Truck Stops Get Wireless Internet

Makarand writes "According to SFGate.com, a company called IdleAire Technologies are building high-tech truck stops to provide drivers with air-conditioning, television, Internet access and phone service in truck cabs, so that they can turn off their engines. Trucks will pull into bays, where flexible tubes ending in vents for hot or cold air, and touch sensitive screens for Internet access can be pulled inside the truck's cab. There's also a separate wireless Internet option, where drivers don't have to pull into the bays. The basic services provided cost less than the fuel spent in idling a truck."

Comments

Re:Potential problem

[aborchers]

So, in a few years time, if that package you ordered takes a loooong time to get delivered... you know why. The friggin' truck driver is reading /

Look on the bright side. It's bound to raise the intelligence level of much of the posting...

Convoy 2003

[AtariAmarok]

It was on slow AOL that worked like hell

With a sysadmin pullin' logs

Cab-over Pete with a reefer on
And Jimmy, both bandwidth hogs

We's headin' for bear on Tee-One-Oh
'bout a mile outta Cupertino
I says "Pigpensource, this here's Cyber Duck"
"And I'm about to plug the USB, you know?"

('cause we got a little ole convoy networkin' thru the night)

(Yeah, we got a little ole convoy, ain't she a beautiful sight?)

(Come on and join our convoy, ain't nothin' gonna get in our way)
(We gonna roll this truckin' convoy 'cross the USA)
(Convoy)

By the time we got into Tulsa-town we had 85 trucks they say
But they's a roadblock up on the cloverleaf
With Hillary from the RIAA

Cuz Pete used his hard disk as an MP3 dumper

They even had a bear in the air
I says "Callin' all trucks, this here's the Duck"
"We about to go a-huntin' bear"
ye, 'bye
"

Re:Wireless at Truckstops

[American AC in Paris]

At any rate, are there really that many truckers hauling around laptops?

I don't know, but honestly, this is one occupational demographic that can really use wireless internet.

Consider that they've developed an intricate code-oriented language for use over CB radios. (They've been heavily into the "wireless communications" thing for decades, if you look at it in that light.)

Consider that a trucker has both a financial and personal safety interest in knowing things like nationwide weather forecasts, traffic reports, and navigational systems. These people really do rely heavily on knowing where that snowstorm is going, or hearing about the multi-car accident on their projected route through a busy city at rush hour.

Consider that trucking can be an amazingly lonely occupation, and the ability to communicate with people is incredibly valuable. Truckers got spouses and families. How else are you going to get your e-mail, complete with photo attachments of little Johnny doing something cute? Would you prefer some half-assed, run-down attempt at a pay kiosk in the middle of the truck stop, or your own personal system in the privacy of your own cab?

Networking has been part of trucking for decades. In many ways, this is the next logical step.

Won't change

[HogGeek]

I used to work with a trucker in the summers delivering farm equipment. He had told me that the reason truckers don't "shutdown" the truck was because it was too hard on the engine. Nothing to do with AC or anything else. Semi engines run for 500,000 + miles typically without any work other than routine service (i.e oil change)

So while wireless internet may be a "value add", I don't see the bays being used by long distance OTR drivers, unless things have changed.

Re:Potential problem

[Telastyn]

Seems like truck driving would be a great geek job... I mean it's probably one of the few jobs other than programming that involves long stretches of time sitting on your ass, alone, in the middle of the night.