep a running list here in this conversation so people can see the requests so far.

Right now we have:

• ID Mtn Gal: See slowdowns and road closures ahead with rerouting options that include time and distance calculations
• RealDiehl: Option to save information as public or private and receive alerts based on private and/or public data
• Old School: Find hotel on the route with truck parking
• Davy: Final mile directions, photos, and satellite images to make it easy to get to customers

Excellent start! Let me address some of these ideas:

ID Mtn Gal: That is doable. I'm assuming I can specify rerouting for tractor-trailers, which will stick with truck routes and avoid low bridges and the like. It can certainly return data for distance and time.

RealDiehl: That is doable. I know trucking companies allow drivers to enter customer directions into their system, and 90% of the time, they're wrong. There's often no good way to verify the directions or comment on them, and it takes an act of God to get them changed. I think final mile directions that people can share, verify, and comment on would be immensely valuable. Allowing the option to save your own information publicly or privately would be fantastic. This would apply to any information, not only directions but anything from restaurant reviews to undocumented parking locations.

Old School: This is doable. The tough part will be to figure out who has truck parking and who doesn't, but once we have it in the system, we're good to go.

Davy: This is doable. Yes, final mile information would be immensely valuable, and as RealDiehl mentioned, we could control what information we receive alerts on and which information gets saved publicly or privately. We could combine photos, satellite imagery, and detailed instructions to take people from the Interstate to their dock effortlessly.

I have a question for you guys. I'm kicking myself because many, many years ago, I built an app that allowed people to share undocumented parking areas, like big dirt lots behind restaurants or pull-off areas on two-lane roads just before arriving at a customer. This app would get your location from GPS when you were at the parking area, or allow you to pinpoint the location on a map if you weren't there at the moment, and share that information with everyone. Are there any apps that do this? Of course, I'll have truck stop information in this app, but I want to add undocumented parking because so many times I would find easy parking that no one knew was there and it was within a mile or two of a major truck stop that was full. I always thought, "Man, if people knew this was here, it would make life so much easier!"

Do any apps do this?

Keep the ideas coming! I appreciate it!

Old School: This is doable. The tough part will be to figure out who has truck parking and who doesn't, but once we have it in the system, we're good to go.

Are you looking for a specific truck parking area? Many hotels allow trucks in the main parking lot, the biggest challenge is getting in before the lot fills up and positioning yourself so you can get out.

There's a website hotel4truckers.com that appears to have what you're looking for. I'm not familiar with that website though. When we need a hotel we use CLC and filter results for truck parking but in my experience most DO NOT have designated truck parking.

Great ideas all around. For me, Davy’s idea about customer location and shipping/receiving info would be a great advantage.

Also, state by state bridge law and any state specific truck related information.

Would a driver to driver dating feature be too much to ask? Lol

Would a driver to driver dating feature be too much to ask? Lol

Ok ladies, what do you say? We know what the guys say, but we've gotta hear from the ladies!