Hello!
My name is Darrin Reed and I am the owner of Reed’s Coding And Publishing LLC.
I started coding with HTML back when I was in High School around 15 years or so ago. I worked with CSS and C++ and Java shortly after that.
Fast forward 13 years, I decided to get back into coding. There was a lot that had changed as far as the languages go. So I started from scratch.
What I wanted to do was build mobile apps. I was driving a truck at the time, always away from my family, making that money.
I was using a few different truck stop apps, and they all seemed to be lacking in a few things. I made suggestions that were never implemented.
That is why I decided to go ahead and start building my own app.
I looked into the different languages out there, Kotlin stuck out to me. It was Google’s preferred language for Android App Development.
You can also use it for Cross-Platform as well. Android, IOS, and Desktop. Other languages are also Cross-Platform, but I decided to go with Kotlin because it was fairly new at the time compared to other languages.
There weren’t a lot of tutorials out there and I checked with a few VoTech centers and colleges. The one’s I had talked to weren’t teaching it at the time, so I decided to just teach myself.
I had learned the basics from a few courses on Udemy and YouTube.
Why would I create a business for it so soon?
Well the main reason I chose to start the business was to mitigate any type of personal risk. Since my first app deals with Truck Specific routing and Navigation, there could be some legal issues down the road.
I also became a stay at home dad because my wonderful Wife was a stay at home mom for a few years while I was on the road. She wanted to get back into the medical field which is her passion.
We don’t like the idea of Daycare, the cost is high and the unknown of what is happening with our kids was a big reason why we never did that.
What platforms do I work with?
I prefer Android but I’m also venturing out to working with iOS and Xcode. I’m in the process of developing the iOS version of the Android app I have published.
For Android app development I use Android Studio, for iOS I use Xcode, for writing cloud functions or web apps I use Visual Studio Code.
What app features have I implemented?
With Truck Parking & More I wanted the user to be able to create a profile, that way it has more of a social aspect. User’s are able to create and update their profile pictures, set their user name, leave reviews for locations they’ve stopped at so others know what to expect when they get there.
For Weigh stations they can also update the weigh stations status, closed or open.
When they stop off at a rest area the user can also update the parking availability for that location.
I use Firebase for the backend. Firestore for most of the info, but also Firebase Database for select things.
For storing pictures I use Firebase Storage. I really like the Firebase crashlytics. I test each build before I release it, but there are still some instances where something might go wrong.
Crashlytics makes it so much easier to determine the cause of the crash faster, saving you time and users!
I went with Firebase Cloud Functions to handle a lot of the complex backend work.
So I use Google Maps SDK for the main section of the map, but for the truck specific Routing and Navigation I went with TomTom Navigation SDK.
Recently I have added in a section for sliding weight, so if the user is overweight anywhere but the overall weight limit of 80k lbs, they can easily input their current weights and the app will compute which hole they should slide to.
Where do I place an order?
If you’re wanting to get an app developed or anything else developed, reach out to me via email and we will discuss everything related to your idea so that I can get a better understanding on how to service your needs.