Truck Stops Get Wired for More Creature Comforts

Truck stops are going high-tech, bringing drivers the electronic services for business and entertainment they want while on the road.

“Truck stops are among the most wired pieces of land in the world,” said Harrison Peddie, sales and marketing director for DAT Services, a load-matching operation in Beaverton, Ore.

The owners of such facilities have been rapidly making upgrades to meet the growing communications and entertainment needs of their customers. Improved features at many truck stops allow drivers to get trip-routing and load-matching information, scan and transmit a bill of lading or proof of delivery, or plan a route. Other creature comforts enable the rig operator to kick back in the cab and watch cable television, surf the Internet or make a telephone call without having to pay cellular rates.

A number of companies are competing to get their services at some of the more than 1,200 truck stops and plazas across the nation and capture a slice of this market.

PNV.net, a telecommunications and entertainment provider focusing on long-haul trucking, is among the contenders. It offers drivers cable television, Internet access and telephone service called Park ’N View at more than 200 truck stops (7-5, p. 44).

Spokeswoman Christine Milligan said the company has contracts with several truck stop chains to add 600 locations, but she did not have a timetable for when these services would be up and running.

For the full story, see the August 16 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.