Route optimization for freight trucking entails more than pulling up GPS directions. The best apps for truck routes offer customized features and allow you to input truck dimensions, weight, and hazmat ratings. GPS apps for truckers can also offer reviews on truck stops, fuel finders and fuel tracking, maintenance alerts and customized dispatch. Find the best apps for truck routing in a range of prices that can each pay for themselves with better routes, faster deliveries, fuel and maintenance savings.
Quicklook: Best app for truck routes
- Best For Electronic Logbook: Motive
- Best For Fleet Route Optimization: CoPilot Truck by Trimble MAPS
- Best For Comprehensive Trucking Solutions: Trucker Path
- Best For Offline Maps: Sygic Truck & Caravan GPS Navigation
- Best For Truck Stop Locations: TruckMap
- Best For Customer Support: SmartTruckRoute
6 best apps available for truck routes
If you’re looking for an affordable solution to improve fleet management, optimize truck booking routes and improve fuel efficiency, the following apps for truck routes provide solutions for a diverse range of fleets.
Motive
Motive is one of the best apps for truck routes, and dedicated to helping the freight industry improve safety, productivity and profitability. It integrates an electronic GPS for truckers with an electronic logbook so you know where your fleet is at all times. Get a deeper look at truck movements via an easy-to-read and configure dashboard. Manage your fleet more efficiently and build better communication with drivers through Motive.
Best for: Electronic logbook
Pros
- Virtual geofenced parameters aid in vehicle and cargo theft recovery
- Real-time GPS fleet tracking and location history records prevent unauthorized vehicle use
- Fuel monitoring and reduced fuel usage
- Fuel station location service
- Mileage tracking
- Vehicle utilization optimization
- Dashboard view for fleet tracking
- Automated notifications when trucks enter or exit important destinations
- Track performance against delivery service
Con
- Issues with freezing apps or getting stuck in drive mode
Pricing: Free trial. Contact Motive for more details.
CoPilot Truck by Trimble MAPS
Best For: Fleet Route Optimization
CoPilot Truck by Trimble MAPS stands out for its exceptional ability in fleet route optimization. The software leverages a powerful PC*MILER routing algorithm, widely recognized as an industry-standard, to provide precise, truck-specific routes. These routes are meticulously calculated based on comprehensive truck-specific map data, effectively eliminating unnecessary miles and saving significant fuel costs. This feature alone can be a game-changer for fleets operating in a time- and cost-sensitive industry. Furthermore, the system accommodates unique truck and driver profiles, offering a degree of customization rarely seen in other solutions. This allows fleets to receive the specific information they need, enabling them to operate at their highest potential. The addition of optional real-time traffic alerts and anticipated delay times helps fleets to maintain schedules and avoid traffic-related delays, further streamlining operations.
Pro:
- Accident reduction
- Citation reduction
Con:
- Cost: CoPilot is not free, which may discourage cost-sensitive businesses.
- PC*MILER Dependency: Optimal use of CoPilot involves integration with PC*MILER, requiring an additional system for those not already using it.
Pricing: Request a quote
Trucker Path
Trucker Path is specifically designed for the trucking industry and has over 8 million app downloads and 500,000 local business partners, making it another star in the best app for truck routes roundup. Expect simple, easy-to-use features and customized alerts for everything from weather to unpaved roads or low bridges. They offer optional dispatch services to grow from a single-owner operator to a large company.
Best for: Comprehensive trucking solutions
Pros
- Find parking, rest areas and weigh stations
- Trip planner to help avoid unpaved roads, harsh turns, u-turns and tolls
- Real-time updates, including weather alerts, traffic conditions and live road events
- Fuel station and truck parking location services
- All-in-one fleet management system
- Truck-safe navigation based on your truck dimensions
- See all restrictions on the map to plan the best truck route
- Inexpensive
- Back-office support from professional dispatchers (for an additional fee)
Con
- Some customers complain of inaccurate routing
Pricing: Free trial, then $8.30 per month for the app and 6% of the total gross pay for each load for truck dispatch
Sygic Truck & Caravan GPS Navigation
Sygic Truck & Caravan GPS navigation offers an offline GPS navigation app for drivers of large vehicles. It offers accurate routing maps internationally, from North America and South America to Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia. In addition to settings for trucks, this app offers settings for caravans or buses. Sygic stands out for accurate, downloadable offline maps for routes without good mobile phone data coverage.
