Ahhh…. the ubiquitous iPhone! It is, indeed, everywhere nowadays.

No! This isn’t going to be yet another one of those …]]>

Ahhh…. the ubiquitous iPhone! It is, indeed, everywhere nowadays.

No! This isn’t going to be yet another one of those iPhone evaluations, urging to you to buy… buy… buy! But, consider this dear reader, the days of the computer, as we know it, has a limited lifespan. Technology marches onward with newer hardware, newer applications, newer form factors, and newer operating systems (we will one day be bidding even the mighty Microsoft a fond “buh-bye”). We are already seeing the Netbook oozing its way into the Laptop sales real estate. Laptops are certainly a move forward in portability, but they are just too big! And one day soon, we will be thinking that the Netbook is also (excepting for its screen size) “too big”.

Enter the Smart Phone! Slowly but surely it’s becoming more competent as a Computing Platform! A far cry from being only a phone with, say, an “extra” like a built in camera.

Smart Phones have some amazing capabilities now. You need to be thinking of them more as ultra-miniaturized computers. Capabilities now include Music, a fairly high resolution Camera/Video Camera, Voice Recorder, Videos, Movies, Photo Albums, Text Editor, Voice recognition, Things to Do Lists, Address Books, and Contact Lists. They also have built in connectivity options like WIFI and Bluetooth. With the current Data Plans you have capabilities of E-mail, “Tweeting”, Instant Messaging, Texting, and Internet Browsing. All of these capabilities used to be things that fell under the purview of COMPUTERS! Now you hold it in the palm of your hand! And your iPhone does even more when you add apps from the App Store.

Apple, via the iTunes Store, has provided yet one more feature to the mix. Application Software! Thousands and Thousands of Applications now exist that can be purchased (most of them for the meager price of $.99), from the iTunes Store. And access to the store is just a simple icon click away! This article, however, is an evaluation of only ONE of those thousands of available Apps for your iPhone. Specifically….  The Very First iPhone application for Truckers!

The First Trucker App on iTunes – The Premier iPhone Trucker App featuring a vast Drivers Resource Page area where you can find information on everything a truck driver might need for his/her job or life on the road.

The creators of the Trucker App are husband and wife team of  Aubery “Allen” and Donna Smith.  What better way to introduce you to the Trucker tool than Allen’s own words contained in the Application’s intro.

“Welcome to the official iPhone user site – Trucker.  As you know, Trucker is the first and premier trucking application for the iPhone. Packed with important features and links related to the trucking industry, Trucker truly is a revolutionary Apple iPhone Application!
Providing links to Government sites and vital trucking resources, Trucker also includes many features established to make the trucking life a little easier and a lot more fun! This first of its kind trucking app has the ability to have content added at any time. Literally, every time you open the Trucker App, there could be new and fresh content, unlike many standard applications which simply remain the same. This application is for you… all the drivers. We urge you to become an active part in the continual development of the Trucker Application.

For example: Have a cool photo that you would like to share? Then e-mail us your photo in .jpg format and we will share it with millions – right on the Trucker App! Have a favorite YouTube video? Send us the URL, and we will review it and post it to the application for everyone to see.

This truly is an interactive trucker application, and it’s just the beginning!”

After the Trucker App has been purchased from the iTunes App Store (again, this remarkable tool is only 99 cents!) and installed on your iPhone (or iPod Touch) your screen will look similar to the photo above. The Trucker App icon will appear, and it will also visually indicate the quantity of any “pending actions” that you might wish to invoke. This dynamic icon will allow you to see if there have been any “new items” posted (News stories, media clips, or Twitter items) without requiring you to even launch the app!

Once you launch the Trucker App you will be able to witness the very Dynamic nature of the application. The “out the windshield view” photograph will change often, as well as any applicable text messages. All areas of the application, invoked by the simple use icons at the bottom of the Home Screen, are equally Dynamic in their individual and ever changing content!

But before I described those areas, let’s look at what Allen calls the “Bloodline of the Trucker Application”, the User Site Resource Page. A simple “click”  and you are whisked away to the most useful areas of the application.

NOTE: The very first time that I used the Trucker App, I completely missed reading the Text, directly below the Home Screen Picture, telling me to “click” there. If you “miss” clicking there, then like myself, you will miss out on absolutely the most useful area of the application!

