Dec 9th 22

Truck Driver Application in 2023: a concise guide about app for truck drivers

Table of Contents

In this article we are going to talk about truck driver applications. In this video we will answer the following questions:

  • What are the capabilities and basic functionality of modern truck driver applications?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of both ready-made solutions and custom solutions for truck drivers?

We will also focus on the TOP-4 truck driver app trends.

Relevant video about truck driver application 🎥

According to Statista data the global logistics industry is forecast to grow from 2022 to 2027 at a growth rate of 5-7 percent annually. The industry is growing and the competition in the market is growing with it. And in order to increase the chances of survival, reduce operating costs and increase business margins, more and more market players are starting to invest in automation solutions. According to the Allied Market Research - The global logistics automation market was valued at $49.7 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $147.4 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2021 to 2030.

Truck driver application - is a logistics automation tool that is an integral part of the logistics management system. Usually solutions for logistics companies except for the app for truck drivers includes software for truck dispatcher, analytics tools & CRM for managers.

Truck driver application – is an application for smartphones or tablets (or cross devices) that helps truck drivers to:

  • plan and build routes and stops;
  • view and manage transport tasks;
  • follow traffic rules and safe driving;
  • conveniently communicate with dispatchers and between drivers;
  • detect dangerous places, areas for driving, stops, etc;
  • carry out cargo reception and delivery using digital signature technology.

Consulting of truck driver application development

If you are interested in the development of a truck driver application or any logistics software, click the button to start a business. Our 12-year experience in logistics software development will help you automate any processes in the transportation business.

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The main functionality of the driver application

Trips

This section of the truck driver application allows to:
  • view scheduled tasks and the history of trips that have taken place
  • adjust routes and stops
  • manage tasks

Road

The navigator shows truck drivers the way along the given route. Also, the driver can see all the signs that operate on all sections of the route. Speed limiter warns the driver about exceeding the permitted speed. Truck drivers are also available on the map to mark free stops for trucks, dangerous areas, traffic jams, etc.

Report on

Thanks to this functionality, the truck driver is able to notify dispatchers about a breakdown, an accident involving the driver, so that the relevant services of the logistics company can instantly respond to the situation. Also, the truck driver can mark dangerous areas that will be accessible to other truck drivers traveling on the same route.

Contact the dispatcher

The functionality of the truck driver application allows you to contact the dispatcher quickly thanks to internal telephony, or send a voice message.

Document management

Truck driver app allows you to create all necessary documents without using paper and sign them with the electronic signature technology.

Truck driver application: ready-made vs custom solutions

There are many useful truck driver applications in the world that are free or available for a monthly subscription. But there is downside. Most truck driver apps, such as Trucker Path and Drivewyze, help only in planning trips, stops, and avoiding weigh stations. But logistics is much more complicated and the responsibilities of truck drivers are much greater than getting from point A to point B. Therefore, ready-made solutions can be considered as additional tools, and not as full-fledged ones that are integrated into a single logistics management system. To build a single logistics management system, you will need custom development, which has a number of advantages:

  • Data security. Truck driver app and other logistics software is a closed system that has many levels of protection against hacking and leakage of commercial information;
  • Adaptation of software for atypical processes in logistics companies;
  • There are no functional limitations;
  • Integration with various third-party services and databases.

I wouldn't be honest with you if I didn't tell you about the disadvantages of custom development. It's price and time. If the digitalization of the logistics business is considered in perspective, then all your investments in automation can pay off in 1-3 years.

Top-4 Truck driver app trends

01

Integration

You do not need to spend a lot of time and money on the development of a typical truck driver app functionality, if there are ready-made solutions on the market that can be easily integrated into your logistics management system. Waze Transport SDK, Google Map API, Trucker Path API, etc. - all these mapping services can be integrated into the custom truck driver app and adjusted to any needs of the logistics business.

02

Simple to use

The driver spends most of his own working time behind the wheel of a truck, that is why the truck driver app is used at the moment when all the driver's attention is focused on the road. Large buttons, simple and clear design are the key to safety on the road. Most actions in the truck driver app should be performed in 2-3 clicks. Voice commands, voice messages, voice typing - this is a must have for a truck driver app.

03

Internal telephony

The integration of the Twilio service into the truck driver app and other software allows you to set up a unified communication system between drivers, dispatchers and other employees of the logistics company. To contact the dispatcher, it is enough for a truck driver to make 2 clicks within the truck driver app.

04

Smart documents

Digitization in logistics takes care of the forest. Smart documents will allow you to abandon paper, because all document processing is done online. Electronic signature technology allows you to sign documents quickly and conveniently.

Custom Truck Driver App Example

Recently, our team has worked on the development of a logistics management system for a company that transports used cars. Custom logistics management system includes a web version for dispatchers and company managers and a mobile application for truck drivers. The system was developed to solve the following tasks:

  • automation of order management;
  • formation of a customer base, storage of order history;
  • organization of convenient closed communication between dispatchers, drivers and managers;
  • shipments tracking in real time;
  • convenient recording of the cars status to be transported;
  • set up electronic document flow;
  • analytics.

The truck driver app we developed includes the following functionality:

  • request management
  • route planning
  • navigation
  • photo fixation of the car
  • internal telephony
  • SOS

Such a logistics management system was completed in 3-4 months (about 1400 hours). 7 people worked on the project - business analyst, IT architect, designer, PM, developers, QA. That's all for today.

That's all for today. If you are interested in the development of a truck driver application, follow the link below the video. Our 12-year experience in freight managment software development will help you automate any processes in the transportation business.

FAQ

What is the basic functionality of modern truck driver applications?

These are navigation, trip planning, order management, internal telephony and document processing.

How much does custom truck driver applications cost?

Hard to tell. The cost depends on the set of functionality and integrations. It should also be noted that the truck driver app is only part of a complete logistics management system. Usually, a full-fledged system is developed, which includes software for drivers, dispatchers, and managers of a logistics company.

What are the trends in truck driver app development?

This is the integration of ready-made mapping services, simple design, communication tools that do not take away the driver's attention while driving, and electronic documentation.

TARAS KOVAL

Chief Operating Officer
I have over 8 years of hands-on experience building and providing software development services across multiple industries. Some of these include real estate, e-commerce, logistics and retail. Let's keep in touch and create something great together!
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