Pen-pal program Trucker Buddy announced that it has teamed up with software developer uFollowit to develop a Trucker Buddy-branded smartphone application for iPhone and Android that allows drivers to take pictures on the road and upload them automatically to a secure site that Trucker Buddy teachers can access and share with students.
It’s a “way to circumvent the time and cost of mailing something – it gives drivers and teachers a direct link to each other,” said Randy Schwarzenbach, Trucker Buddy executive director. “This app will dramatically speed up the communication between the driver and the classroom.”
The students will be able to see the pictures directly on computer terminals in the classroom, tied to an interactive Google map that plots where the picture was taken. An optional breadcrumb trail the driver can leave on that map is another way of connecting geographically. The app also includes useful tools for drivers – a truckstop directory and weather/radar reports – and teachers can use the app to take pictures of student letters to send to drivers on the road. Both will be available within the next few weeks.
Trucker Buddy also announced a partnership with online service SendOutCards.com to ease card-sending processes for its drivers. Trucker Buddy drivers will be able to select online the card they want to send, type in a message and submit, and SendOutCards does the rest. Prices for cards on the site range from postcards as low as 78 cents to trifold cards for $1.96. Certain gift cards and other gifts also are available. SendOutCards also has its own Greeting Card app for the iPhone and Android. Part of the proceeds from every card bought in the program goes toward supporting Trucker Buddy.
