Truck driving is characterized by getting your cargo from point A to point B as quickly as possible. This can be a grueling process with the sheer number of hours spent on the road and figuring out what to do while you drive to stay entertained. With the significant development of technology, driving trucks across the country has become a bit easier.
While you can still make use of a physical map and the radio, mobile applications can make your drives much faster and more enjoyable. These are some of the best applications you can download to maximize your drive time.
13 Apps
for Today’s Truck Driver:
- Trucker Path
- Google Maps
- Trucker Tools
- BigRoad Truck Driver Logbook
- iExit Interstate
- Drivewyze
- Gas Buddy
- Weather Channel
- Genius Scan
- White Noise
- Podcasts
- Audible
- Spotify
This article will show you how these applications will help you to be more efficient in your driving and make your life easier on the road. From navigation to best gas prices to finding something to keep you entertained on the road, we’ve selected some of the best available!
13 Apps for Today’s Truck Driver
This list starts with some of the most helpful apps to assist you on the job and works its way down to ones that help to make your trip a bit more relaxed and enjoyable. All of these apps are available in the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for Apple products (including iPhones and iPads).
1. Trucker Path Premium
Trucker Path is regarded as one of the most helpful mobile applications for professional truck drivers. It combines a lot of really useful features that are typically offered by individual and separate apps. With many downloads and reviews among consumers, it is one of the most popular in the truck driving industry.
Some of its key features include:
- Truck GPS: This offers navigation to helpful points of interest, such as gas stations, rest stops, weigh stations, food options, and repair centers. It will also help you to plan and map out optimal routes to get to your destination.
- Weigh station status: The app will tell you which weigh stations are open in real time, so you do not have to get off without knowing this important information.
- Parking predictions: You can check the app to see if there are parking spaces available for your next rest stop. Knowing this information will save you time from physically assessing the situation yourself.
- Fuel pricing: It will give you updated fuel prices so you can stop at the cheapest one on your route.
- Truck washing: The app will show you places to wash your truck on the route. This includes over 400 locations.
This app is also offered in a free version, but it does not offer as many features. The premium application provides excellent GPS navigation to your destination, as the free version only gives you points of interest. It costs $99.99 per year for excellent trucking assistance.
You can download the application in the Apple App Store or with Google Play for Android devices.
2. Google Maps
Google Maps is a useful tool to have as it gives you navigation assistance with updates regarding traffic and very specific coordinates for destinations. You need accuracy and efficiency when driving to your destination, and Google Maps can help. It should not be depended upon solely as there is no specific mode for trucks.
The app should be used in conjunction with other navigations apps that are tailored to trucks specifically. Google Maps should not be solely depended on because there are often roads and directions that the application gives you thinking that you are driving a car. Many roads are not suitable for large trucks and will not lead to the greatest efficiency.
Google Maps should be used to check traffic patterns and gain other useful information about navigating conditions to help in the process of getting to your destination. The application is free and is available in the Google Play app store as well as the Apple App Store. Google Maps can also be accessed through any online browser for a desktop version.
3. Trucker Tools
This is a similar application to Trucker Path, but it is offered in a free version. Trucker Tools has many of the same features and has been a very popular download as well. It offers many features in one place to make driving easier.
Some of the features that truck drivers find useful are:
- Gas prices: Look for the cheapest gas prices in the area along your route.
- Weather: Check live weather conditions and get forecasts.
- Weigh stations: See which weigh stations are open and closed along your route.
- Washing centers: The app gives you a map of washing stations for you to keep your truck clean on long journeys.
- Deals: Find coupons and sales for specific rest and truck stops, making some more attractive than others for your needed rests.
- Message Board: Stay in touch with other truck drivers about many topics and make new friends in your industry.
- Job Boards: Find opportunities for trucking jobs within the application.
All of these features can be incredibly useful for truck drivers and have been the reason the app has been downloaded frequently. It is available with Google Play and in the Apple App Store.
4. BigRoad Truck Driver Logbook
In order to keep truck drivers safe, there are mandated rest periods and logs that must be completed to keep track of the hours spent on the road. These are regulated by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. BigRoad does a great job of logging this time for you and giving you all the necessary data concisely.
You just need to type in your information regarding the trip and the app will:
- Calculate the time remaining for driving
- Keep logs organized for inspections
- Allow you to make edits to logs for accuracy
- Give you notifications for errors and violations
- Let you easily send logs to your employers without paper and faxes
The app is also connected to your GPS map, so it knows the time and location in which you will need to make your stops. Knowing this information will help you to avoid violations and stay in compliance with your hours! The application is available at Google Play and the Apple App Store. The app can be downloaded for free with in-app purchases available.
5. iExit Interstate
The iExit Interstate Exit Guide will show you all upcoming exits based on your driving route. These exits are based off highway travel, and the application will tell you what is located at each exit. This includes rest stops, restaurants, and gas stations. This application is incredibly useful if you are looking for something specific or want to know what’s ahead for planned stops.
You can select a desired destination at a particular exit, and the application will provide route guidance to help you get there easily.
The application will display all the important information and amenities that each exit will provide. It is free to download and is available with Google Play and the Apple App Store.
