Trucker Tips: How to Get Road Condition Updates

[Tami Paulus]

From sudden storms to construction zones, you know that road conditions can change by the moment. Avoiding bad road conditions can help you safely finish your route on time, and it will help you save extra money on truck service and truck repair later. There are several ways you can get updates while on the road, and here are the most convenient ones.

Text Message Alerts
Signing up with a text message alert system is an easy way to get fast notifications. You can check your local news providers for traffic alerts, weather warnings and more. The Weather Channel, for example, has a message system that allows you to choose what types of weather alerts you want to receive.

Smartphone and Tablet Apps
There are a variety of apps you can download to get traffic and weather information. The Weather Channel has apps that support a variety of mobile devices. Google Mobile Maps provides weather information, directions, traffic conditions and other tools that are useful for truck service.

Websites
If you have Internet access, you can join online chats with other truckers to get road information. Weather Underground shows current radar and satellite information, and weather.gov provides forecasts and severe weather warnings.

CB Radio
There’s a reason why the CB Radio has been used for so long. It makes it easy to get real-time information from other drivers out on the road. With wireless and Bluetooth features, CB Radios are now easier to use, and most include weather radios. CB Radio is especially helpful if you need truck service or local information in a hurry.

Truck Stops
The best way to find out about potential trouble spots on the road is to stop and talk with other truckers. They can warn you about dangerous areas or oncoming storms, and can also be helpful if you should need truck service or truck repair.

[Tami Paulus]

Thanks for appreciation. 32 years instead is a long time and surely you must have noticed the changes in all these years. For truck drivers it is going difficult everyday. Hope this post will help many of the truck drivers.

[dan bestfelt]

How right you are Tami.So many different ways of finding out about road conditions,delays,construction sites,weather info the only thing I had out there withme when I first started driving 32 yrs. ago was a 9 channell cb and truck stops to get that info.Now with all this new stuff out can sure help you if your under pressure to make a delivery on time without putting the pedal to the metal and risking your life,your license as well as others on the road with you.You new drivers out there should pay heed to this post by Tami.