The apps every truckie needs

Tess Lynch, 4 min read

Whether you’re a truck driver yourself or you’re a manager finding the best ways to help their drivers, everyone’s looking for better, quicker, easier and safer ways to do their job. Luckily that’s exactly what these apps can help with!

We found all the best apps to help you save fuel, manage fatigue, and make fast and easy trips. Whatever you need, there’s an app for it.

Apps to make trips easier

Truckie’s mate

Truckie’s mate was developed by Western Star for Australian truck drivers to help them while out on the road. While the app does have a few extra features for Western Star drivers, it can be useful for any driver. The best feature is the accident help feature.

Features:

  • Accident help feature – this allows drivers to put all the important information from an accident in once place. On the app you can pre-load all insurance detail as well as record the time and location of an accident, witness details, damage incurred and photos of the incident.
  • Truck stop finder This shows drivers where and how far away the nearest truck stop to their current location is. They can also look at any truck stops along their intended route and plan out the stops for their next trip.
  • Fatigue law information – The app provides information on useful information and the latest amendments to fatigue laws and has links for each state to more information.
  • Western star dealer finder Because this is was created by Western Star this feature is only really relevant to you if you drive a Western Star truck, but the app can locate the nearest dealer, for replacement parts, repairs or a service.

Toilet finder

With this app you get what you expect. The app locates the closest public restrooms to you.

Features:

  • Find public toilets – It’s main (and pretty much only) feature is to find public toilets. The app has a map that locates all the public toilets around you allowing you to search based on disability access, whether it’s free to the public, and the facility’s rating.
  • Community feature – The app allows users to add public toilets if they discover one that has not been included or notify developers if one has been closed, as well as rate them (because who doesn’t want to go to a 5-star restroom?).

Smart truck route

This app maps out routes specifically for trucks. It creates a route that takes into account your dimensions, weight, and hazmat level to get you where you need to go faster. Its best feature is its live map updates.

Features:

  • Navigation specifically for heavy vehicles – Directs 18 wheelers, box trucks, and coaches, taking into account bridge heights, load limits, one-way roads, sharp turns and allowances.
  • Routes according to what you’re driving Truck dimensions, weight and hazmat level can be entered so if you’re bigger or smaller than your average truck the route can be change accordingly.
  • Turn-by-turn instructions Just like google maps the app shows you your route and tells you in-time directions.

Apps to save you fuel

MotorMouth

Motor mouth helps you find the cheapest fuel near you. The best feature of this app is that you can set your favourite place to fill up and find out when’s the cheapest time to buy.

Features:

  • Personalised to your location – Using you location it finds the cheapest and closest fuel to you.
  • Tracks trends – It tracks market trends and forecasts to tell when fuel will be cheapest, whether that’s at your favourite petrol station or at another location.
  • Rewards – If you record the price of petrol with you fill up on the app, you will earn 5 credits and an extra 5 if you confirm the price with a photo.Share with friends: If you find cheap fuel, you can share that with your mates, or they could share with you.

Fuelly

Fuelly helps you track your fuel consumption and calculate you fuel economy. It’s best feature is being able to compare results over time.

Features:

  • Tracks your petrol use – The app tracks how much petrol you’re using and how often you fill up. By tracking your fuel consumption you can adjust your driving habits you conserve more fuel.
  • Compares results over time – this allows you to manage how your vehicle is performing and lets you know if your fuel consumption has changed (whether that’s for the better or worse).
  • Community data – compiles data from the community to help you make the right move to better your fuel consumption.

Apps to help you with fatigue management

Logbook checker

Logbook checker handles all the complex fatigue rulesets so you don’t have to, making sure you’re complying to fatigue management laws. The best feature of logbook checker is that it helps you fill in your Driver Work Diary.

Features:

  • Checks your logbook – You may have been able to guess this feature from the name, but logbook checkers main feature and purpose is to check drivers log entries.
  • Warns you about your rest breaks – The app lets you know when you need to stop driving and why so you can stop in time, when you next need a 24hr rest break, when you need a stationary break, and how much driving time you remaining in your work day.
  • Handles different types of fatigue management systems – You can customise Logbook checker to the fatigue management system you use. Be it basic fatigue management, advanced fatigue management, standard hours, or WA rulesets.

Test your tired self

This app is a quick test to see whether you are too tired to be driving. The best feature is that it’s actually fun!

Features:

  • Games and questions – The app gives you a series of games and questions to test your recently sleeping patterns, your reaction time, your focus and your memory
  • Fatigue facts – In between the questions and mini games it will occasionally throw in a fact about fatigue, help you learn more about how it can effect your driving.Clean and aesthetic interface: This app just looks nice which makes it a lot nicer to use!

These are just a few apps to make your work life a little bit easier, but it’s good to note they can only do so much and are not a replacement for training. If you have any apps that you use to make life easier, let us know in the comments below!

Tess Lynch

Tess Lynch

Tess is a design savant, fashion leader and a pretty darn good writer. Whether it’s creating digital designs, blogging about learning science or rocking a neck-scarf, Tess can pull it off.

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