Trucking life can be fun and exciting. But even seasoned drivers use apps to make life on the road easier. While there is not one single app with all the answers, there are several very useful trucking apps for iPhone and Android users.

Most truck drivers are familiar with GPS tracking apps, but more are becoming available. Some apps help you maintain your logbooks, while others help you save on fuel. In fact, there are apps that help save time and money on nearly everything that trucking life brings.

How Trucking Apps are Used

Because of cell phones and mobile apps, truck drivers rarely use their CB radios. That is a significant change from a few short years ago when CBs were a necessity. Truck drivers used the radios to check road conditions, learn where the bears (police) were hiding, and to have friendly chats with other drivers. Now, they can do the same thing right from their cell phones or mobile apps.

A recent study asked over 6,000 truck drivers whether they use cell phone apps, and if so, how they used them. Here are the results of the study.

• 57 percent use their cell phones to keep track of daily business
• 37 percent use mobile apps to acquire and schedule loads
• 33 percent used trucker apps for weather, fuel prices, and traffic conditions
• 20 percent use their mobile apps to stay connected with family and friends
• 20 percent said because of mobile apps they no longer need to carry laptops on their trucks

Best Apps for Your Trucking Businesses

Owner-operators and small fleet owners are finding that mobile apps are useful in management tools for almost every aspect of the trucking business. Below are some apps that help trucking companies keep track of their loads, finances, and their trucks and drivers.

tpMobile – Available on Android 
tpMobile is an app provided by Xata Turnpike that helps trucking companies track driver activity. tpMobile keeps track of the driver’s service logs, speed, carrier risk scorecard (CSA), driver productivity, and truck fuel consumption and meets the FMCSA and DOT requirements.

uShip – Android and iOS
uShip that allows trucking companies to bid on loads. The uShip app provides real-time alerts when businesses have loads that need to be shipped. Trucking companies can then place competing bids on the best price and shipping time.

CamScanner – Available on Android and iOS
From a business standpoint, this app is useful for organizing or filing receipts, and for filing contracts. The CamScanner App saves them to the Cloud. Then the documents can be printed, faxed, or emailed to anyone at any time.

Transflo – Available on Android and iOS
Transflo allows trucking companies to scan documents to send to their drivers or businesses and allows drivers to get paid faster.

GasBuddy – Available on Android and iOS
Many small trucking fleets and owner-operators could use a little help saving on fuel prices. GasBuddy is a user interface that allows truckers to share fuel prices across the United States. With GasBuddy, drivers can find where the cheapest fuel is before they hit the next fuel stop. This app also gives a description of the fuel stop, including whether showers or food is available.

Fuelbook – Available on Android and iOS
Fuelbook is another app to help owner-operators and trucking fleets find the best diesel prices, parking status, and truck stops within the United States and Canada. It compares truck stop gas prices nationwide.

BigRoad Trucking Logbook – Available on Android and iOS
BigRoad is a trucker logbook app that allows truckers to improve their logbook calculations. BigRoad automatically estimates the time of arrival based on the driver’s hours of service (HOS). BigRoad also helps find weigh stations, truck stops, and other trucker friendly places. Truckers can find the Big Road app on

Cost Per Mile Expense Calculator – Available on Android 
Cost Per Mile keeps track of your trucking costs. This includes income, total miles drove variable and fixed expense. When this data is calculated it lets the driver know the estimated cost per mile.

CoPilot Truck GPS – Available on Android and iOS 
CoPilot Truck GPS is a voice-activated app that helps to keep truckers safe. CoPilot provides safe and legal route maps that can be downloaded straight to the driver’s Android and iPhone. Once the route is downloaded, drivers can access the map, even without a cell phone signal.

Apps That Make Trucking Easier

Whether you are an owner-operator or drive for a trucking company, you can always use apps that make life a bit easier.

Waze – Available on Android and iOS 
Waze is a social community app. Truck drivers can help each other save time on their commute or share updates on fuel prices, law enforcement around the corner, and traffic conditions. With Waze, drivers can interact and chat about anything they may want or need to know.

