The professional driver can now access the Internet from the comfort of his own cab if parks near a hotspot — an area where the signal is available. Like a radio station, the signal loses strength as you travel away from the hotspot.
Since the advent and development of the Internet, it’s a different world. Because so many of us use the computer and the Internet on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget that this technology is still a relatively new innovation.
It wasn’t all that long ago that when you needed information on a topic, it usually meant a scholarly search through various print sources – magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, etc. Depending on the topic, sometimes you could find what you needed, sometimes not. If the topic was of a specialized or technical nature, information could be hard to come by.
Of course, print media will always be with us; it’s convenient, portable and inexpensive (Hey, that describes Expedite NOW!). Quite often though, the Internet can provide a great deal of information that wasn’t as readily available just a short time ago.
Witness the incredible success of Yahoo, Google, (#1 and #3 rated web sites, respectively) and a host of other Internet search engines. These portals have made the quest for information easier and more productive than ever before.
So, besides looking up search engines, what are these computer users doing online? Well, they’re looking at load boards, checking out the weather, checking routing and mileage, checking out the traffic, doing their online banking and connecting with their families, to name a few.
According to a transportation resource, 21 percent of US-based truck drivers carry a laptop on board, and 14 percent use the Internet while traveling.
And, for the last few years, Internet users have been doing it while on the road (going online, that is). No longer is the user shackled to a PC at home or a laptop hooked up in a motel room. WiFi, short for wireless fidelity, has changed all that.
This fast, wireless Internet access allows anyone with a desktop or laptop PC with wireless capabilities to log on to a WiFi network, available at airports, hotels, coffee shops, bookstores and now, truckstops and rest areas.
The professional driver can now access the Internet from the comfort of his own cab if parks near a hotspot — an area where the signal is available. Like a radio station, the signal loses strength as you travel away from the hotspot.
For his in-cab computer use, expediter Chet Merithew uses a 3-year old Toshiba Satellite laptop. He has a NetGear WiFi Adapter connected by USB to the laptop.
“I mostly use Flying J and TA for my connections. They are usually pretty good,” says Chet. “I use several spreadsheets in Excel that allow me to do my own mileage tracking of each of my trips. I can do calculations of how much I’m making, that is, run miles and deadhead, things like that.”
“I use Microsoft’s Streets and Trips for most of my routing. I also have an old version of Rand McNally’s Route Tools that helps me find truckstops on that route.”
“I do all my banking online and also transfer funds with my credit union as well as depositing checks into the Flying J system.”
“I’m a NewsMax junkie, Drudge report junkie and I get on the Washington Times web site on a daily basis as well as Expediters Online. Of course, I use it for email with family and friends.”
“As soon as I’m stopped somewhere, and I have Internet access, I’m online. And, when I’m in Canada, it’s cheaper for my boss and me to email than to use the phone.”
Users can pay a provider by the hour, day, month or year.
Two of the most popular hotspot truckstop WiFi providers are Truckstop.net — available at Rip Griffin, Love’s, Pilot, Iowa 80, Petro and other truckstops — and Flying J, available at Flying J locations.
Truckstop.net currently has 512 hotspots, and the company hopes to have between 1,000 and 1,200 hotspots running soon. Flying J currently has more than 250 hotspots at Flying J locations and extended hotspot areas across the United States and Canada.
A new broadband wireless on the scene is SiriCOMM, Inc. SiriCOMM is currently installed at over 250 Pilot locations nationwide, with a goal of having 1,000-plus strategically located hotspots to provide convenient access to users.
Some relatively new entrants in the WiFi world are the state-run rest areas. Texas recently became the latest state to offer free WiFi at rest areas, charging for use only in excess of two hours. Starting this month, the service will be available on U.S. 90 near Hondo and on Interstate 10 near Columbus.
Texas’ transportation department signed with a vendor to provide wireless access at 102 rest areas, with the system to be completed by October 2005.
Michigan announced plans to bring WiFi to its rest areas, 10 state parks and welcome centers. The service at Michigan recreational areas will cost $7.95 for a 24-hour session and $19.95 per month for unlimited access.
This past June, Iowa equipped six rest areas with free WiFi as part of a six-month feasibility project. In Wisconsin, the rest area near Kenosha on Interstate 94 offers free WiFi.
Like the expanding truckstop networks, more states are expected to offer WiFi as the technology improves and gains popularity.
The Number One Expediting Resource
Expediters Online.com is the premier source of information about the expediting industry. Launched in early 1999, this site truly has it all for the prospective and veteran expediter alike.
It’s designed to help those who are considering a career in the fast freight industry by offering informational articles about what expediting is and how to get started in this segment of trucking. Expediters Online is also for the current expediting professional as well, with news and articles designed to assist him in achieving success in expediting.
Open Forums
This is one of the most popular areas of Expediters Online. With almost 2,000 registered visitors, this feature provides a “marketplace” of ideas and information for both the prospective and experienced expediter alike.
The Forum Topics include a General Expediters Forum, a Newbies Paradise, Truck Talk Forum, Canadian Expediters Forum, Ask the Recruiter Forum, Tax Topics For Expediters and more. Sure, it’s a message board that offers a place for it’s users to present their opinions on all things expediting, but more importantly, it’s a valuable tool where just about any question about the fast freight industry can be answered by the moderators and visitors. This section also includes a handy search feature that allows you to find those answers to your questions.
