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Trucking and Travel Resources
When you hit the roads of America, life can be a bit lonely. There are resources you'll want to take with you no matter what the reason for your trip if you travel far and long.
The Rand 'Road Atlas Deluxe McNally Motor Carriers
The regular atlas or a AAA trip-tick is good for the novice or the occasional traveler. But if you're in it for the long term, you want the luxury of laminate, spiral-bound monster. You can use it for years without tearing the pages, you can write it without bleeding through and you can spill Coffee is on it without affecting readability.
Within its pages you will find a wealth of information. Figures for trucking associations for the United States and Canada, Ministry of Transportation and the State Police for national hotel chains, and conditions weather conditions and construction information. The regulations further limit the weight of the road-legal carriers, inland limited (but not included), low bridges (but not necessarily all inclusive), the inspection requirements of documentation procedures, and regulations logbook. If Take time to read all the information in front of the Motor Carrier's Road Atlas, you will return with more knowledge than when you started.
Most of the locations of weigh stations are relatively accurate, but there are weigh stations in use that are not indicated on the atlas. More trucking regulations are current and accurate, but the mapping information is not available. CoopsAreOpen the most current and complete weigh station scales and regulations of DOT.
You can buy the Atlas Deluxe motor carriers "to most truck stops or online at the website of Rand McNally. The cost will depend on what time of year of purchase. The end of the year, the cheaper the price (because the new editions come out around the beginning of a new year). Prices range from $ 30 – $ 65. It also comes in a large print.
The Truck Stop Guide
Any truck stop guide as it will- has offices, telephone numbers, and a list of services. A "Guide to the pocket truck stop" is fine if you already know the place and faces. But for the rest of us, a more detailed guide is a good idea. You'll be glad you spent the money if you need to know where the best places to stop on the road in front of you.
Truck stops used to denote good food and friendly people. It is not always true that these days, but you have a better chance of finding them at a truck stop (or near) you do if you just throw caution and hope for the best. Truck Stop guides will tell you which truck stops have 24 hours of service, repair and restaurants. You can usually measure the size of the truck stop by the lot size contained in the guide.
If you need to make laundry, receive a fax, receive a delivery (FedEx, UPS or DHL Standard), take a shower, or just off the road for a few hours, a stop truck is a sure bet. A truck stop guide will tell you what services the truck stops and provide the phone number if you want to call in advance to get the fax number or address. (To learn how to get a fax number that sends and receives faxes using your current email address. Try eFax Free – activation instant.)
Just do not be surprised when you arrive, you expect the heavenly haven is a guide Roach Ranch truck-stop instead does not include assessments of quality. And many truck stops will not use the shower, unless you're a trucker.
You can buy a variety of guides truck stop to truck stops more. Prices range from $ 13 – $ 30.
Electric Cooler
Most platforms and other vehicles are not equipped with a refrigerator and a cooler has a meaning. The electric coolers (made by Igloo or Kool-a-tron) right plug your lighter socket not need to drain the water continuously and fill with ice. They are perfect for drinks and in the short term, for dairy products. They are not cool the temperature of the refrigerator, so food requiring refrigeration go a bit faster.
Meals at the restaurant and truck stop at roadside restaurants others can be very expensive over time. Ability to keep some basic foods like milk, lunchmeat and mayonnaise can help reduce costs and make smaller meals more enjoyable.
Coolers electric double, stoves, as well. So if you are traveling with prepared foods, you can keep them warm until your destination. Most drivers who did not travel with a large refrigerator electric cooler and use it to keep groceries and frozen drinks.
You can buy an electric cooler at most truck stops in many stores supertype. Prices range from about $ 70 to $ 120 for large electric coolers.
Global Positioning System – Satellite Navigation
Traveling with a map is great, but traveling with GPS navigation can make your course a lot easier. GPS indicates your exact position regarding the map and routing software determines your course and give you turn by turn directions. Magellan, Pioneer, Alpine, Streets and Trips, they all have good software Maping. There are many other systems as well. These all designed with cars in mind, however, not eighteen wheels. So you want to keep in mind that if you're driving anything more larger than an SUV.
There is a GPS system designed for Maping vehicles called CoPilot Truck. It is designed to follow the routes Truck and avoid low bridges and roads that would be dangerous for a driver to use. However, it is always the driver's responsibility to know where you are or are not allowed and use your own judgments about the routing of your choice.
Never trust GPS completely. GPS is a tremendous help, but if you rely on it without using common sense and your ability to navigate and follow the signs that you may find yourself in a stalemate from time to time. Road closures, map inaccuracies and wrong addresses are all problems when it comes to using computer routing. Make sure you have a handle on where you are and where you go, at any time, just to be on right side.
