Trucking is easy, right?
You just load, drive, unload and repeat.
The truth is — it’s nowhere near easy.
Your days start early and run long. The hours add up. You watch the clock and diligently plan your route to stay legal so the on-board recorder never says you’re “out of hours,” in the middle of nowhere.
If you’re not moving, you’re not getting paid. Weigh stations or minor repairs often slow you down. And keeping up with new software, government regulations, and trucking rules is a full-time job.
As an owner-operator, you’re doing all the above and running a business to boot. What you do isn’t easy, and we know it.
We also know that, without trucking, America’s economy brakes to a halt.
So we mobilized our community and asked the real trucking experts — our transportation clients:
Which tech tools help you be more efficient, earn more money, drive safer, and take it easier on the road?
The experts weighed in, and with their help, we pulled together this list of tried-and-true apps and tools for truckers.
Image Courtesy of Trucker Path Pro
Document management
Drive Axle
Get paid faster and enjoy the convenience of Drive Axle. With Drive Axle, you can capture a freight document with your phone and email it to anyone. Scanning can be done before you leave the delivery location or at a later time. Cost: Free
DocuSign
With DocuSign’s mobile app you can prepare and send documents for signature, complete in-person signing, and get instant visibility into your document status directly from your smartphone or tablet. Cost: Free if you’re only signing documents, $10 minimum if you’re sending documents to be signed
Efficiency on the road
Cargomatic
By seamlessly connecting shippers and carriers through web and mobile apps, Cargomatic helps truckers grow their businesses by helping them eliminate any deadhead miles. View jobs on your phone that are on your route and ready to pick up right now, tomorrow, or next week. There’s no commitment, and you can choose to accept only those jobs you want. Cost: Free
MyLumper
This platform, which works on web and mobile, enables carriers, shippers, and third-party logistics firms to instantly send and receive payments to the lumpers who help the driver load and unload freight. MyLumper’s electronic payments help reduce detention time for drivers while eliminating the need for them to call dispatch or carry cash for lumper charges. Cost: Free for drivers
Keeptrucking
This app keeps your fleet’s electronic logs. It allows your driver to report miles and time driven in order to keep up with regulations and reduce paperwork. KeepTruckin also automates IFTA fuel tax reporting by tracking the distance your vehicles travel in each jurisdiction. And it helps reduce vehicle maintenance costs by monitoring vehicles for fault codes and alerting you anytime a problem is detected. Cost: Free, with additional tiered plans starting at $20 per month
Money management
RigMinders
RigMinders helps you stay on top of personal and truck deadlines, including quarterly tax filings, license and permit renewals, annual excise tax, and much more. Using this free app can help make sure you never file late and never pay penalty fees. Cost: Free
Navigation, safety, and economy
Trucker Path Pro
This comprehensive app allows truckers to share the tricks of the trade on an interactive map of everything you can find on the road. Need to know where to park? Where to fill up? If so, Trucker Path Pro has got you covered. Cost: Free
Truckloads
This new app, which grew out Trucker Path’s broker-matching feature, lets brokers know when you’re ready to haul a new load — wherever you may be. This way, brokers find you your next job, saving you from doing that work. It’s the fastest growing freight search platform with over two million available loads monthly and 80,000 carriers.
GasBuddy
Allows you to compare nearby gas/diesel prices and calculate the cost of your overall trip. When you’re traveling long distances the difference in fuel prices adds up! GasBuddy is driven by a crowd-sourced community of users to help you get the best fuel prices on your route. Cost: Free
Drivewyze
Besides having a cool name, Drivewyze lets drivers bypass scales right from their smartphone, tablet, or telematics device. This app provides routes to bypasses in 36 states and over 600 inspection sites. Drivewyze can also help improve CSA scores with inspection notifications designed to keep drivers alert and safe. Cost: Free 30 day trial, then $15.75 per month
So what did we miss?
Tell us your recommendations for the best online apps or offline tools to save time and money while out on the road. We want to hear your favorites!
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our other resources for trucking business owners — like our quick look at taxes for trucking companies. It’ll help you anticipate the curves or blind spots in the road ahead.
Ready to unleash the potential of your business? Contact us, and let’s talk about what we can do to help.