Best for: Offline maps
Pros:
- Seven custom vehicle profiles
- Offline maps
- Custom routing for large vehicles
- Traffic information, including speed limit and speed camera warnings
- Fuel price and station location data
- Dynamic lane assistant
- Includes millions of points of interest for rest planning
Con
- Some customers complain of inaccurate road information for certain vehicle sizes
Pricing: $69.99 to $99.99 per year
TruckMap
TruckMap is a GPS navigation app that offers the best truck routes, including information about low clearance, weight restrictions and real-time traffic alerts. It’s connected to a freight marketplace with over 250,000 shipments per month. The app has over 80,000 facility reviews, including loading procedures, parking availability and updated amenities.
Best for: Truck stop locations
Pros
- Truckstop and other facility reviews
- Integrated marketplace
- Customized routing by truck and load
- Turn-by-turn guidance
- Accurate local pinpoints at shipping facilities, including entrance and exit information
- Alerts about on-site hazards
- Updated information on weigh-station statuses
- Community updated parking information
Con
- Issues with location accuracy in some cases
Pricing: Free
SmartTruckRoute
SmartTruckRoute offers highly accurate routes to get to the correct entrance faster. The app is updated regularly with temporary and permanent road restrictions using a unique driver feedback system. SmartTruckRoute can help truckers find faster routes and avoid fees and tolls. Truckers can get live assistance by call, text or email.
Best for: Customer support
Pros
- Great customer support
- Hourly route updates
- Highly accurate — specifies truck dimensions, weight and hazmat level for the most accurate route, along with alternatives
- Integrated driver feedback system
- Voice command integration for safer driving
- Speed limit warnings
- Information on important locations for truckers, including truck stops, rest areas, weigh scales, weather and International Fuel Tax Agreement logging
Con
- Inaccurate truck routes in some cases
Pricing: Free trial, then starting at $15.95 per month for Android or $28 per month for iPhone
What are truck routing apps used for?
Truck routing apps help map and optimize routes with turn-by-turn navigational guidance, factoring in all parameters and road restrictions for trucks. These truck routing apps can help freight companies in daily operations by optimizing fuel usage and reducing routing delays.
Things to consider with truck routing apps
Not all truck routing apps are created equal. Some offer important features like fuel tracking, toll road information and height restrictions. You can choose from different GPS systems. Here’s what to look for in a truck routing app to optimize fleet management.
Route optimization
Route optimization in a routing app can save trucking companies both time and fuel resources. Fuel is one of the biggest expenses of any trucking company. By detecting the best route to avoid traffic, road closures and other delays, companies can improve fuel usage. Even a 5% savings can make a significant difference in the bottom line.
GPS navigation
Any GPS will offer suggested navigation routes with estimated arrival times and turn-by-turn guidance. But they might suggest routes that trucks cannot take. Dedicated GPS devices for truckers offer information to meet the specific needs of truckers.
A GPS for truckers will include information on truck stops, truck maps, rest areas, heavy traffic jams and route planning, taking into account roads that trucks can’t use.
Height restrictions on routes
You don’t want to be on a road and suddenly find you can’t go under a bridge or another area because of height restrictions. The best apps for truck routes provide the types of height restrictions that generally occur and can create customized routes to avoid them.
Fuel tracking
Fuel tracking in a routing app is where the savings start to grow. With fuel tracking, drivers are alerted to current fuel levels and can search for truck stops or stations with the best fuel prices to save more with every refill. Likewise, it can help you monitor idle time and wasted fuel to improve fuel efficiency.
Toll road information
Toll road information in truck routing apps helps drivers plan routes that lead to total cost savings. Sometimes toll roads can save significant time in total drive time, but the cost for semitrucks is rarely worth the time savings. An app for truck routes that includes information on toll roads, how much they cost and any more restrictions help drivers choose the best route for every load.
Summary of the best app for truck routes
The best app for your fleet’s routes depends on the features you require. All of the apps featured here get excellent reviews from thousands of reviewers. While no GPS is 100% accurate all the time, you can rely on these to avoid delivery delays, provide accurate ETAs and help drivers arrive safely with less fuel and fewer delays. Want to find more great apps? Find the best app for truck drivers here.
FAQ
A truck route is a series of highways and roads used by trucks from pickup to the delivery destination. The best truck routes optimize fuel consumption and driving hours for faster deliveries.
Haul routes, like truck routes, are the route a truck takes to haul a load from pickup to the delivery destination. A haul route can also mean the designated route to haul construction materials to and from a building site.
Many truckers use Google Maps, but it doesn’t have a specific truck routing setting. As a result, it doesn’t offer the same features as a truck route app.
