When we talk about trucking in the 21st century, we naturally think about trucker apps. What’s more modern than the small box with all the answers in our hands? Or maybe on our dashboards, since our hands are supposed to be on the steering wheel…
Trucking Company Trucker Apps?
I was cruising through Instagram last week and it suggested a new account for me to follow. A new trucking app is about to be released on the market. Too bad it doesn’t do IFTA or track maintenance or maintain invoicing records…
I’m not really sure what it’s going to do for truckers.
What the basic function you require in a trucker app? When we were designing TruckingOffice, I had several requirements. Skipping IFTA filing reports and maintenance records? No way!
When I check the App Store or Google Play, I’m always amazed at what’s out there. Some of those so-called trucker apps are nothing but rip-offs. They make promises and don’t deliver. (Pun intended.)
Do you really want a trucker app?
Here’s the thing with apps. You don’t know until you try them how they work. You don’t get a full picture. There’s a lot you don’t know.
For young truckers, to them it’s as simple as picking one trucker app and discarding it later. The drawback is that they
- learn how to use an app
- create a load dispatch and store it in the memory
- toss it all when they discover the app doesn’t work they way they want it.
That data is too important to toss! Keeping a list of previous customers alone is critical to building a trucking company. Losing the state mileage data alone is insane – what will you use for IRP or IFTA filing?
Trucker apps may look like a solution. They’re portable, they’re programmed specifically for mobile phones or tablets. For people on the road, what would be better?
Trucking Company or On the Road?
The thing is – you’re running a trucking company. That’s a lot bigger than just hauling freight. You’ve got to have all the data to run a company, not just the details for the load in the trailer right now.
It’s not just about the freight. It’s about your trucking company.
What do we think you should consider when looking for the right trucker app?
- Determine the most important features that you need for your current situation. If you’re not going out of state, IFTA isn’t a concern.
- Find out if there’s a full free trial – and use it. Too many of the apps we’ve looked at are free – until you want to do more than just the basics. (TruckingOffice offers a free trial for you to explore the full program, not just a few of the modules.)
- Discover the uses of the data beyond just dispatches and invoices. Does the software track miles per state for the IFTA? Are there business reports such as a P&L or a revenue per mile?
Ultimately, you have to ask the question: will a trucker app work for you? Maybe you need more than just an app – maybe you need a software program that someone can use at home while you are on the road?
How do you pick the software you’ll use to manage your trucking business?
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