After a stint in the United States Air Force in vehicle operations, Milwaukee native Travis Griffin got his CDL and went over-the-road, working for several big names in the trucking industry over the course of his career. Today, Travis is an owner operator who drives his customized Freightliner on a dedicated account in the Midwest for Hirschbach Motor Lines, mainly running refrigerated cargo.
Travis is a huge fan of the Trucker Tools free driver app and has been using it for a little over a year. Before he found Trucker Tools’ driver app, Travis used load boards to find loads/reloads and truck stop apps to find information on routing, fuel and nearby amenities. We recently had the good fortune to talk to Travis to find out what Trucker Tools’ driver app gives him that other apps and load boards just can’t.
1. Find the Best Route and Cheapest Fuel with Route & Fuel Optimizer
The Trucker Tools driver app’s route and fuel optimizer is one of Travis’ favorites. With the route and fuel optimizer, you can find the best route to your destination, including estimated trip time. The route and fuel optimizer helps you find the cheapest fuel stops along your route, as well.
“Even though I run dedicated, I still use Trucker Tools’ driver app to plan my trips and for the fuel optimizer,” says Travis. “I still use the fuel optimizer and the routing, which I’ll always use no matter where I go, whether I’m out of the truck or in the truck.”
2. Locate Nearby Stores, Amenities with Trucker Tools’ Easy To Use, Free Driver App
Travis turns to Trucker Tools’ free driver app when he’s searching for stores, restaurants, showers and other essentials. The Trucker Tools driver app provides up-to-date information on Wal-Mart locations and truck stops, including what features and amenities are available onsite, such as parking, free Wi-Fi, truck washes, CAT scales, restaurants and more.
“Trucker Tools’ driver app gives me surrounding locations of stores and helps me find other important amenities on the road,” Travis said. “Trucker Tools’ driver app is better than the other options that are available. It’s just much easier to access and it’s more user friendly.”
3. Stay Fully Loaded with Digital Load Matching
According to Travis, one of the best reasons to use Trucker Tools’ free driver app is for its digital load matching. You can search for available loads with your favorite brokers in your favorite lanes with just a few taps on your smart phone, any time of day or night. (Note: you must request permission from brokers/3PLs to see their open loads in Trucker Tools’ driver app.) Travis uses the digital load matching included for free in Trucker Tools’ free app whenever he wants to pick up a load outside of his dedicated route.
“I used to use some load boards and other driver apps, but I didn’t like them. It’s a lot easier to use Trucker Tools’ driver app to search for loads,” Travis reports. “You don’t have to fight for loads with Trucker Tools. Once the load is taken, you guys take it right down. It’s always updated. That’s the good thing about it.”
You don’t have to fight for loads with Trucker Tools. Once the load is taken, you guys take it right down. It’s always updated. That’s the good thing about it.
As Travis notes, the loads you see in the Trucker Tools driver app are updated in real-time, so you’re never wasting time on a load that another trucker has already taken, as is often the case with load boards.
4. Easy To Find Backhaul Opportunities
Another major benefit of using Trucker Tools’ digital load matching? It’s super easy to find backhaul/reload opportunities on loads you see in the Trucker Tools driver app. You can even filter your load matches by the number of nearby available reloads to make sure that you’re making as much money as possible on the load. For Travis, Trucker Tools’ backhaul loads are a time-saver, plain and simple.
“After you search for one load, the Trucker Tools driver app also gives you a backhaul search, which I like because you don’t have to go back and do a whole other search to find a backhaul,” says Travis. “I love that feature.”
After you search for one load, the Trucker Tools driver app also gives you a backhaul search, which I like because you don’t have to go back and do a whole other search to find a backhaul,” says Travis. “I love that feature.
5. 17+ Tools and Features Designed To Save Time and Money
Trucker Tools’ free driver app includes 17+ features and tools that are all designed to save you time and money. With Trucker Tools’ free driver app, you can find loads with your favorite brokers, Wal-Mart locations, weigh scales, parking, food, truck stops, rest areas, DOT locations, hospitals, doctors’ offices, optimal routes, fuel prices and more. The driver app even includes a load tracking tool that you can use with broker loads and an axle calculator for balancing your loads.
“I started using the Trucker Tools driver app after I saw a demo of it at GATS in 2019,” Travis said. “At the time, I was trying to figure out what load search was the best for me and it just so happens that Trucker Tools’ driver app has everything I need inside one app. It’s just made life a lot easier.”
For more about Travis, visit his YouTube and Instagram channels.
How would you like to up your drive time and move more loads? Read Four Reasons To Ditch Load Boards, Use Trucker Tools’ Free Driver App Instead to learn how. To download Trucker Tools’ free driver app, visit https://www.truckertools.com/carriers/.
