Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

I’m still using the Cobra Bluetooth headsets I wrote a post about back around January. I would still recommend them. I’ve never had a complaint from anyone at the other end of any conversation. I hear them and they hear me fine, despite all the truck noise. Now I’m in the process of searching for a new GPS to replace my ancient, but still performing Invion unit. QVC has offered nothing new in terms of any new technology or a deal that I could afford. Maybe closer to Christmas the situation will change. I noticed at a T/A that the price of the 7″ Cobra “truck” GPS has dropped once again to $349.97 from $399. It’s a “special” – good only until the end of August. Some special.

I believe it once was $499, which was an insane price. I have not met one driver with the expensive Rand McNally truck GPS or the Cobra unit. Anything over $199 for any GPS is just not going to fly with drivers in this economy. I have an “active” GPS on my phone which I could easily use instead of my present GPS. My cell GPS costs me nothing in and of itself. I’ve told Cobra that they’re going to be stuck with a lot of their 7″ truck GPS until that price really drops. T/A has told me that, just like at the beginning of the year, they’re not selling. Technology wise, there is nothing new going on with global positioning systems anywhere that I hear about. Slapping a Bluetooth feature on any unit is pointless. I have ideas, but the manufacturers seem to know it all – NOT.

Let’s move on. Listen, I can’t take it anymore. If I see one more driver sitting in a restaurant eating himself to death, I’m just going have to yell at him. While I was eating my salad at a T/A the other day, there was a driver killing himself with food. He had trouble sitting at the table he was at. It wasn’t even a booth. He was so fat he had to use the wall to hold himself upright. He could hardly walk to get more food. I could see and hear from 20 feet away that he was having trouble breathing. At one point, I thought he was going to faint. He was sweating profusely and constantly wiping his face with paper napkins in between bites. What am I supposed to do? I don’t want anybody telling me what to do. But I’m screaming inside – DRIVER STOP EATING FOR GOODNESS SAKES! He was on his 4th plate of ribs, potatoes and fried chicken. Roll after roll after roll. He had numerous desserts. It’s right in my face, I just can’t help but watch this disaster in progress.

I took this photo of another driver “walking” his little dog when I was in Kansas City the other day. It’s a good thing there was a McDonald’s nearby – I was worried he might eat the darn pooch. I know, I know, I’m just terrible, horrible, etc. But I can’t help it. Poor guy could hardly get in the cab of his truck. I still have trouble in my new KW getting past the tight two front seats into the bunk. And I’ve lost 25 pounds! How the heck does this guy or the driver in the T/A do it? How does a “doctor” clear this guy to drive or pass him through a DOT physical? I have no idea. I’m nowhere near this guys girth and it took a top cardiologist to clear me to drive again.

At the terminal this morning, there were too many drivers still smoking. And, no, they are NOT all thin – they are FAT. Fat and smoking are suicide. Don’t give me that crap that your BP is fine and you’ve been smoking without any problem since high school – and you’ve tried to quit, but you just can’t. Thank goodness, I never picked up the habit. Chris used to smoke when she was pregnant with our son,but she decided she had enough and stopped, just like that. No lame excuses. Just did it. Threw the Pall Mall Gold’s all in the garbage. And, the truck stops keep pushing cheaper and more dangerous 3rd rate brands of cigarettes to drivers along with candy and fatty junk foods. “Driver, want CANDY, they’re two for one.driver, want CANDY, they’re two for..

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And I’m still being ostracized by Facebook for asking too many people to be my friend. Actually, being so nervous just sitting waiting here for a truck has "activated" my OCD behavior, and like rubbing door knobs or predicting my future based on whether a traffic light stays green or not, I just mindlessly keep pressing "add as friend." What an utterly stupid waste of time thing to do. I should be mowing the lawn instead. I need to make money.