6. Drivewyze
Based on your carrier safety score, you may be eligible to bypass certain weigh stations. This will save you lots of time and money on your trip. Drivewyze is continually expanding to more states and currently offers potential bypasses at more than 800 weigh stations in 46 states. The application will alert you when weigh stations are coming and if you are eligible to pass them.
The technology is available on many systems to be compatible with your devices:
- Google Play for Android
- App Store for iPhone or iPad
- Many electronic logging device (ELD) systems
The application is free to download and offers a 30-day free trial before costing $17.99 per month. This dollar value pays for itself when not having to waste gas in stopping at weigh stations. The application is available for individual drivers on smart devices as well as fleets with their ELD technology.
7. Gas Buddy
There are many applications on the market for finding low gas prices, but this one is recommended among drivers for its inclusion of diesel pricing as well as regular and premium gas prices. Gas Buddy not only offers gas pricing, but you can now pay with Gas Buddy by getting a card or becoming a member for discounts on gas.
Some of the most important features for truck drivers included are:
- Finding the cheapest gas prices along your route
- Calculating an estimate of the trip cost based on distance and available gas stations
- Being alerted about potential price hikes, so you know when to fill up at a lower price
Gas Buddy is available with Google Play for Android and in the Apple App Store for Apple products. The application is free to use, and there are memberships available for purchase if you want to receive discounts and perks for gas pricing.
8. Weather Channel
It is crucial to know weather conditions when going into a trip. This will help you determine if driving conditions are safe as well as prepare you for any unpleasant weather conditions. The Weather Channel is a highly respected application used by truck drivers as well as being the source of weather conditions for millions of people around the world.
The Weather Channel also offers the Storm Radar app, available on all the same app marketplaces. Both give real time alerts to give you up to date weather conditions to make your travel safer and easier.
The application is free and is available with Google Play and Amazon Apps for Android devices and the App Store for Apple products.
9. Genius Scan
With fleet companies reimbursing you for purchases in many situations while driving, you will be stuck with many receipts. This is especially true on long drives. You no longer have to fear losing them with the Genius Scan app. You can take a picture of your receipts or paperwork, and the app will turn it into a scanned file that you can email or send to employers.
You can export the files in a variety of ways:
- Google Drive
- Many messaging apps (Viber, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, etc.)
More exporting options to places like DropBox, OneDrive, and printing options are available in the paid version of the app. Access to email is free and often the easiest way to send documents.
This scanned PDF will be saved to the app and allow you to distribute it later if you do not have a solid internet connection. The application is free to use and available with Google Play and in the Apple App Store. This will help you stay organized, and you no longer have to keep endless receipts that could get lost!
10. White Noise Lite
When sleeping at a rest stop in your truck cab, the consistent movement of drivers at all hours of the day and outside noise can make it difficult to sleep. Playing ambient noises may make it easier for you to sleep in these conditions. White Noise Lite is a free application that includes 40 noises with others available for download. The paid version has more alarms and no ads.
This application not only helps you fall asleep but keeps you asleep with a consistent sound to block out noises that may disrupt your slumber. It also helps to lower stress levels and soothes headaches. This app can help make your trip a little more comfortable at stops. You can find the application at Google Play or in the Apple App Store for free.
11. Podcasts
To keep you busy while you are driving, there are thousands of podcasts to listen to on a wide variety of topics. If you get bored of listening to music, this is the perfect solution to keep you entertained. You can explore podcasts that are divided by categories to appeal to any listener’s interests.
You can save the episodes to the application for offline listening if the internet connection is not strong in the area you are driving in.
Podcasts are free to listen to and are available on the Apple Podcasts app in the App Store for Apple products or with the Google Podcasts application for Android devices. You can also listen to podcasts on Spotify as well.
12. Audible
With all the time you spend driving, it may be difficult to make time to read. This is no longer an issue with the Audible app. It offers lots of books on tape and other spoken audio entertainment. You can listen to your favorite books instead of reading them, making it perfect for long drives. The app is free to download and offers a trial with free book selections.
Audible has divided the books into categories with popular selections among Audible users to help you select content. They let you swap out audiobooks if you are not enjoying them to find something you like better.
The service is $14.95 per month after the 30-day free trial, and you will get access to three books as well as two Audible Originals (exclusive Audible content) per month. You can cancel the membership at any time. The application is available with Google Play and in the Apple App Store.
13. Spotify
While the radio can be a good music option, it may not work in all areas of the country. With poor signals, the radio may cut out. It also does not offer you any music you would like to listen to at any time. Spotify is a popular music app that can be used for free with an internet connection or with a Premium membership to allow for offline listening and unlimited skipping of songs.
The Premium version of the app is available for $9.99 to have unlimited access to its music catalog without ads. The application is available with Google Play or in the Apple App Store. Paying for the Premium version will be worth it if you want to listen to any music in any location with or without internet access. You can also listen to podcasts and talk shows on the app.
Technology Enhances Driving
With the variety of applications laid out for you in this article, you can make your truck driving faster, more efficient, and more enjoyable. Truck driving technology continues to advance for a better experience and overall greater job satisfaction. You can now get from point A to point B with less hassle.
We recommend checking out (and downloading) many of these apps to make your life easier on the road. Use these apps together to get a wealth of information to ensure you are getting to your destination as quickly as possible. Whether you use the apps for driving navigation or just want some music to listen to, you should find many of these applications useful!