The new screen is presented to you with convenient links to take you to their individual resource sections, without requiring scrolling down to “find them”. Much of the application’s operations are very predictably “browser like” in their behaviors. It’s my feeling that some real attention was paid to the overall design of the application to keep it intuitive and easy to use.  Keep in mind that the entire application is Dynamic in nature and can be improved or expanded upon at any time. Also keep in mind that Allen and Donna are listening to Truckers inputs. They genuinely want this to be an application that addresses the needs of truckers.

OFFICIAL LINKS -  for example: FMCSA Rules and Regs, Hours of Service Regs, OOIDA, ATA

DOT LISTING – DOT Listings for Each State

TRUCKER SERVICES – Links for finding things like: Lowest fuel prices, Driving Directions, Mileage, Truck Stops, Repair Facilities, Weather, Scales, Truck Washes, Clearances, Load Boards, Motels with Truck Parking, and one of my personal Favorites… A Walmart Locator, With Driving Directions! NOTE: The Walmart Locator, Donna tells me, was recently included after a trucker (Twitter name @markinark) submitted the idea to her.

SECURITY AND EMERGENCY – some examples: TSA, Homeland Security, FEMA, Red Cross

THE DAC REPORT – “Everything You Need to Know About The DAC REPORT – Including a handy link to take you to a location where you can sign the petition to “Stop False DAC Reporting”!

PDF INFORMATION – PDF documents on: HAZMAT Routing, Routes for RadioActive Materials, Driver Qualifications Guidelines, Truck Driving Schools, and info for the CDL Waiver

TRUCKERS HELPING TRUCKERS – Some useful links to other truckers with valued information they’re willing to share with their fellow truckers

U.S. TIME ZONES – ’nuff said?

Most other iPhone applications present a “Done” button selection that quits the app.  In the Trucker application, selecting “Done” takes you back to the last section that you accessed.

The ICONS at the bottom of the Home Screen include links to:

NEWS – News stories from various Internet sources

EVENTS – Coming Trucking Related Events

MEDIA – Some informative and even some entertaining Media Links: Music Videos, Video Clips, Pictures, etc.

TWITTER – This selection allows you to view the Latest Tweets from @Truckerapp. The Tweets include a link which can then direct you to the Headline, or optionally, to the full expanded story

Needless to say, as a trucker myself, I love this application. Virtually all of the information that the app provides is available on the Internet, but ONLY after very exhaustive Searches and/or bookmarking! For only $.99 I have purchased a tool that consolidates everything of interest to me (from a trucker perspective) in ONE remarkably easy to use tool, in only ONE location, on only ONE device! FIVE STARS! Allen and Donna – “mission accomplished”! Thank you both, for all that you do!

Allen Smith has been an advocate for bettering the success and careers of truck drivers and CDL students. He has exposed many trucking industry myths and scams within the industry and in doing so has coined the slogan, “Raising the Standards of the Trucking Industry”.

The iPhone Trucking Application “Trucker” was Allen’s vision to coordinate and organize the most important categories and features, all in one place, so that truck drivers can conveniently have all their needed information, links and vital resources available to them at the touch of a button….right on their phone.

ASKTHETRUCKER
Welcome to our interactive  AskTheTrucker Blog for Truckers and Students!  Here, you will be able to ask Allen questions and interact with one another concerning topics related to “Trucking.”   I will be offering articles here also, for your reading enjoyment and enrichment.   Post comments, ask questions…….interact!

Allen is a 30 year trucking veteran whose goal and passion is to aid those in the trucking industry, whether they be students or new truck drivers. Allen enjoys writing, flying, playing the guitar, and talking to those interested in raising the standards of the trucking industry.

Allen is the original author of “The Truth About Trucking” e-book and Audio CD’s, which have saved thousands from the scams within the trucking industry…truck driving schools and trucking companies.

Allen also hosts the website GuaranteeMove.com designed to eliminate the horrors within the Moving Industry. No stone is left unturned in his book, “How to Guarantee a Perfect Move” As far as we know, there is not another book like this available to the general public.

Finally, there is the website  AubreyAllenSmith.com which briefly describes Allen and who he is;  his goals, motivations, and his passions.

