Best Mobile Trucking Apps
Freightliner Trucks Connectivity![blue-ridge-silver-cascadia-640x427.jpg](jpg/blue-ridge-silver-cascadia-640x427.jpg)
With mobile technology gaining popularity every day, brokers and carriers are migrating to mobile trucking apps for access to bills of lading, invoices and other necessary documents. I find myself using less paper these days and starting to use my phone and mobile trucking apps more often to take pictures of paperwork to send to brokers for payment.
As an independent owner-operator, I need a lot of tools to keep me rolling, especially mobile trucking apps. I don’t have a carrier to look for my loads or take care of my compliance and paperwork; I have to do it all myself. Here are the best mobile apps and websites that I use to keep the wheels rolling.
My Mobile Trucking Apps:
- Apple Maps – To supplement my Garmin GPS and big-picture trip planning.
- Mobi Maps – Good street view for addresses.
- TruckSmart® – I fuel at TA/Petro, so I use this mobile trucking app to find locations and amenity information.
- CHRW – Mobile trucking app for brokers to find loads.
- TQL – Mobile trucking app for brokers to find loads and submit paperwork.
- Coyote – Mobile trucking app for brokers to find loads and submit paperwork.
- Trucker Path – Best mobile app to find parking and check on scale house activity.
- Waze – A real-time traffic app. I used this recently to find out how long my traffic jam was.
- CamScanner – I use this to scan documents into a PDF file and quickly email.
- Dispatcher – A service to help find loads for me and act on my behalf to brokers; 4% fee.
- Transflo – Some brokers want their load documents submitted through this service.
- MacroPoint – A tracking app that some brokers want you to use when you transport for them.
- Trucker Tools – A mobile app that I use for finding truck washes and scales.
- Go By Truck – A freight matching service, called one of the “Uber of trucking” startups.
- Transfix – Similar to #14, one of so-called “Uber of trucking” startups.
- Numbers – An Apple app that I use to capture my fueling and IFTA information, as well as all my numbers that I track.
- MyPilot – Helps me find Flying J and Pilot Travel Centers anywhere in the U.S.
- 5-0 Radio – A police scanner app I use to see what’s going on with police/fire/rescue in an area.
My Trucking Websites:
- TeamRunSmart.com – What a community!
- E-ZPass – Where I can track tolls and add funds if necessary.
- LandStarBroker.com – I prefer the website to the app for finding loads.
- Hotels4Truckers.com – Free to join and gives me discounts at trucker-friendly hotels.
- FindTruckService.com – I’ve used this when broken down in the middle of nowhere. I just found out that their Apple app is coming in a few weeks so I’ll be using that.
- NTTSBreakdown.com – Similar to #5 and I’ve used this site successfully as well.
- FindFuelStops.com – I can see prices at truck stops along a route, with or without state tax.
- RitchieSpecs.com – A resource for heavy equipment dimensions.
There are many other mobile trucking apps out there, but these are the resources I regularly use. To be competitive in this business, I need to have access to these mobile trucking apps. This technology really gives me the leverage I need to compete with the big boys on a level playing field.
Which mobile trucking apps do you use that I didn’t list?
See more at: http://www.teamrunsmart.com/the-pros/joey-slaughter/august-2015/my-favorite-trucking-apps.