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Useful apps for truckers

Drivewyze

Ugh, weigh stations. We get it completely, but don’t despair because there is a way to go around this pest. Drivewyze allows truck drivers to bypass weigh stations in up to 44 states and over 700 inspection sites, but you can check out their coverage map and see exactly which weigh stations you can bypass. Whether you have an iOS or Android phone, you can download the app and use their free 30-day trial, and if you end up liking it you can subscribe to the service for $17.99 a month.

Trucker Path Pro

With 700,000 users actively using the app, joining this tips sharing community can be really beneficial for any professional truck driver. This app allows you to share important info with your fellow colleagues, whether it be the best places to fill up in Louisville or where to park in Philly. The whole of U.S. is at your disposal, with fresh info about thousands of truck stops and their amenities, parking availabilities, weigh stations, fuel prices, navigation, and even truck washes, among other things.

Big Road

We’ve mentioned before how important it is for professional truck drivers to keep a log, but we also understand that log keeping can be time consuming and tedious. That’s where this app comes into play. Being a digital logbook, Big Road cuts down on human error, which is a huge help, but it also provides you with an interactive map and automatically calculates your available drive time according to HOS rules.

Fuelbook

As many of you are aware, gas prices have been fluctuating like crazy for a few years now, so it’s been a real hassle figuring out the best places to fill up for the best price. However, with Fuelbook you can be sure that you’ll never again overpay for diesel gas. With a database of over 7.000 gas stations all over the U.S. you will surely be able to find the best gas stations for your next trip. Oh, and the best part of the app – it’s free! There really isn’t any reason not to give it a go.

CamScanner

This app proved to be useful in numerous situations, whether in business or for private matters. Imagine never again having to use an actual scanner for your documents, but instead taking care of everything with your phone. CamScanner basically turns your phone into a portable scanner, enabling you to take a picture (with several options available for image editing) of any documents or receipts you wish to save and then allowing you to save them in the cloud or email them if need be. It’s definitely a good companion to have on the road.

Lose It!

Let’s face it, leading a healthy lifestyle is tough for most people. It requires a lot of planning and discipline, but Lose It! makes all that a bit easier and more fun. The app allows you to track your food and drinks intake, as well as to keep track of your workout history. By allowing its users to connect and share ideas and tips, the app made it easy for people to get in touch with others who share their goals.

iExit Interstate Exit Guide

Long hauls can get boring, and when you’re bored you’ll probably have a harder time staying focused, and chances are you’re going to miss an exit here and there. No need to point out what a hassle that is, but it’s a hassle that can be eliminated with the right tool. Enter stage right: the iExit Interstate Exit Guide. This app operates in real time, so you’ll always be notified about upcoming exits on time, thus helping you to never miss an exit again. Besides this, the app provides info about what you might expect at each exit regarding accommodation, restaurants, rest stops, and more.

White Noise

Getting quality sleep is essential for every truck driver, but falling asleep can be hard at times. Do not despair, though, because all you might need is a bit of white noise. The aptly named White Noise app produces over 40 soothing sounds, including sounds of rain, the beach, and oceans, that block out background noises, reduce stress and generally help you relax. The app also has an alarm clock option, and best of all it’s free, so open up that store app on your phone and give it a shot!

Useful tips for getting along with your dispatcher

Although truck driving is generally considered to be a lone wolf profession, you never really work alone – your dispatcher is with you every step of the way. To someone outside the trucking industry this – knowing you’re not the only one to shoulder the burdens of freight transport –  probably sounds reassuring, but cooperating with dispatchers becomes the bane of existence for the majority of professional truck drivers.

You and your dispatcher should be a team; you work for the same company and you have the same goal – getting the load from point A to point B.

The conflict between dispatchers and truck drivers usually stems from misunderstanding the job descriptions of both parties, so the first step towards peaceful cooperation is to know what are the dispatcher’s and the truck driver’s responsibilities and duties. Besides knowing which lines shouldn’t be crossed, as a professional truck driver you should always keep in mind that nowadays not a lot of dispatchers – almost none, in fact – used to be drivers themselves before they started working dispatch. Usually it’s enough to know your way around a computer and take a course in dispatch software management, which means that you can’t expect every dispatcher to completely and truly understand your role and what you go through on the road as a truck driver.

You and your dispatcher should be a team; you work for the same company and you have the same goal – getting the load from point A to point B.

