Episode 155: Special Guest Co-Host Tony Stroncheck

MARCH 24, 2023

Larry is enjoying some time in the Mountains with family, so we reached out to our friends at ProMiles and are excited to have Tony Stroncheck join Chris as Co-Host of this episode. Tony also hosts the Trucking with ProMiles Podcast with Steven Todd.

About Tony:

Mr. Stroncheck started working in the Transportation Industry in 1989 for Owens & Associates with his then father in law. In 1991, he purchased fuel tax reporting software from his long friend and now partner Mr. Tim Pilcher. In 1992, Mr. Stroncheck took control of Owen & Associates and changed the name to Road Legal Inc. In the 20 years since the company started, it has filed over 15,000 operating authorities and permits with the ICC and FHWA. After discussing the idea for a couple of years, the two founders decided to work together to create a mileage program. In 1993, Messrs. Pilcher and Stroncheck started working together to create and market a mileage guide to the trucking industry.

The first program was introduced in the spring of 1993 and was called the EZ Permanent Mileage Guide. This program provided driving miles only for the continental United States. In 1994, driving directions and state mileage breakouts were added, and the product was renamed EZP Plus. 1995 saw the launch of the first windows version of the program called EZP for Windows. In 1995, Mr. Stroncheck made a deal with industry software leader JJ Keller & Associates to market the EZP for windows software. In order to do so, Canada had to be added to the program’s database. Mr. Stroncheck launched their product in the spring of 1996 and chose the name ProMiles for it.

When ProMiles was launched, it broke ground on many new features that have become standard for trucking mileage guides. It was also the first trucking mileage guide to have geographically accurate maps. In 1997, the company introduced the first trucking mileage guide on the Internet. In the summer of 1998, the founders consolidated the software development from ATSP and Road Legal and formed the company ProMiles Software Development Corporation (PSDC). 1999 was a busy year for Mr. Stroncheck and the company. PSDC moved to a large office on Texas Avenue in Bridge City and set up an Internet server farm.

PSDC doubled its staff and prepared for a large marketing push. Unfortunately, just as PSDC started realizing results from this marketing push in February of 2000, the price of fuel jumped to over $2.00 a gallon in many places and trucking technology purchases collapsed. With development funds exhausted and several promising leads developing in the trucking Internet market, PSDC refocused on developing Internet applications.