On this website are links to many of Allen’s newest websites which are the home of his latest books,

“So You’ve Got Your CDL…Now What?” and “The Best Truck Driving Jobs- A State by State Guide”

For those who would like a review of all 3 of Allen’s Books which have helped thousands succeed in trucking, please visit:

http://www.truthabouttrucking.com/3BookSpecial/index.html

Donna Smith, a medical lab researcher

http://bettertruckerhealth.blogspot.com

A Blog addressing health issues of the Average American, specifically targeting the Over The Road trucker.

About Me

Twitter: @max4health My husband Allen and I have been on a journey during the last 3 years to help truck drivers succeed in an industry filled with scams and deceit. Our 2 main websites: http://www.truthabouttrucking.com and www.AskTheTrucker.com has aided thousands of students and truck drivers become successful in an industry that has a very high turnover and even failure rate. During my time with Allen on this quest, I began my own research concerning the health of truck drivers. Being in the field of research, I wanted to help Allen and other truck drivers relieve and eliminate the many ailments that truck drivers face, including: joint pain, obesity, diabetes, and arthritis…among a few.

© 2009, Dennis Dearborne. All rights reserved.

NEW UPDATED MILEAGE RESULTS (At bottom of Post, per usual)

I’M BACK ON THE ROAD AND WORKING AGAIN!! (See related …]]>

NEW UPDATED MILEAGE RESULTS (At bottom of Post, per usual)

I’M BACK ON THE ROAD AND WORKING AGAIN!! (See related story in OpED column “Backing ‘Accident’?”).

I’VE JUST NOW POSTED AN UPDATED MPG FOR MY LATEST FILLUP THIS MORNING. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MPG IS “TAINTED” IN THAT IT INCLUDES 16 DAYS OF APU OPERATIONS WHILE MY TRUCK WAS DOWN AWAITING REPAIRS! FUEL BURNED TO OPERATE THE APU, OF COURSE, REDUCES THE MPG FIGURES FOR THAT FILLUP PERIOD! PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MPG FOR EVEN THAT TANK WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE BASE MPG FIGURE OF 6.097MPG. I’M VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED! AS USUAL, GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE MPG TEST RESULTS ON A PER FILLUP BASIS. I’M STARTING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THESE RESULTS!

I’M BACK HOME (IN WILMINGTON,NC) FOR REPAIRS ON MY TRUCK. I HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW FILLUP UPDATES TO POST IN THE INTERIM HOWEVER. LOOK, AS USUAL, DOWN BELOW.

ON THE 4th MY TRUCK WAS SMASHED INTO (While parked at a Pilot Truck Stop)! LOOKS LIKE NO UPDATES ON MILEAGE UNTIL I GET OUT OF A BODY SHOP! LOUD GROANING SOUNDS!!! PLEASE STAY TUNED THOUGH… THIS IS JUST STARTING TO GET INTERESTING (TEST RESULTS THAT IS)!

** This is the ongoing test results page of my review. See “Testing Conditions” in the Turbo 3000D Post below the “Featured” section of my blog site. **

AVERAGED MILEAGE  from 915,900 miles on 5/23/07 until installation of Turbo3000D at 135,140 miles on 6/6/09 = 6.097 mpg.    This is my “Base MPG”.

Don’t focus too much on the initially reported  mpg figures for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we need to give a good month or so until the truck’s computer “adjusts” to the effects of the Turbo3000D. And, secondly, my initial miles (after install) have been some HARD miles! Very heavy loads, and lots of mountainous routes. But, I think, after a couple of months of mpg reports that it should be settling down to something approaching “average operating conditions”. Let’s just see what happens.  I think this methodology will be more representative of how YOU would evaluate the “results” of whether you had wasted your money, or if the Turbo3000D is going to pay for itself.

Mileage at 1st fillup = 4.73 mpg  4 days of “sitting” and running APU (right after Turbo3000D install)

Mileage at 2nd fillup = 6.25 mpg At Gross weight load, some grades

Mileage at 3rd fillup = 6.45 mpg At Gross weight load, flat lands

Mileage at 4th fillup =  5.83 mpg At Gross weight load, lots of grades

Mileage at 5th fillup = 7.45 mpg Light loads, flat lands, APU was left turned on (A/C temperature set to turn on at 90 degrees) while is was on “home time) for 10 days though!

