Tools

The "Tools" of TripaDex...

TripaDex is Loaded with Handy and Dandy features that will IMPRESS the most seasoned of Drivers. The following is a description of 5 major Tools of TripaDex.

\\- The NOW 7! Handy Tools of TripaDex -//

Tool 1: TRIP PLANNER (We think this feature is the coolest of all five,) What the Trip Planner does is this... How many times has dispatch called you on your cell phone or "Beeped" you over the Qualcomm and asked if you had the time to do a "Hot Load?" They tell you how many miles the load is and how long you have to get the load delivered, and you then have to hang up, find a piece of paper and a pencil to scribble down some numbers and subtract and divide and then.... or was I supposed to divide and then subtract... Well, anyhow you get the idea. We have all found ourselves in those types of situations before, but with TripaDex's Trip Planner you only need about 5 seconds... I am not joking, just 5 seconds and you can immediately say, “I can” or “I cannot do the load,” and this is why. All you need to do to use the Trip Planner is input your Paid MT Miles and then your Paid Loaded Miles. Now that took about 4 seconds. The other 1 second is to click the "calculate" button, and there you go, because once you click the "Calculate" button, you will know...

A: What your Approximate Actual Miles Are...

B: Your Total Paid Miles...

C: Driving Hours it will take you to deliver the Load...

D: The TOTAL number of Days to complete the Trip D.O.T. legal. That's right! Trip Planner calculates your Total days to complete the trip by the number of Hours that you can legally drive in a 24-hour period, and if D.O.T. rules change, you have the option of changing the calculation by inputting the new D.O.T. hours of service allowable.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tool 2: WEIGHT CONVERSION. There have only been a few times in 12 years of driving that I have needed to know the Kilogram (KG) equivalent of Pound (LB) or the LB equivalent of KG, but the few times that I have had to know, I was stumped because either I didn't know or I couldn't remember the calculation. The last time I had a load that had KG on the bills, I went inside the shipper’s office and asked if they could help, and they said, "I have no idea how to do the conversion." These experiences were the reason that this handy little Tool was added to TripaDex. Using the Weight Conversion utility, you will...

A: Input the weight in LBs from your Bills into the "US Pounds" box and click the "Calculate" button to see the KG equivalent.

B: Input the weight in KGs from your Bills into the "Kilograms" box and click the "Calculate" button to see the LB equivalent.

Even for those of you who know the calculation, there is no longer a need to multiply that Long number after the Decimal. TripaDex is all about SAVING TIME!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tool 3: AXLE WEIGHT CALCULATOR. I feel many drivers will find this tool very handy as well. The Axle Weight Calculator is simple to use and also saves a lot of time with that pencil and piece of paper. Using the Axle weight calculator, you will...

A: Pull your Steers onto the scale and input the Steer Axle weight.

B: Pull the whole tractor (Steers and Drives) onto the scale and input the Tractor weight.

C: Pull the tractor off the scale and pull the Trailer Axles on the scale and input the Trailer axle weight. Now, click the "Calculate" button to see your Steer, Drives and Trailer axle weights and also your total weight, but WAIT, that’s not all... There is a field for inputting an empty weight which is very useful when you go to a Customer who likes to throw a little more weight your way without your knowledge. When you input an empty weight before loading, you will also get a Total Product weight (Weight of Merchandise) that was loaded onto your Trailer so that you know that what they put on your trailer is no more or less than what they say. I would have loved a feature like this when I was an Owner Operator, before crossing the scales especially... BUT WAIT! That still is not all with this Feature... Once you have scaled your load, you know that you have 11,125 lbs on your Steers, 33,075 lbs on your drives and 32,476 lbs on your Trailer and you have 1/2 tank of fuel. Now comes the question “how much fuel can I put on before I will be overweight?” Not a problem for TripaDex. There are "3" fields (explained below) for you to input how many gallons of fuel needed, then just click the "Calculate" button once again to see the weight added to your Steer and Drive axles. If this puts you over the limit, just keep lowering the number of gallons of fuel needed until your weight shows legal, and then you will know how many gallons of fuel to purchase. This feature also tells you how many miles that you can travel with the added gallons which is based upon your average MPG. The reason that I have included “3” fields for gallons needed is simply because after creating this tool, I remembered something very important, and that is... All fuel tanks are not in the same location on every truck, so I updated this tool so that you have a field to input gallons needed if...

