5 Best Apps for Truckers on the Go
Honk your horn, bark 10-4 into your CB, buckle up—and don’t forget your smartphone. You want to know exactly where you’re going, right?
There are more apps than ever designed to help truckers who are in it for the long haul. We’re taking a look at some of the most popular ones to help make those long road trips just a bit easier.
We’ll consider the total number of downloads for the apps, how well they are reviewed and what sets them apart.
(Note: while these apps are very useful for truckers on the road, we urge caution when using them while sitting behind the wheel. Be mindful of state and local laws pertaining to driving while using a cell phone.)
So before you set out on your next long haul trip, make sure you have these apps on your phone:
(Click on a link below to jump to that section.)
Trucker Path Pro
Trucker Path Pro highlights nearby weigh stations, parking availability and truck stops
One of the most popular and fully featured mobile apps built for truckers, Trucker Path Pro is essentially a more advanced version of the maps app already on your phone. It highlights trucker-centric locations such as weigh stations, truck stops, hotels, truck washes and rest areas.
Trucker Path Pro offers the unique ability for truckers to advertise any empty space they have on their truck and their route—effectively acting as a matchmaker with shippers—so they can avoid driving “empty miles.” This function is free for truckers, while the shipper is charged a fee to use the service.
Fast Facts:
Available on iOS and Android devices
iOS App Store rating: 5 stars (2,208 reviews)
Google Play rating: 4.7 stars (25,051 votes)
Price: Free
KeepTruckin
KeepTruckin’s scheduling feature
This handy app helps you stay on top of governmental regulations pertaining to scheduling and driving time. Approved by the Department of Transportation, KeepTruckin allows users to track the miles and time they are driving, ensuring that they are hitting the requirements for sleep time and breaks.
Fast Facts:
Available on iOS and Android devices
iOS App Store rating: 5 stars (1,641 reviews)
Google Play rating: 4.7 stars (5,296 votes)
Price: Free, with monthly subscription for electronic logging device (ELD). Hardware support starting at $20/month
NOAA Radar
NOAA Radar’s real-time weather tracker
Forget your smartphone’s built-in weather app. The NOAA app is one of the best choices for tracking weather and providing real-time and future weather patterns. As the weather data is culled from the U.S. government’s weather monitoring systems, it is by far one of the most accurate weather radar apps on the market.
The app includes weather information such as snow depth, as well as hybrid weather/geographic maps and accurate seven-day forecasts. Drivers can enable push notifications to alert them when inclement weather is approaching.
Fast Facts:
Available on iOS and Android devices
iOS App Store rating: 4.5 (1,900 reviews)
Google Play rating: 4.5 (3,658 votes)
Price: $1.99
Waze
Waze map highlighting traffic jams
More advanced than Google or Apple’s native maps applications, Waze features real-time updates concerning road conditions including inclement weather, accidents and traffic jams. It also provides alternate routes when the original route has been impeded.
Fast Facts:
Available on iOS and Android devices
iOS App Store rating: 4.5 stars (4,429 reviews)
Google Play rating: 4.5 stars (4,872,792 votes)
Price: Free
Gas Buddy
Gas Buddy updates prices typically within hours
Become your back office accountant’s best friend by always finding the cheapest gas on the road. With Gas Buddy, users can find up-to-date prices for gas at nearby stations. The data for gas prices is crowdsourced by users, who are incentivized to post updated prices by being entered into a raffle to win—you guessed it—free gas.
Fast Facts:
Available on iOS and Android devices
iOS App Store rating: 3.5 stars (13 reviews)
Google Play rating: 4.5 stars (689,815 votes)
Price: Free
Need Something More Advanced?
Smartphone apps can’t handle all of a trucking operation’s needs. If your fleet needs more advanced routing, accounting, compliance or fleet maintenance features, you’ll want to implement commercial fleet management software.
If you have any questions about the best apps for truckers, or about fleet management software, feel free to email me at forrest@softwareadvice.com.