You can buy a GPS system for truck stops, shops and electronics stores supertype. It is preferable to go around. Most GPS units require a laptop to run them, but there dash and handheld GPS systems. The prices are independent units of several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
Phone
When cell phones first came out they were a costly investment. Local plans have often been 20 cents per minute roaming or long distance calls could put you in the poor house fast. These days, you can find a service plan at a reasonable price that suits your needs.
Cingular, Verizon, Sprint PCS, Nextel, and all the good plans and coverage areas. You can also pre-paid-cell that can help you if you operate with a budget (you do not buy more than you can afford).
Mobile phones are good to have in case of emergency or breakdown. But they are also good for keeping in touch with their relatives. You'll find it worth the expense to talk on a cell phone rather than trying to have a private conversation on a public phone at a truck stop, albeit in a phone booth private.
You can buy a cell phone to truck stops, grocery stores, super-type electronic stores and individual cellular company stores. The phones range from free with a service contract to several hundred dollars. Prices vary widely depending plan on what your needs are.
Citizen's Band Radio (CB)
The CB radio is the cornerstone of trucking. You will trouble find a trucker who has not one, but there are drivers out there who choose to travel without squake box, as it is sometimes called.
Much people get deep into the CB (radio and ham) lifestyle. You will see the cars running around the enormous radio antennas and making slide rods to keep the car grounded for good reception, not a good idea in a storm. You'll see the big truck with antennas with coils on pointing forward at an angle. Many truckers pay big money to get a great power in their radios.
Until you are sure what you want, you'll want to start small. You can spend a lot of money and if you Not sure what you buy, you may find that you have spent your money needlessly. Accordingly, a Cobra Cobra 25 or 29 nicely. You can take to shop radio at a truck stop that has a good reputation for doing "peaked and tuned" and "adapted to your antenna" and you will get good use out of it.
The CB radio is very useful in case of inclement weather and traffic situations. You can talk to other drivers and find out what roads are like in front of you and hear warnings of dangerous situations you may encounter. You will also find there are many people who use their personal cb entertainment non-stop talking and harassing other drivers. At times, it is difficult to obtain Information you need, because there is so much chatter on the airwaves. However, it is a good idea to have a CB radio for you to communicate verbally with the drivers around you when you need.
If you're new to the trucking or CB radios, you will find that the truckers have their own language. They will be able to pick you out as a beginner or a novice, do not bother trying to be a talker at first. There are some Pilots will take on you until you can "melt, but most drivers are helpful and will not mind talking to a friend travel.
You can buy a cb to truck stops and most electronics stores. Prices range from $ 20 – $ 30 over the entire height of the hundreds of dollars.
Satellite Radio
The birth of satellite radio was a milestone for the industry trucking. Most drivers who subscribe to one of two services (XM Radio or Sirius Radio) can not think of trucking, but without satellite radio they have done for years. For most drivers, satellite radio is not an option … it became a necessity.
The Hours and hours of driving can lead to boredom. It is frustrating to lose an AM or FM station, you just listen. Both XM and Sirius hundreds of discussions, comedy, sports and music stations that will not go to any extent that you drive.
The orbit of the earth the southern United States so that the further north you drive, the more you're likely to experience a signal is blocked. If you run in a valley between mountains or in a tunnel, the signal can be cut until you hit again clear sky.
If you use the small "mouse" antenna that comes with most satellite systems, you want to be sure it is mounted on the roof of your vehicle. If you mount the antenna on one side you can see that if you travel east or west and the antenna is on the side north of the truck, your vehicle will block the antenna to get a signal. If you are parked on the north side of a large warehouse, Your antenna may be blocked to obtain a signal.
More your vehicle, the more likely you may want to switch to an antenna driver for satellite radio. These are larger and fit more like a CB antenna. They will have a stronger signal in situations where the antenna could mouse signal loss.
Some trucking companies providing satellite radio systems and / or services for their drivers, but for those who must pay for their own, it's worth the expense.
You can buy a satellite Radio System for truck stops, electronic stores, stores and car stereo. Prices range from under $ 100 for a type of plug-and-play unit to several hundred for a radio to the dashboard. Also need to purchase the service provider for about $ 15 a month to experience satellite radio.
About the Author
www.coopsareopen.com is a website dedicated to improving the lives of truckers. www.coopsareopen.com provides weigh station information that matters to truckers.
BECKER Z302 Truck Navigation