Avoid arguing

This is a good piece of advice to remember in any situation, but it’s especially useful to remember at work. Getting angry when something doesn’t go as planned isn’t an unusual reaction, however it often causes a simple misunderstanding to grow into an issue, and then into a more complex problem. That’s why it’s a good idea to hit the breaks for a moment, and try to focus on figuring out what caused the problem in the first place, so that you can figure out how to sort it out.

When you have a confrontation with someone who is being verbally aggressive, it never helps to match their behaviour because that will only fuel the argument until it grows into a monster that will likely ruin your relationship. So, the next time you find yourself in a heated argument with your dispatcher, try to stop arguing, take a breather, and start from the top. If there is no way you can come to an understanding or a solution to fit both of your needs, then maybe your needs shouldn’t be the point of the argument. Maybe the only way to move past the issue is for everyone to put aside their wants and needs, and focus only on trying to find the most efficient and productive solution.

Offer insight and advice

Like we mentioned before, an extremely small number of dispatchers today have had any truck driving experience, and this is essential to keep in mind. In order to successfully cooperate with anyone in any given situation, it’s absolutely necessary to have a good understanding about each other’s duties, so that you know what you can expect from each other. The same applies to the trucking industry, where dispatchers and drivers should work as a unit and rely on one another in order to produce the best results, so don’t hesitate to offer your input. You might know something, or you might have noticed something others have missed.

The emphasis here is to offer help. Yes, you are the one driving the truck, the one who is responsible for the freight, the one who fights weather, and the one who has to deal with all kinds of road conditions. But, that does not mean that the dispatcher’s job is useless. The position wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t needed in the company. The most important thing is to always keep in mind that you both have a job to do, and that the best way to do it is to know that you can count on each other for support. This support can also come in the form of an advice – perhaps you know about a recent roadblock which would mess with the dispatcher’s route plan, or you just want to offer a friendly piece of advice you learned from other dispatchers you worked with in the past. Whatever the situation is, approach it calmly.

Make sure everything is sorted out before your trip

Every professional truck driver knows how much work goes into planning a good route. You know it’s not just getting the cargo from point A to point B. It takes time and effort to plan an efficient route, which is exactly what your dispatch is in charge for – planning a profitable route which will minimize the truck’s empty miles.

Because there are so many details to be taken into consideration, it’s always a good idea for a second pair of eyes to look over everything. So don’t hesitate to offer a helping hand, especially if that will minimize the chances of something going wrong on the road or at loading stops. Again, it’s important to remain polite, even if you have more experience than the dispatcher, because that’s the most efficient way to approach an issue – anger and arguing will only prolong the process and probably cause a few things to be overlooked.

Even though you are the one with years of experience behind the wheel and sometimes it feels like your dispatcher doesn’t understand you or what you have to deal with on a daily basis because they never worked as a truck driver, it’s good to be reminded that the vast majority of truck drivers never worked as dispatchers either. Working so closely with someone else requires both sides to be understanding of the needs of the other one, and at all times keep in mind that you both have the same goal. It’s not enough to tolerate one another – you need to cooperate with each other.

10 Movies You Must See if You Work as a Truck Drivers

As a professional truck drivers, you’ll eventually have to spend a few days on the road, so it’s good to be stocked up on entertainment, like movies. With the availability of smartphones, tablets, laptops, e-readers, and various streaming services, it’s become much easier to indulge in your favorite movies and TV shows on the go. Although the internet offers basically endless amounts of articles, books, shows, and plenty of other forms of entertainment, there’s nothing like watching a good movie before bed. So, we decided to help and offer our choice of top 10 must-watch movies for truck drivers.

Steven Spielberg’s debut directorial (first time as a director in a complete movie) Duel, was about an unending battle between a motorist and a crazy truck driver. It was a television movie. Spielberg’s next movie was “Jaws”.

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986)

Action, Comedy, Horror

Lovers of sci-fi, this ones for you. The action-packed horror, written and directed by Stephen King, will surely put you on an emotional rollercoaster.

As Earth passes through the tail of a rogue comet, machines all over the world start coming to life; as if that weren’t scary enough, the machines start turning against their makers in a gruesome rebellion. At the Dixie Boy truck stop, a group of people is trying to come to terms with the fact that every machine in their lives is trying to kill them, when they notice that the trucks parked at the stop started up on their own and began circling the truck stop, preventing anyone from leaving.

