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Tech Speaking
When drivers yak over coffee, many chat about Java.
By Mike Swiger
(Electronics has joined the list of topics endlessly discussed over coffee at the drivers-only counter. Road King asked one technically savvy trucker, Mike Swiger, to tell us about what tools and toys he takes on the road, and why they work well for him. Here's his report:)
It is 6:30 a.m., and I am walking into a TA carrying a black computer bag camouflaged as a backpack. I hope to get in, log on, send and receive my e-mail and leave. I am in luck. I find a phone with a data port and electrical plug within reach. I set about making my connections and — oh no, another driver is coming my way. You can see he has questions on his mind. We say good morning, and I know what's coming. Remember, I wanted to get in and out ASAP, so I have to decide if I have time for the conversation that's coming. I decide I do, and here we go.
We have come a long way since I started using the Internet in truckstops. The questions from a driver back then would have been, "Is that a computer? What good is that thing?" The manager would likely have asked what I was doing to the phone. Now the questions are, "Who is your ISP (Internet service provider) and why do you use them?" I answer, "AOL, because it is easy to use, and it has more local dial-ups than anyone else I have found."
When I do need to use the 800-number, it is only 10 cents a minute or $6 an hour. I think that's a good rate for long-distance, considering the use of a calling card would normally carry a higher rate plus a surcharge.
Laptops vs. handhelds
Another frequent question is, "Why do you use a big laptop computer instead of a small handheld?" I use the laptop because the smaller machines do not have all the capabilities of a laptop — at this point, anyway. More about this in a minute.
With my laptop, I keep books using QuickBooks by Intuit. I can track truck and trailer maintenance. I also use several Microsoft products for writing letters and making presentations. I have several mapping programs that I will discuss later.
The laptop lets me cruise the Net with the ISP of my choice. Also, laptops are becoming fast enough to handle voice recognition software. There are several makers of voice recognition software out there. I use LH Voice Pro. There is also Dragon Naturally Speaking and Via Voice. I enjoy photography and have a digital camera. The laptop with its 6 gigabyte hard drive handles all of this software and more with no problem.
Notebook computers like the Sony 2505R are even smaller, but amazingly powerful, alternatives to laptops. They also tend to be more expensive - the Sony costs $2,200 at a discount store - as smaller usually means costlier in this digital world.
As for handhelds, also known as palmtops and as PDAs or personal digital assistants, they are becoming more powerful and full-featured every month.This technology is improving quickly. Depending on your wants and the level of technology you need, you can purchase anything from a basic $20 organizer to a full-fledged, $700-plus hand-held computer. The $20 model will hold between 100 and 200 names, phone numbers and addresses, while the $700 models will run a programs like Quicken for bookkeeping and Windows Outlook for organizing yourself.
The Palm Pilot series from 3Com seems to be the industry leader in these small computers.They range from about $175 to $700. The 3Com units use the proprietary Palm operating system which includes such things as an address book, date book, memo pad and to do list.
The current top-of-the-line model, the Palm VII, comes with a built-in modem and wireless Internet capabilities. This Internet service is proprietary to the Palm and is available now only in certain areas of the country. The Palm III and Palm V have optional modems available for about $125. All Palms have monochrome displays. The primary way to input information is with a pencil-like device called a stylus, either writing in a special language on the screen or using the pop-up on-screen keyboard and touching the letters.
PDAs from Hewlett-Packard, Compaq and Casio are Palm's chief competitors. They cost about the same as a Palm, but a number of them have color displays. Also, they use Microsoft's Windows CE operating system. One of the strongest selling points for these machines is that if you know how to use Windows, you know Windows CE, too. These devices also use a stylus as the main mode of data input and have optional modems.
Another plus for the Windows CE-based devices - if you like music, they can be used to download music from the Internet thanks to a technology called MP3. Of course, you can also now get MP3 players designed specifically for music buffs.
