# Solo founder builds whiteknuckle.app, a route app for big rigs and campers

> Original title: It's amazing how one project leads to another.

- Source: X search: indie AI launches (I built, solo founder)
- Published: 2026-10-26T15:44:31.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/weqi47ups0pqi2csf0j44vq6o
- Original: https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/2114744993625813011

## Summary

A solo founder built whiteknuckle.app, a driving app that routes big rigs and campers by difficulty rather than duration. The app warns about grade, tight turns, and clearances based on the rig's height and length, and models turning with truck bed length and hitch dimensions. The founder says the app drew 100 signups in five hours after a post in an RV Facebook group, and that it took about a week to build.

## Post

It's amazing how one project leads to another. 

Made a game, learned a bit about @threejs.
-> Remade my portfolio using a similar pipeline, added a 3d model of my truck and camper for funsies.
---> And now I've made http://www.whiteknuckle.app to show that camper on my actual routes.

There's many driving apps that tell you "good" routes for big rigs. But none of them tell you the grade, tight turns, TIGHT clearances along the way. They just say "trust me bro" and give you a route. 

But that gets you in some SKETCHY situations going around a blind curve into another lane (because you have to or you'll be over a cliff) while suddenly staring at a bridge that you'll only make it under by 3 inches with no way to stop. 

Not fun.

So I built an app with
- AI route guidance and alternatives based on difficulty, not duration. 
- Alerts for problematic routes based on the height and length of your rig.
- Turn prediction with realistic turning dynamics, truck bed length, hitch dimensions and location.
- Data from the DOT, open source lidar, multiple maps, state lane data, satellite imagery
- and even more.

I posted this yesterday in one of my RV facebook groups and got 100 signups in 5 hours. Some people begging to pay. I knew this was a problem for me, but it turns out I'm for sure not alone.

This new world of making software is WILD. A week of work is all it took so far. 2 years ago I could have maybe raised seed money with the idea... now I have the actual app.

[Video](https://badinfluence.news/api/img-proxy?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Famplify_video_thumb%2F2114737305139494913%2Fimg%2FT59q4n7k6eOupSxd.jpg&mode=thumb&exp=1793404800&sig=971ee3bbc01989ca)

[Video](https://badinfluence.news/api/img-proxy?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Famplify_video_thumb%2F2114737713828286464%2Fimg%2F4M4F7DbZdzZyAnUX.jpg&mode=thumb&exp=1793404800&sig=7c6f56884c9047c4)

[Video](https://badinfluence.news/api/img-proxy?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Famplify_video_thumb%2F2114738069593354240%2Fimg%2FlRwFYID1PmHr4TVt.jpg&mode=thumb&exp=1793404800&sig=ddaee4e35d50cc73)

[Video](https://badinfluence.news/api/img-proxy?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Famplify_video_thumb%2F2114739630587449344%2Fimg%2F81bOn7b-ZiMT1RvW.jpg&mode=thumb&exp=1793404800&sig=f088e63f9025d9b4)