Realizing that they have to act fast, an ex-con Bill Robinson takes it upon himself to save everyone he can and head to safety. Unfortunately, his task becomes even more demanding once a mobile platform with machine guns mounted on it orders humans to pump gas for the trucks. As if that wasn’t traumatic enough, there is much more to the mysterious rogue comet and its incredible, although deadly, powers that people are yet to learn about.

BIG RIG (2007)

Documentary

Filmmakers Doug Pray and Brad Blondheim criss-crossed the U.S. with professional truck drivers in order to better understand the lifestyle of the people who basically make life as we know it possible. After finding their interview subject at a truck stop, the pair would set off with the driver and document all the weird, unexpected, scary, and heartwarming events during the long haul. In total, the filmmakers traveled 21,000 miles and drove through 45 states in order to gain a better understanding of the everyday lives of professional truck drivers in the U.S.

THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981)

DAction, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Mel Gibson is once more a warrior on the road in the great Australian outback, but this time he replaced his famous V8 Interceptor with the Mack R-600 Coolpower. The Road Warrior, a sequel to the iconic Mad Max movie, focuses on former Australian policeman Max Rockatansky’s fight against a band of savage motorcyclists who want to plunder and pillage an old refinery, and take all the gasoline for themselves. The old refinery is now a home for a community of people struggling to survive, and once Max stumbles upon it, he agrees to help transport their gasoline supply across the highway.

Led by The Humangus and his most ruthless warrior Wez, the motorcyclists focus on capturing Max, stealing the gasoline he was transporting, and using it for their own sinister plans.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977)

Action, Comedy

When an aspiring Texan politician is in dire need of enough Coors beer (which at that time couldn’t legally be transported across the Mississippi) for a rally in Georgia, he has to turn to a contemporary moonshiner Bo Darville (the Bandit) for help. The Bandit enlists the help of his friend who has an eighteen-wheeler, to help them transport the beer. The plan involved them  driving from Georgia to Texas, picking up the 400 crates of beer, and driving back to Georgia, in a span of 28 hours. Their trip to Texas was successful, however their return home is laced with troubles, and it all starts with a runaway bride.

OVER THE TOP (1987)

Action, Drama, Sport

A humble truck driver Lincoln Hawk, played by Sylvester Stallone, gets a chance to finally see his estranged son, after Lincoln’s ex-wife falls ill and can’t pick up their son from military school. Lincoln soon realizes that reconciling with his estranged son is no easy task, and decides to take drastic measures. In order to rebuild his life and the relationship with his son, Lincoln decides to enter an arm-wrestling championship, in hopes of winning the grand prize – $100,000 and an expensive custom semi-truck, which would help him start his own trucking company.

STEEL COWBOY (1978)

Action & Adventure

When the going gets tough, the tough get some hijacked cattle and they get going! The legendary James Brolin plays an independent truck driver who is way down on his luck. Troubled by financial difficulties and the possibility of losing not only his rig but his wife as well, the Steel Cowboy resorts to transporting stolen cattle in the hopes of making some, what he thought would be easy, money.

Apart from the awesome 70s action, the movie is graced with a truly memorable musical score.

BREAKER! BREAKER! (1977)

Action, Adventure, Crime

If you enjoy seeing justice being served, this movie should appear on your must-watch list immediately. With the invincible Chuck Norris as the main character (called J.D.), you can be sure the bad guys get it in the end.

When J.D. returns from the road, he learns exactly how corrupt the system is when he finds out that two policemen have a tendency to trap truck drivers for a corrupt judge. Once his brother starts working as a truck driver, J.D. warns him about the judge and the police officers; however, they still managed to capture him, leaving J.D. no choice but to set out in search of his younger brother. What ensues is a thrilling but heartwarming story about an older brother doing everything he can to save his little brother, and in the end, serve some well-deserved justice.

WHITE LINE FEVER (1975)

Action, Crime, Drama

C.J. Hummer is a decorated and decommissioned military officer who served in the U.S. Air Force, and who is now trying to become an independent truck driver in order to support his wife and future family. After getting a loan from a bank to buy his own truck, C.J. hopes his dad’s old buddies can help him find work. One of the people who offer help is Duane Haller, however once C.J. found out he was supposed to transport illegal cargo, Duane threatened to blackball C.J, meaning he would stop getting any work. With this threat, C.J. starts to realize exactly how corrupt the trucking business is, as well as that it’s basically controlled by organized crime, and he eventually becomes the voice of all independent truck drivers. However, this vigilante status came at a price, but we can’t give away everything, can we?

