The 14 Best Trucker Apps For Drivers And Owner-Operators
Truckers outfit their rigs with all the equipment they need to get the job done—including the digital toolkit packed into a mobile device. But with so many apps to choose from, it can be hard to know if you’re making the right download or just wasting space.
That’s why we asked a handful of over-the-road drivers and fleet owners what apps they use on a day-to-day basis—and why. Here are the major types of apps they mentioned, along with some of the best trucker apps in each category. Don’t haul freight without at least a few of these.
The 14 Best Trucker Apps Across 4 Categories
You need to plan routes. You need to know what the weather has planned. And, if you’re an owner-operator, you need to run your business from the road. Here are the main categories of trucker apps our sources listed, plus a few strong options for each.
Route-Planning And Navigation Apps
A GPS device (like a Garmin) can get you where you’re going, but it might not provide all the information that makes the trip smooth—things like real-time traffic updates, satellite views of the landscape, and details on truck stops, weigh stations, and even the shipper’s reputation. These apps fill in the gaps to keep you on time, every time.
- Trucker Path. Trucker Path is a constantly updated trucker’s directory, with locations for truck stops, weigh stations, parking areas, CAT scales, truck washes, and more. A built-in navigation tool makes this an all-in-one route-planning solution for truckers. And the app goes beyond location data to include real-time updates on the details, all populated from the huge community of users. This tool has clearly earned a top spot among the best apps for truck drivers.
Get Trucker Path on Google Play
Get Trucker Path on the Apple App Store
- Google Maps. Even with a GPS device helping you plan routes, it can be helpful to get a satellite view of areas you haven’t yet visited. Google Maps provides this satellite overview to give you a picture of the terrain. This app also provides real-time traffic updates, and can reroute your trip based on accidents or road closures.
Get Google Maps on Google Play
Get Google Maps on the Apple App Store
- Hammer. This is a free GPS navigation tool designed specifically for truckers. Enter truck details (trailer length and weight, hazmat freight, and more) to match the route to your vehicle. Hammer also lets you know if weigh stations are open, and provides locations for truck stops, parking, and more.
Get Hammer on the Apple App Store
- Dock411. It may be a stretch to call Dock411 a “route-planning” app, but it will certainly prevent unwelcome surprises. This app provides crucial, up-to-date information about shippers and receivers to save time at the dock. It lets you know which shippers require an initial weigh-in before loading. It helps with check-in procedures at shipping and receiving docks. In short, it gives you the tools you need to eliminate (or at least plan for) waiting at the dock.
Get Dock411 on the Apple App Store
Weather Apps
Many of the drivers we spoke to used several weather apps. They might glance at one for the forecast and load another to watch the radar, for instance. Here are the apps they’re using—alone or in tandem—to plan for anything the clouds have in store.
- Clime. Clime (as in “climate”) brings radar coverage from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to your device—and follows you wherever you go. It’s a quick, simple, and authoritative weather radar.
Get Clime on the Apple App Store
- The Weather Channel. This is the top weather app in the Apple App Store, and our sources use it on the road for daily forecasts, Doppler radar maps, and warnings about severe weather.
Get The Weather Channel on Google Play
Get The Weather Channel on the Apple App Store
- Apple Weather. iPhone and Apple Watch users get weather forecasts at a glance with the Apple Weather app. It may not go into as much detail as the others on this list, but it’s quick and easy to use.
Get Apple Weather on the Apple App Store
Trucking Industry Vendor Apps
Truckers depend on lots of support services, from weigh stations to truck stops, and these companies are increasingly offering their own apps. Use them to streamline your interactions.
- CAT Scale Weigh My Truck. A dedicated app for CAT Scale weigh stations, Weigh My Truck allows you to weigh in and pay up without leaving your cab. You do need a CAT Scales account, and you can only change account settings on a desktop—but this mobile app saves lots of time at CAT Scale weigh stations.
Get Weigh My Truck on Google Play
Get Weigh My Truck on the Apple App Store
- Pilot Flying J myRewards Plus. This is Pilot Flying J’s mobile app, which does a lot more than track rewards points. The app allows you to check fuel prices, pay for fuel remotely, reserve showers and parking spots, and more.
Get myRewardsPlus on Google Play
Get myRewardsPlus on the Apple App Store
- Love’s Connect. Manage your My Love Rewards account through the truck stop’s dedicated app. The app allows you to book showers, pay for items and services, and activate fuel pumps from the cab.
Get Love’s Connect on Google Play
Get Love’s Connect on the Apple App Store
Business Management And Recordkeeping Apps
Running a paper-free trucking business? Mobile apps are ideal for digitizing load-related documents—and organizing all that data in a centralized system. Here are some of the apps you need to handle documents on the road.
- Scanner Pro by Readdle. This free iOS scanner app creates clean PDFs of paper load documentation. It allows you to scan receipts, bills of lading, and other paperwork with your trusty iPhone.
Get Scanner Pro on the Apple App Store
- CamScanner. Here’s a free scanner app for Android and iOS.
Get CamScanner on the Apple App Store
- Wrike. Wrike is a mobile-friendly project management system, but with a little set-up, it works perfectly as a load management platform, too. The mobile app allows drivers to scan and submit load data, attaching documentation and notes to a specific load file. This is a paid service, and it goes well beyond its apps—but it’s well worth the monthly fees to have all your load data organized.
Get Wrike on the Apple App Store
Factoring with Bobtail.
Apps aren’t the only place to get the professional services you need to keep your company growing. If you run a trucking business, you know the importance of cash flow. No matter how many invoices you have out, you can’t buy fuel without money in the account—and both shippers and brokers often take weeks to pay. Invoice factoring is the solution. This financial tool involves a third-party company paying your invoices, collecting from your customer, and taking a small percentage as a fee.
Bobtail is a new type of factoring company. We don’t require contracts. We don’t charge hidden fees. And we streamline the factoring process; simply upload your invoices and get funded that same day (or the next day, if it’s after 11 a.m. Eastern). There’s simply no easier—or more fair—way to factor an invoice.
Learn more about Bobtail by signing up here.
