10 Best Apps for Truck Drivers to Use in 2021 - For On and Off the Road
As we all know, there's an app for everything these days. There are especially trucking apps that truck drivers can use on and off the road, whether it efficiently improves your job or your well-being. There are many factors that go into the day of a trucker - from planning routes, executing hauls, and finding parking availability when done for the day.
Luckily, there are many trucking and lifestyle apps to choose from. You can compare fuel prices, find truck stops and read reviews on them, and stream music or audiobooks from your phone.
Whether you're new to the trucking industry or you're curious if some apps can help you to the best of your ability, we have some recommendations for you to use for the long haul. Continue reading the best apps that every trucker should use in 2021.
Trucker Path
This is the most popular and ultimate truck driving app in North America. You can get relevant information that you need in one app, and you’re able to read information and reviews from truckers for over 40,000 truck stops. Some features include a mapping system that you can use to avoid low bridges, find the nearest fuel stops with truck clearance, compare fuel prices, and record hours of service. You’re able to plan a multi-day trip in advance!
Special Features:
- Includes information for more than 7,000 truck stops in the U.S. and Canada
- Updates on parking availability
- Truck drivers’ forum
- Information on weight station and scales
- Trip planner option
- Find fuel stops with truck clearance
Weigh My Truck
Weigh My Truck was created to save drivers time while at weigh stations. This is an app made by the CAT Scale Company where truckers can use the app to weigh their trucks automatically. The app locates the CAT scale you’ve arrived at and allows you to pay with your phone, sending a PDF receipt of the ticket and weight information to your email. You don’t have to leave your truck now!
Special Features:
- Avoid wasting time walking inside to pay at weigh stations, or waiting to bypass a station
- Weigh your trucks automatically
- Allows you to pay with your smartphone
- Receive PDF receipts of the ticket and weight information to your email
GasBuddy
This neat fuel app has a database of more than 150,000 fuel stations across North America that you can access to find the cheapest fuel prices. Anytime that you can save money is a win. This app includes a trip cost calculator, station outage tracker, gas price map, and a place to track fuel purchases.
GasBuddy can tell you when the price of diesel is increasing so you can fill up your tank before it happens. It can also monitor your driving habits to inform you if you’re wasting gas and money.
Special Features:
- Includes more than 150,000 gas stations in North America
- Helps find the cheapest fuel price
- Fuel Rewards
- Access reviews of gas stations
- Alerts when you’re wasting fuel
- Provides information on fuel stops with shower and food
Google Maps
Although an app everybody can use, this has some great features for truckers. It has a satellite view, where you can see from an overhead position if you need to see any obstructions, driveways to follow, and how to find the dock. You can also switch to street-view to get a 360-degree angle view of different locations on the map.
Basically, you can see exactly how a place looks like before you arrive at the destination to avoid any surprises! Technology is truly amazing.
Their real-time traffic updates and search navigation are also helpful for receiving traffic alerts while driving or when you want to search restaurants, rest stops, and other spots in the area. The downside is Google Maps doesn’t prioritize truck routes, so a trucker GPS will be your best bet in getting accurate routes. You can still use them both simultaneously!
Special Features:
- Panorama street view and satellite view to check parking spots, docks, and other locations
- Real-time traffic updates
- Updates on businesses that are open and closed
- Search for restaurants, fuel stations, rest areas, and more
- Voice assistance feature
My Fitness Pal
Eating well on the road can be difficult, but My Fitness Pal can help you make smarter choices about what to eat and how to exercise. You can log your meals on the app and use its nutritional insights to plan future meals or make healthier choices when ordering out. If you’re curious about your calorie intake, you can log food by scanning barcode labels or choose items from its database to understand an idea of what or how much you should eat in a day.
Special Features:
- Track meals and your movement
- Log meals to gain nutritional insights and calorie intake
- Log food by scanning barcode labels or choosing items from its database
- Plan future meals
Weather Channel
Be secure with where you’re driving to with the Weather Channel app.
Their rain forecast is usually precise, letting you know when it will rain in advance, and you can get weather updates wherever you are. You can also use their radar to check how serious the weather will be ahead of time. If you’re a trucker, you know weather and wind speed will affect your driving, so this app will be extremely helpful for getting accurate information.
Special Features:
- Current weather reading in your location
- Get alerts of expected weather
- Animated live radar to track weather currently or ahead of time
- Information on wind speed
- Warning when there is expected thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes
Audible
If you enjoy listening to audiobooks while driving, Audible is a great choice. You can get access to thousands of audiobooks, so you’ll never get tired of listening to a variety of genres! Users can sign in with their Amazon account, and if you’re a new member, you can enjoy a 30-day free trial.
The best part is you can personalize your library and download the audiobooks to listen offline.
Special Features:
- Wide collection of audiobooks
- Customize your library
- Listen to audiobooks offline
- Sign in with Amazon account
- Free first-month trial
Spotify
Listen to your favorite music or podcasts as you drive. You can create your own playlist or listen to Spotify’s curated playlists based on artists, moods, or genres.
Spotify is a huge music streaming service, and its huge library makes it perfect to listen to music on the road without getting bored. You can choose the free version (you’d have to stick with their ads), or the premium version with no ads.
- Wide library of music, podcasts, and more
- Create your playlist
- Easy to search interface
- Free version available
Calm
This is a great app to use when you’re on a break, meditating, or sleeping. The app comes with more than 500 HD audio channels to stream relaxation music. The only con is the ads may interrupt your sleep with the free membership, but you can pay the membership to listen freely with no ads.
You can enjoy all types of relaxing genres like jazz, classical music, country music, pop-rock, and adult contemporary, as well as nature sounds in the background.
Special Features:
- A lot of music channels
- Meditation music
- Sleep timer
- Nature sounds in the background to help you relax
- Unlimited listening
Rolling Strong
Rolling Strong is a free health and wellness app from a company dedicated to the well-being of truck drivers. The app offers nutritional guidance by suggesting meals and exercise programs based on your daily sleep, exercise, and water and calorie intake. Since you’re on the road frequently, the app can show you the nearest fitness spots with truck parking spaces available based on your locations, and you can watch exercise training videos to help you get moving.
Special Features:
- It tells you the nearest fitness stops
- Monitors your sleeping pattern
- Can track calories
- Redeem points for rewards
- Online coaching to get fit
- Remind you to hydrate
Great Reads for Truckers
We have some great reads for you to improve your habits and well-being while driving for the long haul!
5 Tips for How to Sleep Better in a Semi Truck
4 Important Nighttime Driving Tips for Truck Drivers
5 Fun Things for Truck Drivers to Do When on the Road
6 Types of Truck Driver Cooking Equipment That Will Make Your Life Easier
5 Money-Saving Tips for Truck Drivers on the Road
Long-Haul Truck Drivers Share The Most Scenic Drives in America
