A recent ATBS survey showed that 79% of drivers are using smartphones. Of those using smartphones, 91% said they download applications. If you are one of the many drivers with a smartphone, you’ve got to download our recommended Trucking Apps. These apps were created to make your phone work smarter for your business (one was made just for fun, especially for truckers too!).
 
Here Are Team Run Smart’s Top 10 Apps for Truckers (in no particular order.)

1. PocketFuelCal
  • Price: $1.99
  • Description: A fuel surcharge calculator.
  • Features:
    • Fast and easy to use
    • Customizable settings to fit your vehicle
    • Calculates with mpg, km/l, and l/100km
    • Converts to per mile, per km, and total fuel surcharge
    • Loaded with 37 currencies
    • Convenient in-app web page displays fuel price index
  • Review: A reliable method to protect your profits from fuel price increases. See exactly what a fuel price increase is going to do to your cost per mile, per km, and total. Quickly refer to the DOE fuel price index within the app to check the national average or bookmark any web page of your choice.
 
2. Camscanner
  • Price: FREE
  • Description: A smartphone becomes a portable scanner where all paper documents, receipts, and notes can be archived anywhere, at any time.
  • Features:
    • Multiple page and batch scanning
    • Auto cropping
    • PDF creation
    • Share via fax, email, and uploads
    • Image cropping and image enhancement ensure images are perfectly clear and recognizable
  • Review: This tool is easy to use and can be utilized to send in your monthly receipts to a business service provider. Take a picture of all of your receipts and email them into in a batch file right from the app. This time and money saving tool is a must have for every owner-operator on the road. 
 
3. Beat the Traffic+
  • Price: $3.99
  • Description: Quickly check road traffic conditions and discover the best route to avoid traffic jams.
  • Features:
    • Real-time information including average speeds, incidents, and roadwork
    • Save common routes of the addresses for your customers or frequently used truck stops
    • One-screen access to all saved routes and commute times
    • Set up alerts to get warned about traffic delays on saved routes
  • Review: User-friendly and worth the money! A great alternative to listening to the radio to find the traffic reports.
 
4. ITSTrucker
  • Price: FREE. However, ITS requires a $35 monthly membership.
  • Description: Search for freight and post your truck on the largest load board in the US.
  • Features:
    • A quick display of all loads delivering in a specified radius of your home base
    • A direct dial feature to call customers from the app
    • A direct function from both freight search results and freight detail screens
    • The CreditStop Broker and Days2Pay information is available on each load
  • Review: ITS is the most frequently used load board and the app has most of the same features from www.internettruckstop.com.
 
5. TruckSmart
  • Price: FREE.
  • Description: Full service advantages for any TravelCenters of America (TA) or Petro location.
  • Features:
    • Interactive map displaying the TA/Petro sites within 250 miles from your current location 
    • List of amenities at the TA/Petro sites, including services, restaurants, showers, and parking 
    • Location list by radius from 50 & 100 miles, in addition to highway and state look up 
    • Current fuel prices for TA/Petro locations
    • Call Roadsquad or site integration (Roadsquad will pass your coordinates to their call center to pinpoint the tech dispatch)
    • Available showers listings and lets you reserve a shower
    • Available parking listings and lets you reserve a spot
    • UltraOne account integration allows you to use points to book a shower or access your points and rewards
  • Review: Most truck stop chains have apps to show nearby locations, fuel prices, store specials, and points on loyalty cards. This app has all of those features, plus it shows how many parking spaces are available, lets you reserve a spot, connects with Roadsquad, and allows you to sign up for a shower while sitting in your truck!
 
6. Fuelbook
  • Price: FREE
  • Description: Fuel price locator.
  • Features:
    • Fast and easy to use
    • Updated 6x/day with current fuel prices
    • Lists truck stop services
    • Lists open parking statuses
  • Review: Fuelbook is the only fuel locator app updated 6 times daily to ensure the pricing is current when refueling. Its accuracy is what makes this app a powerful and necessary tool for any trucker who is looking to save on fuel costs. 
 
7. Google Maps
  • Price: Free
  • Description: Navigation and mapping service used by over a billion users.
  • Features:
    • Voice-guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation or public transit, biking, and walking directions
    • Find locations with reviews from trusted friends and experts
    • Tour cities with 360-degree Street View and see inside restaurants, museums and more
    • Sign in to save favorite locations, get tailored recommendations, and access past searches across devices
    • Accurate maps in over 200 countries
  • Review: With little effort you can use the satellite view to get an aerial view of any address. The detail is so good for most addresses you can see exactly where entrances are and where the truck docks are located. 
 