FLATBED ANNIE AND SWEETIEPIE: LADY TRUCKERS (1979)

Drama, Comedy

Did you know that only about 6% of professional truck drivers are women? Well, these two ladies and their adventures are bound to inspire more women to join the trucking force!

After a truck driver, Jack De Larosa, gets shot, his wife, aka Sweetiepie, decides she’s going to get his truck back from California, and make enough money to make the back payments so that the repo man would stop coming after them. Not knowing the first thing about driving a truck, she enlists the help of the rough and tough Annie Potts, known as Flatbed Annie, and together they set out for California. As if life wasn’t complicated enough already, the two ladies have two thugs hot on their tail, who are trying to get the truck in order to retrieve the drugs hidden in it. Trust us, this movie deserves to be on your watchlist for your next long haul.

CONVOY (1978)

Action, Drama

This movie is a testament to what can be done once people unite against evil.

While driving through the Arizona desert, three truck drivers are stopped by a corrupt Sheriff, who tries to extort money from them. This meeting soon turns into a violent one, when the Sheriff decides to arrest one of the drivers who only want to get home as soon as possible because his wife is about to give birth.

Once other fellow truck drivers hear about the incident, they help form a convoy and hold a protest, which eventually turned into an interstate chase.

Follow important instructions for safe and regular road trip

Sometimes people simply aren’t a good fit for a particular job or position, which hinders their prospects of promotion and professional growth. The same goes for the professional truck driver. So, if you’re looking to start a career in truck driving, take a look at our list of responsibilities, skills, and traits you should have.

Before going on the road, review the dispatcher’s instructions and make sure they are accurate and correct. A truck driver needs to make a few rest and fuel stops, so going over the orders and the delivery schedule will help you better organize your trip.

Don’t be a stranger to planning

Although the law is changing so that soon truck driver won’t be able to have handheld devices, there are still a few gems of technology you can use to help you coordinate your trip. With GPS, smartphones, and routing software it’s become much easier for the truck driver to plan. It’s always useful to get to know the areas you’ll be driving through. So that you’ll be ready for anything on the road and be able to avoid dangerous sites and situations.

Know the rules and regulations like the back of your hand

You’ll have a whole team of people behind you, making sure everything is okay. From the cargo to the legal requirements are taken care of, it’s still advisable to familiarize yourself with the rules of the industry. If you’re behind the wheel, it’s expected that you know which rules apply to you and the freight you’re transporting. It wouldn’t hurt to get chummy with the rules enforced by the Department of Transportation (especially the hours of service (HOS) rules). Some basics include being familiar with proper loading and unloading procedures, securing different types of freight, and weight restrictions.

Check and double check all of your equipment – safety first!

The most important thing to remember is that you need to watch out for the safety of other drivers around you. You’re driving a beast of a machine. The bottom line is that you are the last line of defense when it comes to making sure that everything on your vehicle is functioning, ready, and safe for the road. It’s always good to start with the weather. It would be best if you checked the weather a few times before you set off.

Based on the weather, you can know what equipment you absolutely have to bring, and what you probably should bring. After gathering the necessary gear, it’s time to inspect the vehicle itself. You are by obliged law to examine the truck and trailer. Make sure all the lights are functioning, the fluid levels are sufficient, and the tire pressure is correct, and so on. You have to exercise your due diligence here because during pre-trip and post-trip inspections you are expected to report any problems you encountered with the truck.

Be familiar with your load and how to deal with it

A professional truck driver is expected to know how to properly handle the cargo itself. Drivers shouldn’t be required to load or unload the cargo, but unfortunately, that sometimes isn’t the case. That is why knowing how to secure different types of cargo might come in handy. When transporting produce, the driver is required to oversee the loading and make sure that skids patterning is done correctly, and that the load is secured with locks as needed. Flatbeds, on the other hand, need to have their cargo secured with tarps and straps. If you’re lucky, you’ll have the luxury of only transporting a preloaded trailer, without being involved in the loading and unloading of freight.

Load up on patience and be prepared to deal with stress

Patience is an absolutely essential trait for every successful truck driver. Although you’ll be faced with various annoying situations, such as traffic and waiting at the docks. It will always be expected of you to deal with everything calmly. Tolerance is a must in this industry.

