The best part of having a cell phone while driving Over The Road and as a truck driver in general is the apps that can help you on a day to day basis. In this article we will explore the apps that I used while driving Over The Road and the apps that I still use as a daily home CDL driver. Like always on CDL Truck Driver the links provided in this article are not affiliate links just there to provide you with helpful information
Entertainment Apps
Audible – For those who are not familiar with Audible it is basically books that are read to you. I tend to go through periods where I will listen to books for weeks on end and then switch over to music and podcasts. If you are an Audible member you basically get a free book a month with your membership however they also have daily deals and occasionally a free book to pick up. On this particular app I have close to a hundred books or so
iTunes – Of course everyone is familiar with iTunes and this has always been my go to when it comes to music as I have been building up my library forever. I tend to create a new playlist every month to switch things up. I currently have a playlist I titled 45 which is nearly three and a half hours long which is the time it takes me to get from one drop to the next
Spotify – I use Spotify to get my podcasts. I use the free version as the occasional ad does not really bug me. I tend to stick to the same podcasts but every once in awhile I will try something new. For those who are interested the following are the podcasts I tend to listen to the most
- Joe Rogan Experience
- Flightless Bird
- Morbid
- Armchair Experts
- Dateline
- 20/20
- Smartless
Needless to say spending hours on the road each day can get pretty monotonous so the entertainment apps listed here help me pass the time
Productivity Apps
Pilot/ Flying J – All of the major truck stops have their own apps which allow you to keep track of points earned, showers earned and the daily specials. I do not like truck stops but unfortunately they are a necessary evil in the truck industry
Cat Scale – The Cat Scale app is used when you want to weigh your truck and determine if the load you are carrying is legal. Basically the Cat Scale app allows you to get all of the relevant information without having to actually leave your truck
Ontario 511 – Now each Province or State is going to have a similar app however this is the one I use on a daily basis as I stay within the Province. What this app does is provide road information which is essential when it comes to route planning. It will tell me which roads are closed due to accidents or weather conditions and so forth. If you are traveling in Ontario for any reason whether business or pleasure I can not recommend Ontario 511 enough
Road Conditions For All States And Provinces
Weather Network – Of course any of the weather apps is going to help you when it comes to route planning however I have been using the Weather Network for as long as I have been driving so I stick to it. It is essential to know the weather you are going to be driving into so you can plan accordingly
Google Streetview – There use to be Google Streetview. I use to use this particular app when I was driving to a shipper/receiver for the first time. By using this app I could get a good view of where the warehouse was, where the loading docks were located and the best way to approach it. More than once I found a warehouse that only allowed you to approach from one direction
Google Maps – The App That Will Get You Fired
Now when I say Google Maps will get you fired I mean using Google Maps as a GPS. As I mentioned in the previous section Google Street View which is a part of Google Maps is a valuable tool that each Over The Road truck driver should be using when exploring a new destination however Google Maps have cost a ton of CDL drivers their license
The main problem with Google Maps is that it is designed for the four wheelers and not commercial vehicles so it does not take into consideration things such as low bridges, truck routes and weight limits. More than one new driver has followed Google Maps around a corner that ended with a low bridge and a meme on Reddit
Well there are the apps that I use/used on a daily basis whether Over The Road or as a Daily Home CDL driver.
If you have any favorite apps make sure to leave them in the comment section below
