Food Truck Tracking App Being Tested In Oklahoma

[Plutonic Panda]

This is pretty cool!

OKLAHOMA CITY - Food trucks have come a long way since their chuck wagon days of the late 1800's.
Now, mobility is the key and with this new app, if it's chicken and waffles you want, it's chicken and waffles you can track.

Mobile Entrepreneur, a term yet to be dished out by Webster's Dictionary, but may need to be soon if more business owners want to be like Cerese and Ricki Bly.

"I didn't know at the time, 'cause they were still known as roach coaches," Taste of Soul Owner Cerese Bly said.

Remove the roaches and sprinkle-in some soul. "We have two different trucks," Bly said.

One serving egg rolls, the other, chicken and waffles.

"It's a lot easier than waiting on the people to come to you, we go to the people," Bly said.

All that travel can be hard to track, even with the Bly's relaying their location via social media.

"It's not always easy to get the word out, and if there was one central location that would be the best," Bly said.

Consider it done, almost.

"It just seems like the food truck business is growing everywhere," Lokal Food Trucks Developer Walter Colindres said.

- read more here: Food Truck Tracking App Being Tested In Oklahoma - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

[MWCGuy]

I think its funny how people thumb their nose at a new fast food location. They say "This state has too many fat people. That's the last thing we need." Yet they go gaga over food trucks. I am willing to bet the average food truck meal packs on just as many calories as a fast food meal if not more. Not to mention it sometimes costs more especially when you add on the gas you use to hunt it down.

[BBatesokc]

I think its funny how people thumb their nose at a new fast food location. They say "This state has too many fat people. That's the last thing we need." Yet they go gaga over food trucks. I am willing to bet the average food truck meal packs on just as many calories as a fast food meal if not more. Not to mention it sometimes costs more especially when you add on the gas you use to hunt it down.

There really isn't much of a comparison when it comes to a fast food establishment and a modern food truck, beyond calorie count...... so, in that case I guess we could compare McDonalds to Cheevers because both serve food and both have high and low calorie menu items - and I think all would agree that comparison would be asinine.

Anyone who really compares a fast-food restaurant to food trucks simply doesn't 'get it.' Its really a cultural thing IMO...... You don't hunt down a fast food restaurant and they are rarely (if ever) associated with a social experience like 'food truck rodeos', outdoor special events etc. Not to mention the types of food and how they are prepared is vastly different than corporate fast-food chains.

The differences actually go on and on......

[Roger S]

I actually ate from the Loaded Bowl food truck yesterday, for Food Truck Wednesday at Dunlap Codding, which is a vegan food truck.

I won't be giving up my animal protiens anytime soon but it was tasty and definitely not something I could have gotten from a fast food restaurant.

The biggest difference between food trucks and fast food restaurants is that the people working at fast food are there because they have to be and people in the food trucks are there because they want to be.

And you'll never meet anyone in a fast food joint as nice and friendly as Ricky and Cerese Bly from Taste of Soul are.

[David]

There are at least two of these apps being developed that I am aware of. Lokal Food Trucks as mentioned in the article, and Truck It OKC.

[Dubya61]

Forgive the dog-piling, but yet another factor that distinguishes most food trucks from fast food: The offerings on a food truck are generally developed by a chef with a creative spirit -- the offerings at most fast-food restaurants are generally developed by a chef who is subservient to a marketing director and a business analyst.

[TheTravellers]

... the offerings at most fast-food restaurants are generally developed by a chef who is subservient to a marketing director and a business analyst.

Don't forget the accountant, probably the most important person...

[David]

The apps are now available.

Truck It OKC
iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/truc...kc/id888343386

Lokal Food Trucks
iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/loka...ks/id888919018
Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...foodtrucks.app

[BBatesokc]

I downloaded it (TruckItOKC). Hope more trucks get onboard soon. With all the trucks to be at H&8th tonight I was surprised that virtually none are shown up on the app.

[David]

Yeah, they need a bit more truck usage for this idea to really work. Android user here so I gave the Lokal app a try, and I'm only seeing three trucks in that general area so far. Hopefully a few more will come online once we get closer to the evening.

The H&8th twitter account mentioned the TruckItOKC app earlier which was what made me think to do track down the live app links.

[zookeeper]

I downloaded it (TruckItOKC). Hope more trucks get onboard soon. With all the trucks to be at H&8th tonight I was surprised that virtually none are shown up on the app.

Looks like Apple just approved the app and got it up day before yesterday. Website: http://www.truckitokc.com Who is responsible for getting the trucks identified and a locale? Are they depending on the vendor? Is it supposed to be crowded? (as in user reports)?

[zookeeper]

Looks like TruckIt's Twitter feed has good information https://twitter.com/truckitokc (I haven't tried the app yet)

[BBatesokc]

Looks like Apple just approved the app and got it up day before yesterday. Website: Truck It OKC Who is responsible for getting the trucks identified and a locale? Are they dependiong on the vendor? Is it supposed to be crowded? (as in user reports)?

Looks like the truck owners create an account and then login to be tracked.

You'd think they would have been pushing to get all the accounts they could and activated with such a big food truck event tonight.

Also, the icons on the main menu are impossible to read. You have to click on 'menu' to tell who the truck is - unless you've memorized their logo.

I'd like if they integrated the option for user's to post pics of the truck's food, etc. and ratings/reviews and link it to the trucks icon.

Right now it shows 12 trucks on the TruckItOKC app. No Roxy's though - the only truck I literally chase down. Actually went to Remington last weekend just to get some of their cherry ice cream.

[BBatesokc]

My iPhone actually just alerted me that the Truck It OKC app is tracking my location 'at all times' - even in the background when I'm not using the app. Apps have the ability to only track your location when you are actively using the app. I'm not a fan of app developers that are accessing unnecessary data on its users. Not to mention the unnecessary battery drain. Glad the iPhone operating system has these alerts now.

[Snowman]

One limit I see with this kind of app in most areas (or websites that do similar things) , is the biggest advantages I think they have is convenience, with a secondary advantage of nearby variety when they rotate who is at a spot daily. There is pretty much one parked outside the company I work every day unless they had a problem with the truck, if I am getting into my car and driving then I might as well just go to a restaurant. I could see it being more useful in denser areas where there would be enough demand for multiple trucks in relatively close proximity.

[BBatesokc]

I hadn't fired up the TruckIt app in awhile, but was looking for a good food truck the other day. Appears the app is no longer supported; screen just said "No food trucks in your area."

I also tried my Local Food Trucks app. It won't even update or launch on my iPhone.

Is there any currently supported app(s) out there that tracks food trucks locally? It's so hard to find new and existing trucks unless it's just by happenstance.