How far off-route will you go for a good cup of coffee, a great buffet or to save $.05 a gallon on fuel?

Increasing numbers of truck drivers are driving further and/or selecting where they stop more carefully, but not for the reasons stated above. In the words of Brett Barrouquere of the Associated Press, “It’s WiFi they’re wanting.”

No, it is not a new burger or barbecue. WiFi is shorthand for wireless fidelity, a technology that allows computer users within a few hundred feet to share a high-speed Internet connection. To access a connection, the user needs a laptop computer and a wireless network card or a WiFi enabled personal digital assistant.

Allan Meiusi, vice president and chief operating officer of Truckstop.net, which sells WiFi access to truck stops and travel plazas, told the Associated Press, “Truckers have always been wireless pioneers – remember CB radio.”

With about 70 percent of truckers owning computers and nearly two-thirds having Internet access at home, creating a way for truckers to get online while on the road seemed like a no-brainer, Meiusi told the AP.

Rip Griffin Truck and Travel Centers, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, was among the first to offer WiFi through Truckstop.net and Sprint at its 17 truck stop locations in the western and southwestern states.

Rip Griffin’s president, Mark Griffin, is quoted on Truckstop.net’s Web site saying, “There are more than 4.5 million truckers on the road in North America and 25 percent have laptops. It’s an old industry, but it is ready for a new idea. With WiFi access through Sprint and Truckstop.net, Rip Griffin can give its customers something different – a chance to connect home, to communicate with their base of operations, and to better run their business by managing information, directing their routes and picking up new loads on the fly. We expect that once a trucker or a trucking company tries this new service, they will keep coming back again and again.”

A trucker or other road warrior need not limit her/his WiFi experience to truck stops. WiFi is increasingly being offered at airports, motels, coffee shops and, soon, McDonalds (McWiFi?). The fast food chain hopes to outfit 6,000 of its restaurants with WiFi by the end of the year.

Besides entertainment, what does WiFi offer today’s professional driver?

In the words of Truckstop.net, it offers advantage. “Advantage over the driver still forced to huddle around a screen in the truck stop hoping to beat everyone to the payphone to call on a load. An advantage over the other drivers by making short work of sending authority, insurance and W9 paperwork to shippers.

“In today’s technologically advanced industry, it is essential to keep up to date and ahead of the competition. Truckstop.net will not only keep you on the edge of emerging technology, but will make your life much less complicated and stress-free. And who doesn’t need that?”

Whether it is used for recreation or to keep in touch with family and plan the logistics of the open road, WiFi is hot and getting hotter. According to David McClure, director of marketing for Petro Truck Stops, 60 of his travel centers are already offering wireless fidelity. However, Petro is far from alone in this regard. Many Flying J. Pilot, Loves, Sapp and numerous other parking lots are also digitally active.

Finding new Truckstop.net hotspots is as easy as surfing to a site and entering your search parameters. Of course, you must be connected to the Internet in order to do that. It is sort of a Catch-22. How does one find WiFi hotspots? Use the Internet. How does one connect to the Internet on the road? Use a WiFi hotspot.

What does this “must have” technology offer and what does it cost?

Truckstop.net offers four payment plans: Yearly for $299.95; Monthly for $29.95 ($44.95 Canadian); Daily for $5.95 ($8.95 Canadian); Hourly for $2.95 ($4.50 Canadian).

Although this driver is no foreigner to computer technology or the Internet, he does not see himself soon joining the WiFi landslide. His old laptop serves well for writing these columns, keeping tax records up to date and figuring minor logistics. With the new DOT requirement that he take 10 consecutive hours off duty every 24, he can now shower, shave, eat, write a little, read a little and still get almost eight hours sleep each day. What he does not need is an electronic demand on his sleep time.

The computer and the Internet have made his job easier while enabling him to be more productive. However, he also knows from experience that undisciplined time spent staring into the recesses of the web only begets more time spent staring. Therefore, for now at least, he will leave the Internet at home.

With that said, this driver believes that other drivers with different schedules and more demanding information requirements may find WiFi to be an indispensable tool in their professional road warrior arsenal.

Guy Bourrie has been hauling on the highways for 20 years. He lives in Washington, Maine, and can be reached at redhaven@pivot.net.