A: Your Fuel Tanks are closer to your Steer Axle.

B: Your Fuel Tanks are in the center of your Steer and Drive Axles.

C: Your Fuel Tanks are closer to your Drive Axles.

This way, your calculated fuel weight is distributed more accurately.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tool 4: SERVICE GAUGES. This is a very nice Feature as well and it is running a very close second to our favorite, the Trip Planner. This Tool is a set of "2" Chrome Gauges with wooden accent that will tell you when your next Service or Oil Change is Due. That's right! After inputting your Trip Information for a Trip, just return to the Main Form of TripaDex and click the "Refresh Display" button found at the top of the screen beside the “AVG. MPG” display to update the Gauges. To use these Gauges, all you need to do is input your personal or Company-set Mileage Interval for Oil Changes or Service due (PM’s), and these Gauges get your last Odometer Reading that you have input into the "Trip Information" Form and tell you how many miles you have left before the specific Service is due. These Gauges are set to a default value of 25,000 miles for Service and 20,000 miles for Oil Changes, which can be changed by clicking the “Interval” buttons that are found below the Gauges. The Gauges count down from your set Interval, and once the Mileage Indicators get close to "0," you will know that you are ready for a "Service" or "Oil Change." Once you have Completed your Service or Oil Change, simply click the “Reset” button on the bottom of the Gauge to reset your Miles to your set Interval.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tool 5: New to TripaDex 2.0!! TRIPADEX DIGITAL ASSISTANT (TDA). Keep track of Family and Friends with the digital assistant with Address and Contact Information. The “TDA” is always where you need it. At program start, just click TDA button to open the TDA in the center of your screen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tool 6: New to TripaDex 2.0!! Count Down Scheduler. Ever pulled into a “Point of Entry”, and realized your permits or a single permit has expired? Pulled over, only to find out that your trailer inspection was “Out of Date?”. No need to worry about that any longer with the Count Down Scheduler. What the Scheduler does is let you input a title of what is to expire, such as a permit, truck or trailer inspection, a date your next service is due etc. etc., and then you just select a date for the expiration and let TripaDex keep you informed of how many days are left before expiration. You can even get a countdown of how many days are left until your anniversary or a birthday. The Count Down Scheduler is a great addition to TripaDex.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tool 7: New to TripaDex 2.0!! Ask God In Prayer. This is a tool of Inspiration that will truly uplift and give guidance as you travel along your way, not only in the trucking industry but in your life as well. This inspirational tool is very simple to use. All you need to do, is type a question into the question field, and then click the “Ask for His guidance” button, and you will then be presented with a response from God, through scripture. I have tried this incredible tool on myself, once it was completed, and let me tell you that… “Powerful,” is the only word that I can use to describe how it affected me. I must say that now I have a new favorite tool, and that is to… Ask God In Prayer.

The Digital Assistant has just been updated with some pretty cool features that when you find yourself stuck at a shipper or receiver or just have some time off, time will fly by as you play with conversions... These features will allow you to…

A: Calculate miles in inches and vice versa; convert pounds to grams, ounces, tons, etc.

B: Convert miles to feet, yards, meters, etc., and vice versa.

C: Calculate a tip percentage using the tip calculator.

D: Find the square footage of an area and convert to square yards.

E: Convert ounces to gallons, liters, quarts, etc., and vice versa.

F: Find how many ounces, liters, quarts, pints, etc. are in a specific number of gallons and vice versa.

"We stand together today, we make a difference... Forever."