Wireless internet at truck stops is fiercly competitive, but it’s more common than ever, and some highway locations even offer free service.
“Used to be you’d see truckers lined up in the phone room at truck stops,” says owner-operator Suzanne Roquemore of Ohio, who team drives with her husband. “Ten years ago, you might have a cell phone, but you were afraid to use it because of the expense. Now cell phones are so cheap, and cellular plans are so reasonable, you’re not likely to find a trucker who doesn’t have one. Same goes – or is beginning to – for the wireless Internet.”
As high-speed wireless Internet service becomes more common, it’s important to know your options for cost, type of access and quality of service while on the road. Wi-Fi is the most common wireless protocol, available at more than 700 truck stops operated by the major chains. Add the hotspots at independent stops and go 60 to 70 percent of the entire truck stop market is covered, estimates NATSO technology consultant Gene Bergoffen. With more and more truckers carrying laptops – 25 percent to 40 percent, estimates Bergoffen – it’s not hard to see why. And lower prices will come with increasing competition among a glut of services. But so will more headaches, at least in the foreseeable future, as owner-operators look for one reliable option with many access points.
Flying J’s proprietary service, launched in fall 2003, remains the leader among fee-charging truck stop Wi-Fi. It has nearly 300 hotspots, 160 at Flying J locations in the United States and Canada and the others “anywhere a lot of truckers are parked,” says Mike Nichols, Flying J’s operations manager. To accommodate subscribers, Flying J has worked deals with truck washes, hotels and other businesses near fleet terminals or even rival truck stops.
Wyoming-based Paul Brickman, who’s leased to Landstar Ranger, uses the Internet to access the carrier’s load boards. A longtime Flying J subscriber, he says he rarely has trouble connecting these days. “Overall, things work a lot better now than they did two years ago,” Brickman says. “Seemed like they had a lot of bugs to work out early on, which can be expected.”
Another early provider, Truckstop.net, had its service installed in 500-plus sites, most of them Pilot, Petro and Love’s locations, by June 2004. But plagued by technical problems, Truckstop.net and its equipment provider, Sprint, entered into litigation, and service was halted.
The same year TravelCenters of America’s SpeedZone was launched in 150-plus TAs, and Delaware-based SiriCOMM also began installing a different Wi-Fi service, some in former Truckstop.net locations. SiriCOMM since has built a network of more than 400 hotspots in 40 states and has agreements in another four. Its service is available at most Pilot, Petro, and Love’s locations, but also many independent truck stops.