8. Weatherchannel
  • Price: FREE
  • Description: Access real-time weather reports for the best forecasts, emergency alerts, and more.
  • Features:
    • If your weather conditions (snow or rain) are changing within 6 hours, know the chance of precipitation and the exact time it will happen
    • Receive detailed weather forecasts (hourly forecasts, 36 hour forecasts, and 10 day forecasts)
    • Utilize fast, accurate, and localized maps with features like past and future radar, weather for you while on the road, severe weather bulletins for storms, and tracking tropical storms and hurricanes.
    • Easy location management to edit and save your favorite places. Set up your favorites to take full advantage of our weather widgets and notifications
    • Local forecast and popular videos
  • Review: It’s a little cumbersome because they have a lot of ads on the free app but the custom alert feature is nice to have while you are on the road.
 
9. Skype
  • Price: FREE
  • Description: Stay connected with friends and family while you are on the road.
  • Features:
    • Free instant messaging
    • Free voice and video calls to all your friends, family, or business contacts
    • Low-cost calls to mobiles and landlines
    • Free and unlimited video messaging
  • Review: Skype's app lets you call other Skype users; regardless of what device they're on, for free. However, video calls work best with a strong Internet connection, and degrade quickly with weaker signals. The clincher is that many people use it, so your friends and family members may already have accounts.
 
10. Freightliner Hauler Challenge
  • Price: FREE
  • Description: In this racing game, you can choose your favorite NASCAR® driving team and Freightliner tractor-trailer in a series of legs for the fastest time.
  • Features:
    • Maneuver through timed obstacle courses and weave your way through tight spaces and narrow turns
    • Follow a leaderboard
    • Keep steady, drive safe and run smart, because every inch and mph counts towards your score
  • Review: A fun racing game to play that also applies business principles for running a successful trucking business.  One nice feature on this game is that it won’t consume your phone battery life like other popular games. 


What apps do you use for your business? Tell us in the comments below. 

Comments (15)

Heather Dunn

Heather started with ATBS in April of 2012 as the Digital Marketing Manager. Heather is a graduate of Michigan State University earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a specialization in Public Relations. When Heather is not working she enjoys being outdoors. She loves the beach, the mountains, and riding her cruiser bike.

Read These Next...

LIVE Smart

LIVE Smart

Windy.com App Review

October 17, 2019

 
 

Thank you for great info. I use RoadHunter. Perfect app for diesel prices, scales and routes planning. I also have DAT downloadedon my smartphone but hadn't used it yet.

August 15, 2016 3:12:37 AM

Thank you for great info. I use RoadHunter. Perfect app for diesel prices, scales and routes planning. I also have DAT downloadedon my smartphone but hadn't used it yet.

August 15, 2016 3:12:24 AM

I have been using RoadHunter. It is free but provides me any information i need for truck stops, fuel prices, route planning, etc. Pretty cool app.

August 09, 2016 1:34:17 AM

I would suggest taking a look at the service we've been working on - Loadingspot. It is a place where truck drivers write reviews about shippers and receivers in the U.S.

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.loadingspot
iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/loadingspot/id903746035?mt=8

April 20, 2015 19:15:33 PM

I like 123Loadboard.com's free mobile apps to find loads. Their free iOS and Android apps allow users to search through millions of truck loads posted annually on 123Loadboard.com’s freight matching network.

The apps can be found for free on Apple and Google play stores searching for "123loadboard".

https://itunes.apple.com/app/123loadboard/id827794122
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.loadboard

February 07, 2015 9:58:30 AM

What is a good app with GPS that is "Heavy Truck Aware" it won't send the drivers to roads that have Weight / axle restrictions for Android.

June 12, 2014 8:40:02 AM

I use Big Road for logbook, takes takes the guess work out for how many hours on duty, off duty and all the good stuff

November 07, 2013 20:59:17 PM

Cam Scanner is a great app! Have been using it for months saves a LOT of $ instead of faxing and a great way to have instant PDF file.

October 26, 2013 2:05:22 AM

Find Truck Service Trucker App is a free app for professional truck drivers with thousands of service locations. Service providers listed by category, Road Service, Repair Shops, Towing, OEM Dealers and much more. Search by city and state or your current location.

October 14, 2013 19:38:14 PM

Another great app is Gas Manager. This app allows me to track my fuel purchases, consumption, rate of consumption, costper mile, cost per month. I cant be with this app. and its free

August 19, 2013 7:43:48 AM

For anyone that needs to scale a load this looks like it would be the number 1 App http://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/cat-scale-locator-apps Jeff Clark you need to check this out just what you have been asking for. Pay at the scale and get your weights no need to go inside.

August 12, 2013 4:00:53 AM

My favorite is the TA/Petro app as I use it to book showers before we go into the truck stop. Great List Heather!

August 10, 2013 7:07:51 AM

If who you haul for utilizes TripPak, they have an app for when you can't get to a box or scanner location.

August 08, 2013 15:39:43 PM

I have the DAT trucker services app=don't use it unless I am going to be in unfamiliar territory looking for a place take a break.

August 08, 2013 9:46:32 AM

I use Trucker Tools by Overdrive. Great for locating fuel, scales and just about anything you need.

August 08, 2013 8:53:50 AM