This particular profession isn’t exactly a walk in the park, so even if you have a great team behind you, you can still expect some stressful situations from time to time. However, the faster you figure out how to deal with them, the sooner they will become less stressful and you’ll handle them much easier.

Legal requirements for truck driver

As you may have guessed, every state has different laws and regulations. The general rule is that you have to be at least 18 years old to apply for a truck driving position. However, until you turn at least 21 years old you can only drive within one state (this number also varies, depending on the company and state in question).

When it comes to education, you are only expected to have a high school diploma. You won’t need to take any courses before you apply for the position. You’ll likely receive all the necessary training from the company that hires you (make sure to research everything before applying, however).

Having a clean criminal record is an incredible advantage since it allows you to transport all kinds of freight, and work for any company. You are also permitted to cross international borders and acquire various benefits and licenses.

It’s mandatory to pass the physical if you’re opting for a trucking career since the job does involve a certain amount of risk. When it comes to sight, a professional truck driver is expected to have at least 20/40 vision with glasses or lenses, and a vision of a 70-degree field (in each eye). Good hearing is extremely important for this profession, and it too will be tested on the physical.

Lastly, you’ll need to have a Commercial Driver’s Licence (CDL), and you’re ready to send out those applications!

If you’re considering a career in professional truck driving, and you think you fit the bill, visit our website because we’re hiring!

We offer you interesting facts about trucker’s lifestyle

As people are exchanging the hustle and bustle of larger cities for the fresh air and peace offered in more rural areas, the need for transportation is growing. For every store that opens, several deliveries each week are required to keep the shelves nice and stocked, and that freight can’t be delivered on its own. The need for truck drivers is growing as well, so we thought it would be interesting to present an overview of a trucker’s lifestyle.

Truck driving is a way of life. It affects every part of your life, but the changes can be very welcome at times. From meeting new people to seeing new places, driving a truck gives a person a chance to get to know all the nooks and crannies of the U.S.

If you never saw yourself sitting in an office for 8 hours, being surrounded by paperwork, seeing the same people, and doing the same thing every day, a career in truck driving might be an interesting option for you. However, it’s important to stress that the trucker’s lifestyle isn’t easy at all.

Once you decide to get behind that wheel, your whole life is bound to change. Seems scary when blatantly written like this, but a significant change like this could be exactly what you needed.

  The first thing that’s required is a commercial driver’s license (CDL).  If you are between 18 and 21 years old, you generally are eligible to get this license. However, since every state has different laws in place, it’s important to look into them thoroughly. Usually, if you are 18 years old you are allowed to obtain a CDL which is only valid for in-state freight transportation. In order to drive across state lines, you have to be 21 years old. A truck driver’s day starts early, often at the crack of dawn, however, some drivers prefer to drive at night.

These kinds of things can usually be established and agreed upon with the employer, depending on the company rules and the logistics of certain freight transport. If you do have to drive early in the morning, there is one thing that can almost always be guaranteed – you will have the chance to experience the world before it wakes up. The quiet, early-morning hours and the open, mostly empty roads will ensure that you have a relatively peaceful start to the day.

Hours of Service

Sometimes truck drivers spend up to 70 hours driving over an eight-day period, so the trucks they’re driving are made to be comfortable enough to be considered a driver’s home away from home. There are sleeping quarters, so you won’t have to search for a place to sleep every night, which can be complicated and tedious work because chances are the Inn / Motel you wanted to sleep in can’t accommodate a truck of that size. Modern trucks offer power sources and even outlets for smaller appliances, such as microwaves, mini-fridges, and even slow-cookers. This is especially useful since truck stops rarely offer healthy and nutritious food, so having the option to actually cook something for yourself and store fruit and veggies in a fridge will definitely help you stay healthier on the road.

What about Rakmark?

Truck drivers work long hours, so it’s only fair that they are appropriately compensated for their work. It’s also worth mentioning that some companies pay by the hour, while other pay by the mile.
For example, here at Rakmark, we pay our company drivers up to 65c/mile, while team drivers are paid up to 70c/mile. Along with this, we offer bonuses depending on your experience level, cash advance, and a fuel card. But for more info, check out our careers page. To help the hours pass, drivers can have a partner on the road. Some companies support team driving, which means that you would have a colleague of yours on the road with you and the option to switch places so that you aren’t the only one driving during the trip. In this case, you would split the profit from that trip.

Sometimes people take their spouses on the road, and even their pets (all this should be done in accordance with the company’s rules and regulations).