Truck Stops, GPS – Road Hunter – Available on Android and iOS 
The Truck Stops, GPS – Road Hunter is an app that helps truck drivers search and plan their next fuel stop including fuel prices, restaurants and parking. Truck Stops, GPS – Road Hunter does not just keep track of truck stops, drivers can also use this app to track weigh stations and severe weather.

iExit Interstate – Available on Android and iOS 
iExit uses the GPS location tracker built into your smartphone to alert you when the next exit is coming up. It also tells drivers what they can expect to find at each exit such as restaurants, WIFI, truck parking, hotels, and many more.

Trucker Tools – Available on Android and iOS 
The Trucker Tools app not only allows drivers to view their online magazine, but it also provides weather information and helps drivers find rest stops and truck stops. The Trucker Tools app also has a message forum and a load tracker.

Trucker Path Pro – Available on Android and iOS
When downloading the Trucker Path Pro app truckers will find many different tools that are beneficial to truckers such as:

• Communicate with thousands of drivers
• Find truck stops
• Truck parking and book truck parking in advance
• Showers
• Rest areas
• Weather
• Weigh stations
• Fuel prices
• GPS
• Truck wash locations
• Restaurants and hotels

NOAA Weather Radar – Available on Android and iOS 
NOAA Weather Radio is an app that puts information from a network of weather stations right at your fingertips. NOAA Weather Radio allows you to view current and “feels like” temperatures, humidity information, rain chances, wind speed and direction. Not only does NOAA provide current weather conditions, but you can receive notifications sent straight to their device when bad weather is approaching in their current location. Having a weather radio is a useful app for truckers who want to know how safe it is to travel between load destinations.

Weather Channel – Available on Android and iOS 
The Weather Channel app puts real-time weather information right at your fingertips, allowing you to be informed before driving into dangerous weather. Within this app, you can access real time conditions and future conditions (hourly, 15-day, and weekend weather forecasts). When using this app, you can set up personalized weather notifications for lightening, rain, pollen, and breaking news alerts.

FleetSafer – Available on iOS 
Looking away from the road to look at your smartphone or GPS device, is dangerous. FleetSafer removes that temptation by silencing smartphone alert chimes, so drivers do not become distracted. Instead, the app replies for you by sending an automatic response, telling people you are driving and will get back with them when you are safely off the road.

Apps That Help Truckers Stay Connected, Relaxed, and In Shape

Every truck driver needs some downtime at the end of the day. It can be hard for some to stay connected with friends and family as well as eating healthy and relaxation. These apps are designed to help you relax and stay connected with loved ones. Some of these apps help you stay healthy and fit, which can be hard to do when living on the road.

WhatsApp – Available on Android and iOS 
WhatsApp is a free messaging app that runs on Wi-Fi or your mobile data plan. With WhatsApp, you can send texts, pictures, and videos to other drivers, or friends and family that have also downloaded WhatsApp.

Skype – Available on Android and iOS 
Skype is an international app that makes it easy for truckers to stay connected with family and friends. No matter where the road takes them, you can enjoy live video chats with loved ones, call landlines, and send or receive texts, calls, and voicemails.

Lose It! – Available on Android and iOS 
Lose It! helps drivers stay in shape while they are on the road. This app tracks calories, food intake, and exercise regimens. Lose It! is also a chat app that lets you share diet and exercise tips that work well on the road.

Calorie Counter by FatSecret – Available on Android and iOS 
Calorie Counter by FatSecret is an app that allows you to look up foods to check calories. FatSecret also allows users to scan the barcodes on food packages to get instant nutritional information.

AudioBooks – Available on Android and iOS
The AudioBooks app lets you browse, download, and read millions of books from all genres. Over 2,500 of the 100,000 plus titles are free.

If you are having trouble finding a destination, the weather is beginning to look worrisome, or you would just like to find a good place to eat, check out some of these apps that you can download on your Android or iPhone device. You never know what you might find to make trucking life easier.