Free Classifieds
Are you looking for a used expediting truck or do you have a truck to sell? Do you need a driver? Do you want to find a driving job with an owner? This is the place! The Free Classifieds have literally hundreds of listings in these categories and can provide you with the contact information you’re looking for. And, as the name indicates, the price is right.
In the News
Updated on a daily basis, this section brings you the expediting and general trucking news that you can use.
Driver Lifestyles
Featuring articles about the men and women of expediting, this area profiles the owner-operators and drivers of this industry and their secrets of success. You’ll also find stories on the “lighter side” of this business along with human interest topics.
Carrier Profiles
Have you been considering joining the ranks of the expediting business and want to know more about selected carriers? This section provides an in-depth look at the industry’s top carriers. Read what the companies’ executives and recruiters have to say about their founding, their companies’ areas of operation, their policies and what they offer the owner-operators who sign with their company.
Dollars & Sense
This section focuses on money – how to save it, when to spend it and ways to keep more of it. It contains tax tips, general economic advice and expediting-specific information about a topic that’s dear to us all.
Online Pre-Applications
It’s never been easier to contact and apply to a carrier! Expediters Online.com is extremely proud to number among our sponsors virtually every major surface expedited carrier in North America. To access the application form, simply click on that company’s banner, fill out the form and click the submit button. Your application is on it’s way to the company’s recruiters!
Or, to apply to multiple carriers, you can access our Global Application page. This allows you to fill out one application and select from any number of Expediters Online sponsors you want the application sent to.
Online Driver Tools
- Mileage & Routing – Lists routes for both commercial and passenger vehicles calculated by time or distance. Routing gives toll roads and
- mileage.
- Border Information – Gives border waiting time at all US/Canadian crossings (US bound and Canadian bound) for both commercial and civilian traffic. Continuously updated.
- Weather Information – A comprehensive weather guide for US and Canada, from hourly forecasts to 5-day predictions.
- Truck Stop Guide – Similar to the popular Exit Guides, this tool is a compilation of many truck stops and parking areas favored by expediters.
Our flagship Internet location, Expediters Online.com, is but one important component of a total package. The folks at our parent company – On Time Media, LLC, have developed a family of expediting-related web sites that provide a wealth of information about the business of expediting.
ExpediterNewsBreak.com
This site is the online home of our company’s radio program – Expediter News Break. This program is carried on XM Satellite Radio, Channel 171 – The Open Road Channel. Expediter News Break is broadcast three times weekly on the Dave Nemo Program and it consists of news and interviews with the people and companies of expediting.
The Expedite Expo is North America’s first and only expediting-specific trucking show. Held in Woodhaven, MI at the Detroiter Truck Stop, the Expo will celebrate it’s fifth anniversary in August 2005. This unique show features many expedited carrier recruiters, expediting truck dealers, expediting seminars, aftermarket manufacturers and special events. Expedite Expo.com is packed with information about the show; exhibitors, directions, hotel accommodations, times, etc.
This recently upgraded web site is a clearing house of contact information for a variety of businesses, associations, freight services and a number of other companies involved in the expediting and trucking industries.
Visit these other On Time Media sites:
Wi-Fi Providers
Flying J: Approximately 250 hotspots.
Available at Flying J Travel Centers and Extended Area hotspots across the U.S. and Canada.
$4.95 daily
$19.95 monthly (billed to credit card)
$24.95 one month
$199.95 yearly
Customer service: 1-800-870-9068.
Website: www.flyingj.com
TA Speedzone: Approximately 125 hotspots.
Available at TravelCenters of America across the United States and Canada.
$1.95 hourly
$4.95 daily
$24.95 monthly
$199.95 yearly
Customer Service: 1-866-776-8182.
Website: www.tatravelcenters.com
SiriCOMM: Approximately 255 hotspots, with plans to expand to
1,000-plus hotspots.
Available at most Pilot locations across the United States.
$29.95 monthly with discount programs available through SiriCOMM’s value-added reseller programs.
Also annual subscription discount.
Website: www.siricomm.com
Verizon Wireless Internet National Access: Available wherever Verizon Wireless service is reached.
Requires a PC card for a laptop, sold separately.
Monthly plans range from $35 for 150 minutes to $300 for 3,000 minutes, as well as unlimited minutes for $79.99.
Go to www.wifinder.com and to find a WiFi location. PC cards and wireless Internet plans are also available from Cingular, Sprint and other wireless providers.
Restaurant and retail chains that offer free WiFi access:
Apple Computers: Apple Stores nationwide.
Atlanta Bread Company: About 40 of the cafe chain’s locations from Colorado to New Jersey.
Web site: www.atlantabread.com/wifi/.
Krystal: 50 of the fast-food chain’s locations from Texas to Florida.
Web site: www.krystal.com/about/WiFi_locations.asp.
Panera Bread Company/St.Louis Bread Company: 400 cafes nationwide. Available where the WiFi sticker is displayed.
Web site: www.panerabread.com/wifi.aspx
Port City Java: All the chain’s 30 locations from Texas to New Jersey.
Web site: www.portcityjava.com/COFFEEHOUSES_portcityjava.htm
Schlotzsky’s Cool Cloud Network: 40 of the deli chain’s locations from Arizona to the District of Columbia.
Web site: www.schlotzskys.com/wireless.html.
