phone apps

Great question Texan. I look forward to following this thread. I've had my smartphone for nearly two years and have found many useful apps for a variety of uses. Thanks for throwing this out there.
I hope you enjoy yours and never look back.

 

I don't use my phone for much other than -wait for it- a phone. The mobile hotspot comes in handy when I'm too far from the truck for my laptop to reach the truck hotspot. And I do pull up emailed load confirmations on my phone when re-checking a pickup or delivery number at the shipping window. The laptop comes with me (it is portable after all) and is used for my logging and record keeping.

I keep the phone in a holder on the dash. Sometimes I'll run the 'daily roads voyager' app as a dashcam, but not often.

 

Texan,

While you're waiting for answers regarding your specific question, let me tell you of a couple I've enjoyed and/or find useful:

CamScanner is, just as the name implies, an app that allows you to scan a document that you need to fax or email. Using your phone's camera you photograph the document, crop it to clean up the edges in case your aim wasn't dead on, then save it as a .pdf file (or jpeg) and email it to your recipient. You can even increase/decrease the contrast, if needed. I've used this app a number of times and found it to be super convenient and economical, since you don't have to spend time or money finding and getting to a fax machine. This is a free app.

CAT Scales has an app, also free, that in seconds tells you where to find the nearest scale.

Big Road has authored a Log Book app that is (apparently) DOT approved. Also free, the reviews I've read are very favorable. One driver even wrote that when asked for his logs by a NCSHP trooper, he (the driver) was able to immediately email it to the LEO, who was very impressed with his technology. Useful if your onboard elogs takes a dump. Like the others, it can be found in the Google Play store on your smartphone. (Assuming your phone is Android OS and not iPhone).

And a favorite of mine that is not at all related to trucking, but fun if you're interested at all in viewing the International Space Station (ISS), satellites, comets, Iridium flares and other space related junk is ISS Detector. The free version alone is quite useful, but I purchased some extensions for under $5bucks. The app notifies you of an upcoming siting, gives details like trajectory, brilliance, duration, start and stop positions on the horizon and even has a compass to help you find it's position. The ISS is easily seen with the naked eye, given clear conditions.

The Weather Channel is also quite a useful app.

Anyway, just some I'm aware of. None of which are what you specifically asked for, but FYI!

Cool thread, thanks again.

 

there are a couple of apps for record keeping. but they are rather sluggish. so bad. i no longer have them.

they both worked like regular msft spreadsheets.

best to just stick with a laptop. they perform faster. and you've got the whole layout on your screen, instead of having to scroll around.

 

If you have an Android phone then check out Google Keep and also if you install Google Drive on your phone you can scan images right to Google Drive that are also searchable (like using a scanner with OCR...optical character recognition).

Evernote is a popular note taking app for Android or iPhone.

 

I use ScanBizCard, Weather Channel, and Spotify. On occasion I look up locations with Google Maps as well.

 

There are several threads on this in the cellular section. You might want to take a look at them for more information.

 

Recap+ - keep track of your HOS
Love's Connect/MyPilot/TruckSmart - apps for the biggest truck stops
Transflo Mobile - send transflo paperwork from your phone, quality is flaky when taking pictures
AllStays Truck and Travel - truck stop/POI locator, last I remember it was about $10 but it is worth the price with all the info it provides
1Weather - the best weather app that only shows you the info you need
Google Keep - note-taking app, can make notes from text/audio/images
GPS Status - shows GPS data including sensor data from your phone
KeepTruckin logbook app - alternative e-log app to BigRoad
Waze - GPS navigation app, map data is constantly updated compared to Google Maps/Navteq, shows road hazards reported by other users

 

just started using the keeptruckin. definitely the best logbook app for android and iphone. really easy to use. lets you know if you have any violations. talked to their customer service and they are going to have a recap soon.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keeptruckin.android
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-driver-logbook-keeptruckin/id706401738
https://keeptruckin.com