Truckers have unique needs for productivity apps because they spend significant time on the road. Productivity is also vital for truckers because time is money. Technology in the form of smartphone apps can help drivers book loads, find safe parking, avoid traffic jams, and know how to find the best fuel prices on their routes. In this article, you will find the top productivity apps for truckers and some entertainment favorites to engage drivers on long drives. Here are some top productivity apps that can be extremely useful for truckers.
Coyote GO
This app is your money maker if you are an owner-operator. The Coyote interface gives access to over 10,000 loads daily. Drivers search for loads by area, time, date, size, and other relevant criteria. You bid on the desired load through the app and await a reply. After you accept, all navigation and updates are made directly from the app. Smartphone bidding saves time searching for leads and places the power of choice squarely in the driver’s seat.
Features:
- GPS
- Load matching
- Load centralization
- Navigation
- Automated
Pros:
- All upcoming loads are in one place
- Navigation to pick up and drop off loads
- Automated location updates
- Easy one-click check-in
Cons:
- No guarantees
- Bids can be low
- Truckers must decline accepted bids
Trucker Path
Most drivers have been played by their navigation app, but not while driving a seventy-foot-long rig. Trucker Path considers the size of the truck when planning routes. This app also helps truckers find truck stops, rest areas, fuel stations, and more. It also provides real-time parking availability, which can be a big time-saver. It also offers leverage when negotiating with shippers and brokers using the Carrier Toolkit.
Features:
- Truck GPS
- Truck stops
- Weigh stations
- Fuel stations
- Truck parking
Pros:
- Discounted Fuel Deals
- Truck navigation pathways
- Road intelligence
Cons:
- Lags sometimes
- Lacks multiple routes
CoPilot Truck GPS
This navigation app was created for the needs of truckers. It considers truck-specific routes, weight limits, and height restrictions, helping truckers navigate safely and efficiently. For anyone who has ever had to master a key map while driving to a new city, you can appreciate the need for a hands-free device that can nimbly direct to and through any destination. CoPilot features voice guidance, allowing for hands-free navigation so truckers can focus on the road. It is one of the best choices for iPhone users to use maps offline.
Features:
- Shows truck-specific routes
- Easy-to-use interface
- Traffic alerts
Pros:
- Offline maps
- Pedestrian navigation
- Voice guidance for convenient navigation
Cons:
- Charges for premium features
Motive
This app offers electronic logging device (ELD) services to help truckers manage their service hours and comply with regulations. Converting to the ELD in 2017 was a heavy lift for truckers. Staying on top of productivity, booking loads, getting rest, eating well, and now uploading your hours online made some truckers feel like they were under a pressure cooker. Motive was created to ease this pain and improve productivity.
Truckers can get detailed reports for IFTA information. Motive also provides vehicle tracking as well as dynamic features like route optimization, geographic maps, load optimization, third-party integrations, etc.
Features:
- ELD Compliance
- Fuel management
- Mileage tracking
- Repair tracking
Pros:
- Unmatched customer service
- Data encryption
- User-friendly
Cons:
- Lags sometimes
- Paid app
CamScanner
This app allows truckers to scan documents using their smartphone’s camera, turning them into digital files that can be easily organized and shared. You can export the images in JPG, PDF, TXT, or Word. This versatility is helpful for recording and storage and offers convenient sharing options when retrieving your documents. There are some reports of crashes, but “dunwitit” from Truckers Report reports, “I use Camscanner with good results” as early as January 2013. With constant version updates, you can expect a more seamless user experience in the future.
Features:
- Scans in pdf, jpeg, txt, word
- Photo-to-text
- Adjust colors with filters
Pros:
- Easy integration with MS Office and Adobe PDF
- Good-quality images
- Ease of converting
Cons:
- Ads might impact experience negatively
- The app crashes randomly on Android 13 devices (developers are working on a fix)
Fuelbook
Overpaying for fuel is one of the easiest ways to cut into your profits. Fuelbook was created to find the best prices for fuel along your route. This app allows you to search nationwide for over 5000 truck stops’ diesel prices. Truckers set up their route, and the app shows truck stops along the way and the fuel price at each stop.
Features:
- Nationwide diesel prices
- Fuel discounts
- Open parking status
- Wifi status
Pros:
- Live news alerts
- Fuel cards
- Customizable features
Cons:
- Updates can be slow
- Some truckstops omitted
DriveWyze
DriveWyze is a time-saving app that allows drivers to bypass North American weigh stations. This app has an intelligent transportation system(ITS) that can detect if the driver credentials, safety, and weight data meet the criteria to allow them to bypass. If one or more criteria are not met, a red indicator and sound are communicated to the app, and the driver must pull over. DriveWyze ensures that all loads that need to be weighed or inspected still are, while compliant loads have the luxury of continuing on their route, saving time and money.
Features:
- Real-Time Data
- FMCSA compliance
- Inspection site notification
- Mobile agricultural inspection sites bypass
- Loss Reporting Tools
Pros:
- Visual and Audio Alerts
- Hands-Free
- 30 Day Free Trial
Cons:
- More technical than other apps
- Paid subscription is pricey
AccuWeather
Truckers will drive through many different regions on any given haul. Staying informed about weather conditions along the route is crucial. Weather apps, like AccuWeather, can provide real-time updates and forecasts. Avoiding inclement weather can keep you safe and save you time, and time is money. AccuWeather is one of the best weather applications with its accuracy, friendly UX, and easy-to-understand weather stats.
AccuWeather has the largest network of real-time updated geophysical sensors.
Features:
- Allergy info
- Humidity
- Air quality index
- Snow and ice alerts
- Storm updates
Pros:
- Simple, interactive design
- Easy to access
- Accurate
Cons:
- Frequent ads (except for Huawei Devices)
- Connectivity issues
Spotify
No road trip is complete without a playlist, and truck drivers are no exception. Music and entertainment apps like Spotify can make long hours on the road more enjoyable and increase focus. Spotify offers music and podcasts in multiple genres to engage you on your journey. This platform continuously updates its playlists and library, so keep your updates on and start building your playlists.
Features:
- Public and Spotify playlists
- Filter to find
- Podcasts
Pros:
- Multi-platform
- Play locally stored music
- Free version available
Cons:
- Ads in the free version
- No live radio
Audible
Audiobooks offer a unique way for truckers to stay engaged and productive. Audible offers a wide range of audiobooks to enjoy on the road. This immersive experience can chop hours from your commute when choosing the right book. Whether it is learning how to cook, your favorite mystery, self-help, or sci-fi, this application has over 200,000 books, offering a wide variety of genres to choose from!
Features:
- Audible best-sellers
- New releases
- Low cost
Pros:
- 30-day free trial
- Access to all ‘included’ titles
Cons:
- Paid service
- The Plus feature does not let you keep the books
Conclusion
The creation of productivity apps has transformed the way truckers manage their schedules, navigate routes, fuel up their rigs, and obtain loads. These apps meet many of the unique needs of truck drivers during long hauls and late nights. Hands-free and smart technology advances have added convenience and safety features that allow users to check the weather, bypass weigh stations, listen to audiobooks, and improve ELD compliance. All of this is available from a smartphone. In today’s competitive transportation industry, these productivity apps have become an invaluable tool for the modern driver.