Even more depressing is listening to practically everyone in the world talk about Twitter. Last night on David Letterman, actress Kristin Chenoweth, looking mighty fine and tan, was talking about her getting almost immediate action from Starbucks when she tweeted about receiving rude service from one of their employees. OK, so she’s a Tony and Emmy award winner. She’s a star. She’s rich. I’m still just a truck-less trucker who, by the way, isn’t making a cent just sitting here at home waiting.

Then I found a trucker who has 11,687 Twitter followers. He’s even selling t-shirts. As far as I’m concerned, unless your getting paid cash money for doing something, other than fishing, or snorkeling in the Bahamas or cruising to Mexico, then it’s a waste of time, right? Anyway, whenever I tried tweaking anything on Twitter, all I get is "Twitter is over capacity." I did, however, manage to SWOM. Hey, I’m trying my best to go "tribal" and integrate all the social media tools available to me. Did I just say that? What a bunch of BS.

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Well isn’t that a fine howdy-do first thing in the morning. Judy B. Dice* seems to have awakened on the wrong side of the bed perhaps. Greg Marino** seems friendly enough. A whole lot of other folks seem to want me as their friend.

I finished my coffee and strawberry cream oatmeal and decided today was the day this truck-less trucker was going to delve deeper into the “mysterious” world of Twitter and Facebook. I have avoided both for, well, since they pretty much became popular with “everyone else.”

Since I’m currently “laid-up” or “laid-off” or whatever, I have to time to go out and make some new friends and learn some new technology. I’ve been remiss about keeping up my role as a first adopter or is it adapter? Whichever, I’m sorry, money is tight right now and switching up to an HTC Incredible is just not possible. Will that stand in the way of my getting new friends or followers? Heck if I know.

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I’ve been using online banking since it was first available, which has been about 10 years. I guess I’ve been lucky because I’ve never had any problems, except for one, which was self-inflicted. My online banking is secure since I only connect from home and I have a router between my computer and the Internet, which acts as a hardware firewall.

If you are out on the road and you want to use online banking, it’s a good idea to make sure your connection is secure. The more you know about networking and Internet security the better chance you have of doing this. Today I’m going to talk about technologies that can enable you to do online banking on the road and be more secure than most people out there.

Actually, the technologies I’m going to share with you today are good enough that I would use them to do my banking at a Starbucks using Wi Fi, which is something I wouldn’t recommend doing without taking security precautions first. With that being said there is always a possibility that some smart hacker will be able to find a new hack or crack. There is always some risk, but by taking security precautions, you put yourself ahead of just about everyone else, out there. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve spent the better part of today reading this site and listening to Life On The Road Podcasts. These podcasts remind me of when I first became a Sirius Satellite Radio subscriber and I would find myself listening to the trucker talk radio station which is now Road Dog Radio. I’ve always been a bit of an early adopter when it comes to electronics and I purchased Sirius soon after it came out.

I remember telling friends and family about this amazing new radio service with commercial free music and a lot of cool talk options. When they would ask which talk radio shows I enjoyed listening to the trucker talk radio station would be at the top of my list. After which, I would have to explain that I thought it was interesting and my theory on this was that truckers have a lot of time to think therefore they have a lot to say.

After reading this site it reminds me of why I like truckers. There is something quintessentially American about hitting the open road, braving the weather, and the American highway system in order to keep the transportation backbone of our economy running smoothly. Not to mention I grew up in the 1970′s and trucking was kind of glamorized in those days. Plus I love the idea of hard working Americans earning a living and caring for their families.

This article is about portable electronics that can make life on the road more convenient or at least more fun. I know that there are different variables such as long haul, short haul, owner operators, and those who drive different company trucks. So we will stick with what is mostly portable although  my ideal truck would be more like a pimped out space ship cruising down the Interstate.

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A Netbook is a smaller scaled down version of a laptop computer. They have smaller screens, usually about 7.5 to 10 inches, and a longer lasting battery. They are lightweight and portable and don’t come with a CD drive.

Netbooks are ideal for creating documents, checking email, and browsing the Internet when you are on the go. They serve as a nice intermediary between a laptop and a Smartphone.  Browsing the Internet on a smart phone can be a tedious task, whereas with a Netbook you should be able to keep up with your regular Internet activities, no problem.

