Volvo Trucks has launched an app for the Worldtrucker online community. The smartphone app for iPhone and Android enables truck drivers to connect and share experiences from life on the roads. First to trial the app is celebrity truck driver Lisa Kelly, famous from the American TV series Ice Road Truckers and already a Worldtrucker member. The Worldtrucker app is designed to make it easier for the more than 20,000 members of the Worldtrucker community, www.worldtrucker.com, to exchange experiences and expertise with other truck drivers – both in their local community and around the world.
Lisa Kelly
“The app is both an extension of the website and a fantastic social tool for truckers to generate and share content directly from the roads – from photos to handy tips like good rest areas along the roads or recommendations of safe places to park,” says Paula Kühnel, Online Communication Manager at Volvo Trucks.
Among other things, the app contains a GPS-based function that allows truck drivers to record and share their routes on a map. Through TIPs (Trucker Interest Points) drivers can check-in, comment, rate and upload photos from a specific location, and then share the information with fellow truckers. Other features include a chat function that helps drivers to find and contact other drivers nearby.
The app, which is seamlessly integrated with the Worldtrucker website, has been developed in direct collaboration with truck drivers, through online surveys on the Worldtrucker site and input from truck drivers at pit stops.
“Truck drivers are the experts on life on the road and this app was developed both by them and for them, says Paula Kühnel.
Among the first to trial the app was celebrity truck driver Lisa Kelly, a Worldtrucker forum member well known the world over after her participation in the American TV- series Ice Road Truckers and the spin-off series IRT: Deadliest Roads.
“The app will be a great help on the road. You can get tips on where to eat, sleep or stop along the route,” says Kelly.
Lisa Kelly has distinguished herself in the world of social media and has a large following of fans and friends on Facebook, Twitter and through the Worldtrucker forum.
“I like keeping in touch with the trucking community. There are a lot of things that keep truck drivers united and that’s what’s cool about the Worldtrucker concept. Other truck drivers can understand what you’re going through.”
How does Lisa Kelly suggest truckers use the app?
“Just get in there and start pushing buttons and get going. It’s a great way to connect.”
The app is free and available for downloading from App Store and Google Play.
Worldtrucker
Worldtrucker is a global online community for all truck drivers irrespective of the make of truck they drive. The community allows drivers to share experiences and establish new cross-border relations. The content of the Worldtrucker site is user-generated. By offering an Internet community to drivers, Volvo Trucks hopes to stimulate the driver’s working life, boost interest in the profession and support the recruitment of new drivers. The site has more than 90,000 visits a month and some 130,000 uploaded photos. Languages:The Worldtrucker site is available in19languages. Number of members:approx. 21,700 Site:http://www.worldtrucker.com