Mileage at 6th fillup = 6.85 mpg At Gross weight load, I-95 corridor, between Richmond, Va and Connecticut (’nuff said? lol)

Mileage at 7th fillup = 6.36 mpg Moderately Heavy load, I-80 corridor, NYC to Girard, OH.

Mileage at 8th fillup = 6.01 mpg At Gross weight load, Lots of Grades

Mileage at 9th fillup = 6.94 mpg Moderately Heavy Load, 50% Grades, 50% Flat Lands

Mileage at 10th fillup = 6.73 mpg Light Load weights, Flat Lands, VERY heavy APU use, outside temperature was in the high 90′s-APU set to maintain 80 degrees (See notation at top of this Post)

Mileage at 11th fillup = 6.35 mpg At Gross weight load (80,000 pounds), Lots of Grades

Mileage at 12th fillup = 6.91 mpg Moderate Load weights, Flat Lands

Mileage at 13th fillup = 5.6 mpg At Gross weight load, Flatlands. 4 Days of APU operations during maintenance downtime.

*** Special note*** On 8/14/09 Had routine Preventative Maintenance performed.

Mileage at 14th fillup = 7.53 mpg Moderate weight load, Flatlands

Mileage at 15th fillup = 6.85 mpg Light load but 30% grades/70% Flatland, Moderate Headwinds

Mileage at 16th fillup = 6.34 mpg Medium load, Flatlands

Mileage at 17th fillup = 6.59 mpg At Gross weight load, 10% grades, 25% City driving

Mileage at 18th fillup = 6.53 mpg Heavy load, Flatlands

Mileage at 19th fillup = 7.06 mpg Light load, Flatlands

Mileage at 20th fillup = 6.12 mpg Heavy, 25% Grades

Mileage at 21st fillup = 6.75 mpg Medium load, Flatlands

Mileage at 22nd fillup = 7.44 mpg Medium load, Flatlands

Mileage at 23rd fillup = 6.6 mpg Medium load, Flatlands

Mileage at 24th fillup = 6.67 mpg Gross Weight, some Grades

Mileage at 25th fillup = 6.15 mpg Gross Weight, High percentage were Grades

Mileage at 26th fillup = 6.63 mpg Light load, Flatlands, Headwinds

Mileage at 27th fillup = 6.63 mpg Medium load, Flatlands, Headwinds

Mileage at 28th fillup = 5.6 mpg Medium load, Flatlands, 5 days of just APU ops

Mileage at 29th fillup = 6.67 mpg Medium load, Flatlands, Lots of Chicago ops

Mileage at 30th fillup = 6.25 mpg Heavy load, Flatlands

Mileage at 31st fillup = 6.47 mpg At Gross Load, 50% City Driving, 25% Grades

Mileage at 32nd fillup = 6.0 mpg  Medium load, 25% Grades, 3 days of just APU ops

Mileage at 33rd fillup = 6.0 mpg Heavy load, Flatlands, Chicago ops

Mileage at 34th fillup = 6.94 mpg  At Gross Load, Some Grades, City

Mileage at 35th fillup = 5.78 mpg  At Gross Load, Lots of Grades, City

Mileage at 36th fillup = 6.54 mpg  Lite load, Lots of Grades

Mileage at 37th fillup = 7.12 mpg  Lite load, Flatlands

Mileage at 38th fillup = 7.07 mpg  Lite load, City, Flatlands

Mileage at 39th fillup = 5.53 mpg  Lite load, 2 days sitting with APU ops

Mileage at 40th fillup = 6.89 mpg  At Gross load, Flatlands

Mileage at 41st fillup = 6.67 mpg  Near Gross load, Flatlands, 70mph

Mileage at 42nd fillup = 6.93 mpg  Lite load, Flatlands, Fair amount of Stop & Go

I haven’t calculated a new average mpg figure yet (compared to my base mileage of  6.097 mpg) but my “gut” tells me this thing might actually work!! Let’s just keep watching the resulting data for awhile longer yet before drawing any conclusions. I AM, after all, a skeptic when it comes to these “wonder devices” things.

© 2009 – 2010, Dennis Dearborne. All rights reserved.