Laptops seemed like the ideal travel solution at one time and they still have their place. You can get a 17 inch laptop which is great for watching movies in the truck, but they are also heavy and cumbersome. After lugging a 17 inch laptop around, you may wish you had a Netbook instead. Another plus with a Netbook is the long battery life. A Netbook battery usually lasts between 5-6 hours, although some of the latest Netbooks have an 11 hour battery life, whereas many laptop batteries only last 2-3 hours on a single charge.

Another great thing about a Netbook is the price range. You can get a Netbook for a few hundred dollars and prices are still dropping. You can even use a Netbook for your primary computer, in a pinch. Most come with a VGA adapter and 2-3 USB ports. So if you need to, you could plugin an external monitor and a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Another new use for Netbooks are reading eBooks and etextbooks. Sure, you can buy a special ereader for eBooks and etextbooks. But the Netbook can read PDFs and many other ereader formats with no problem. A Netbook makes an ultra portable and ultra versatile eBook reader, without the hassles of proprietary systems.

For powerful computing needs like graphic intensive applications and games, you will still want to keep that desktop computer. But, when it comes to computing on the go, a small, lightweight, resource light Netbook can fill the void between laptop and Smartphone.

With the onset of more Internet based applications and entertainment, the Netbook is coming into it’s  own. You may still want to opt for a small laptop with a DVD drive for your mobile computing needs,  but with modern Operating System options you should be able to use your Netbook for most of your  business and entertainment needs.

If you have access to Wi-Fi or a laptop connect card, you can watch videos on Hulu, check your email,  browse the web, and never miss a beat with a small lightweight Netbook.

I don’t get it, I am sorry, I just don’t get it. In March we learn of a terrible truck accident in Kentucky, in which the truck driver crossed the median, hitting a van in a head-on collision that killed himself and ten people in the van. A recent report purports one possible cause: talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving.

Six states so far have banned all drivers from using cell phones while driving – California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon. and Washington, plus Washington D.C. and the Virgin Islands. These eight areas prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. And these laws are primary enforcement legislation, meaning an officer may ticket a driver for using a handheld cell phone without any other moving violation being witnessed.

The Federal government is even rewarding states that ban cell phones while driving in the form of road repairs to all states passing total bans on hand-held cell phone use by this summer.

No state bans all cell phone use – both handheld and hands-free – for all drivers, but twenty-five states and Washington, D.C. prohibit all cell phone use by novice drivers. Does this seems like progress to you? I ask, “Why not all fifty?” And I also question the wisdom in assuming that only novice drivers will let themselves get distracted by cell phone use while driving. Haven’t we all seen plenty of experienced drivers allowing cell phone use to distract them to the point of danger on the road? Haven’t most of us been that person at least once?

Enter Louisiana. Seems that state had a bill sidetracked because the final version singled out truck drivers from all other drivers for a hand held cell phone ban. So the sponsor of the original bill wouldn’t even vote for the final version due to the inequity of singling out commercial drivers. Both original and final versions would have allowed hands-free devices.

Can somebody enlighten me please? I have heard of these hands-free devices and I just wonder how “hands-free” are they? Seems like at some point there would be static or a lost signal and drivers would start fiddling with these devices while driving. Or am I totally wrong and allowing “hands-free” devices is the answer to this sticky mess?

You just gotta love the spirit of individualism that drives our country. And I do try, I really do. But some things just don’t seem fair. A known danger is allowed to continue for fear of infringing upon someone’s freedom. What about everyone else’s right to safety on the road?

Many local governments have crafted their own distracted driving legislation. However, some states – Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Oklahoma – prohibit localities from enacting any such bans.

How in the heck are drivers, commercial truck drivers or not, going to be able to keep track of which states allow cell phones and which do not? Are there big signs at every state line announcing the cell phone policy while driving in that state?

