Overdrive

January 2017

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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56 | Overdrive | January 2017 5 APPS FOR THAT Park My Truck This initiative of the National Association of Truck Stop Operators and others allows you to view nearby parking locations at ranges from 50 to 250 miles away. It shows your current distance from the parking locations, the total number of spaces at the location and the number of open parking spaces. The open spaces are updated by the operators of the truck stop or park- ing location, so the accuracy varies. Trucker Path Trucker Path's parking data is crowdsourced, so its accuracy is based on the information provided by drivers. It can show truck stops, rest areas and more. When you select a location, it will show you the most recent parking updates, which can be either "lots of spots," "some spots" or "lot is full." Trucker Path also provides a full his- tory of a selected lo- cation to get an idea of the hours when the parking lot tends to be full or open. Road Breakers When you open your phone in an area with cell service, the Road Breakers app stores the data to your phone so that you can use it later even if service is unavail- able. If you input your destination, you can see the parking loca- tions around that area. The app can tell you the ameni- ties of each location and the parking lot's general size. Truckbubba Truckbubba allows you to input your destination for the day to see what you can expect when you arrive, based on information provided by driv- ers using the app. Truckbubba also routes your trip and shows parking locations along the way. The map feature can show current traffi c conditions along a selected route, as well as parking, fuel and weigh station locations. DAT Trucker While this app includes DAT's load board functionality, it also features park- ing information and other locators. For any truck stop on its map, the app has the number of park- ing spaces, whether pay-to-park is an option and other amenities. You can fi lter by break locations, which include truck stops, Walmarts and rest areas; truck stops only; truck- friendly hotels; weigh stations; fuel- ing locations; and service locations. Take the guesswork out of parking BY MATT COLE T he major truck stop chains have apps that can direct you to their nearest location, and those that allow parking reservations will allow you to do so through the app. TA-Petro's TruckSmart app updates the number of available spaces every two hours at most locations. Other apps focus solely or partly on park- ing. All fi ve of these apps are free and avail- able in the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. Parking apps help with assessing the amenities and number of vacancies at truck stops and rest stops, as well as other features.

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