By now, my interrogator is starting to look a little dazed, but he cuts to the core of any discussion about personal technologies when he asks, "Based on what you have said, how would you decide which one to buy?" I tell him that I would make a list of everything I wanted the device to do. Talk to as many people as I could find that own one (or its nearest competition) and then save my pennies until I could afford the next-better model. I find this is the best way to buy computers and electronics of any kind. That way I don't grow out of them so fast.
Good, cheap talk
As we talk, he asks whether I have a cell phone. I do. "Don't the roaming charges eat you alive?" he asks. In truth, they did until AT&T rolled out dual-band PCS phones with the one-rate plans. Now I buy 600 minutes of talk time for $89 a month with no long-distance or roaming charges. I even get something known as "dropped call credits" that apply when I drive out of the cell area and lose a call.
I also have Sprint PCS, since it has improved its service plans to try to top arch-rival AT&T. Sprint's gaining, but isn't quite there yet. Like everything else technology touches, the cell phone market appears to be growing and changing rapidly. As I write this article, AT&T has what I believe is the best plan for OTR long-haul drivers. But AT&T better burn the midnight oil, because other companies are trying to unseat them with pricing plans and innovations such as Nextel with its Motorola phones that include two-way radio.
That technology will soon be, as kids say, so last week. The next generation of cell phones is tuned into the Internet. This spring, for instance, Nextel will offer the Motorola i1000-plus, which will have data capabilities. A built-in browser will let you send and receive e-mail, with a virtual Internet connection for real-time access without delays or airtime usage. I hope to test one of these units after they hit the street and let you know if they apply to our industry. Sprint also offers Internet service with its top-of-the-line phones.
Somewhere between Internet-capable PDAs and phones are devices that let you send and receive e-mail almost anywhere, although you can't cruise the Web. Two such devices are the hand-held JVC HC-E100 or Sharp's TelMail. Both require you to subscribe to a service called PocketMail, which has an 800-number and costs $9.95 a month. You can set up a PocketMail e-mail account or use an existing e-mail account. These devices require a telephone hookup, but are easier to carry around and take up less room than a laptop or even a notebook computer.
Taking directions
What about mapping programs and GPS? I have three mapping programs. I use Microsoft Automap the most because I got it first and became familiar with it. I also have Rand-McNally Route Planner 1999, which I just acquired bundled with this laptop, and I have Delorme Street Atlas 6.0 with the Earthmate GPS.
I like the Earthmate GPS because it can track the truck and show my position on the map as we roll along. This is a very accurate way to route yourself and find your way around. There are more GPS devices hitting the market all the time, and some even use voice technology.
These GPS devices would make life a lot easier for drivers if they were coupled with a low underpass and restricted route guide. That will come eventually. Pioneer has recently released its AVIC-505 voice-activated route guidance system. This system lets you talk to it to input your route, and then will speak the directions to your destination. The advantage to this system is you do not have to take your eyes from the road to use it.
How about some fun stuff? Digital cameras are exploding in popularity and sophistication. Prices are falling fast; you can find a quality camera like a Sony or Casio 1- or 2-megapixel for under $500. You can buy a very nice still and video camera combination for under $1,000. Wait a while, prices will drop.
Digital cameras are film-free, so you never buy, run out of or pay to process film. You can see your pictures instantly, instead of waiting for them to be processed. You can review your shots, keep only what you want and throw the rest away. You can also instantly send the pictures over the Internet to friends family (or insurance companies, if needed), or put them up on a Web site. The biggest disadvantages I see with these cameras are they eat batteries, and you need a photo-quality printer to make prints. There go the savings.
By the time my curious fellow driver has run out of questions, I have only just touched a few of the high points of how the digital revolution is reshaping our daily work and lives. As you'll see elsewhere in this issue, there are other drivers who have packed even more techy toys and tools into their rigs. If you're curious for more information, don't hesitate to ask other drivers about their experiences. Unless our freight is really smoking, we'll be glad to take time to chat.
(Mike and Gail Swiger have been an OTR driving team since 1981 and owner/operators leased to Roberts Express for 10 years. They bought their first computer, a Commodore 64, in 1986. They are members of ATA's The Maintenance Council and involved in issues of truck technology.) *
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