I say play it safe, go hands-free. If you can’t go hands-free then just do without your cell phone while your vehicle is moving. Then you should be good to go no matter what state you drive through.

Google wants you to ditch your digital book reader.  This summer. Be there or be square.  Google Editions, Google’s own digital online bookstore, is expected to open in June or July.

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know when. The basic structure was described for us by Google last October. The announcement of a summer release came from Chris Palma,  strategic partner development manager at Google, during a presentation at the offices of publisher Random House.

How will Google Editions be different from the current ebook options available now on the market?  Google Editions terms of use will allow you to use its books wherever you want after purchase.  Online books will be cached once they have been downloaded, making them available for offline viewing. Simply download the purchased book using your browser.

And not just your browser at home on your desk computer, but on any device you own that can surf the Web, including your laptop and your ipad.  There will be no separate applications or interfaces required.

There is good news for brick and mortar bookshops and publishers of printed books inside Google Editions.  Besides being able to buy ebooks through Google Editions, you’ll also be able  to buy them directly from book retailer websites. Independent shops and large chain bookstores will both benefit from this arrangement, as Google has announced that the retailers will keep the majority of the money earned. That announcement breathes new life into the declining book printing, book publishing and book selling industries.

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Cough cough cough ach pwew cough cough wheeze bark bark whooop cough – damn so sorry – I’m back inside the truck. I just turned the engine off and the APU just came on – the smoke from that thing-  ahch cough cough ahoo pwew is worse than if the engine was on. Diane Sontag is so right. And the two trucks opposite of me that don’t have APU’s – OMG – they’re idling and the soot and stench is seeping into my cab. Where the hell is my inhaler? I know I put my saline spray somewhere. Ahhhpwew – gesundheit! I breathed easier when we all just idled our CAT’s.

Ok – this is going to be as kind of summary trucker techno update. I’ll go into more detail about specific products in future posts. First and most importantly, the Blackberry is gone. It was the worst cell phone I ever had. I would never buy another nor recommend one to another driver. I also will NEVER buy another electronic device with a track ball. I remember so wanting a Blackberry,  finally be able to afford one, and after a few months couldn’t wait to toss it. Unfortunately the phone I wanted, the iPhone is still not available through Verizon. Rumor has it that they will offer a 3G version sometime between September and Christmas.

What I replaced it with is the most remarkable device I have ever laid my chubby trucker hands on. Where I go, it goes. And yes, I sleep with it. I’m talking about the HTC Droid Eris. I like it so much I might just forget about the iPhone. I’ll spend more time raving about it in, as I said, future posts. Let’s keep moving. My old 15″ Inspiron Dell laptop is also gone with the wind. I was going to replace it with a Toshiba 17″ inch, but ordered and just took delivery of a very efficient and lightning fast Dell Inspiron MINI 10″. It’s as thin as my cell phone, has a Intel Atom processor and runs Windows 7. It is without a doubt the best computer I have ever owned. Thanks Chris. Anything Mac/Apple is just too expensive for this truck driver. The iPad is interesting, but I have no use for it and it is $200 more expensive than my new Dell. The only way I could afford a new laptop is because QVC offered it under their “easy pay” feature – that’s 5 payments with no interest.

By the way, I do have Twitter and Facebook, but I just don’t have the time to do anything with them. Last month was the first time in a long while that I drove more than 10,000 miles, and that obviously is my priority. There is little time left for sending and answering e-mail and blogging. The last thing I want to mention is the Cobra CBTH1 Bluetooth headset. Now in the interest of full disclosure this headset was sent to me from Cobra for evaluation. No BS, don’t waste your time, if your need is a Bluetooth headset with any other manufacturer or model – just buy the damn Cobra. It’s a no brainer and my wife hasn’t complained once about not being able to hear me and visa versa. I dropped it in the snow at a job site. I thought I lost it. I didn’t, dryed it out and it worked fine. If this thing was a piece of crap, trust me, I would tell you so. More details later. The HTC Droid Eris and the Cobra headset are the perfect combination. I’m still waiting for Cobra to send me their” trucker” GPS to try out and review. There are certainly plenty of them sitting unsold in the cases at T/A for $399. In the meantime I’m happy with my old Invion unit.

Hey Garmin, Rand McNally, Cobra and the rest of you, listen up. I want to say this to a GPS – no pushing any buttons – “from where I am right now, I want to go to the nearest large truck stop with a CAT scale and a restaurant – compute.” And I want the answer fast. I want to see the results on a 5″ inch screen that has a rubber knob to turn the brightness up or down. I want another knob to the adjust the volume. I want to turn off the screen at night and just listen to the audio directions. I do not want the route color in pink, magenta or some other “girly” color. I want to see as much detail as possible. I want to know where weigh stations are, a wide variety of voices that give me the directions and will not take me down dirt roads where truck don’t belong. And I also want to be able to say this: “take me to EXIT 65 on I-10.”  I have not seen any GPS units that enables you to enter interstate exit numbers.

Rand McNally has their recently introduced truck GPS. They should have sent me one to try out and review. They didn’t. Everything I have heard about this unit is bad. The price is too high. And it simply doesn’t work. The folks in the truck stops tell me they’re not selling. So, until Rand McNally shows me otherwise, don’t bother putting it on your Valentine’s Day gift list. If you have this product and it works for you, please post a comment and tell me about your experience. I’ve tried to Google as much as I could on what Rand McNally calls the IntelliRoute TND 500, but I’m not getting much to report on. Same goes with other trucking blogs, website and forums.

As you know my Garmin was stolen at a truck dealer in Baltimore last week. I’m back to using my old Invion GPS, which is really for cars and does not work in Canada. My wife bought it from QVC where they offer 3,4,5 or even 6 “easy” payments on many of their electronics. I have decided not to replace it, because I really want a truck specific unit. Garmin has one, but after reading the user guide online, it just isn’t what I want. Quite frankly, I feel Garmin units are great for women. Sexist? Absolutely not. The display has a variety of cute little cars and the route is highlighted in magenta. It is feminine and I don’t want it on my windshield.

I’m interested in the Cobra unit, but the darn display is as large as an IMAX movie screen. It’s like having a television sitting on your dash. Did they think we needed a screen so large when most GPS units are about 15 inches from a truckers eyeballs? But despite the super sized display, it seems to have the features I want. Again, I went on line to read the users manual. I see the cost has come down to around $399, which is still pricey for me – I wish QVC would sell it so I could take advantage of “easy pay.” I also need a new Bluetooth headset and some other stuff and the miles just aren’t there right now for me to support such “extravagant” purchases. Cobra supposedly was going to come out with a 5″ unit, but I haven’t seen it. Again, if you have this unit please post a comment.

There are truck GPS units made by PC Miler, Goodyear, World Nav and others. These units are sitting on the truck stops shelves with cobwebs. I don’t have the time or financial resources to “mess around” with manufacturers other than Cobra or Garmin. Returning any electronics to a Flying J or Pilot is difficult and time consuming. No that’s not really true – it is next to impossible. I bought something PC related at FJ and it didn’t work. I ended up having to send it to FJ corporate headquarters in Utah for a refund. I was lucky to finally receive a check.

So, although I have my old GPS back, I need an upgrade as soon as possible. I don’t want to go back to using MS Streets & Trips again. That never really worked for me having my laptop out and on all the time, despite Microsoft’s claims that the 2010 version is the “cats meow.” And all in all, I believe the manufacturers need to do a better job of getting more feedback from drivers (they say they do, but they really don’t) and send some test units out to the media for review and comment. I’d really like to try one of these units for 60-90 days before I have to commit to laying out $499 for one. Consumer Reports.org has rated 4 of these units, but you need to subscribe to read the results. It would really be a plus if OOIDA would buy 1000 Cobra units and sell them to drivers at a great discount along with a year’s membership. But we know that’s never going to happen.