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We all know that mobile phones and tablets can be a lifesaver on the road, from helping you keep in touch with friends and family, to catching up with the latest news. But if you’re a haulier and you’re not using your smartphone as a business tool, you could be missing a trick. Hauliers have been quick to catch on to the possibilities mobile technology offers our industry and the result is, there is now a wide range of apps to make your life easier. Apps for everything from helping you track your journey to finding you somewhere to stop for the night. Here’s our roundup of the most useful apps for hauliers: RAC Telematics The RAC Telematics app (available from the iOS App Store) syncs with your vehicle’s own telematics box and feeds information about the driver’s score, vehicle health and current location directly to your phone. This information will be the same as that being monitored at the depot so you can check your own performance - as well as the vehicle’s - every step of the way. Trucker Time This is a great app designed for hauliers to keep track of their driving hours. The app will alert you when you are close to reaching impending fatigue violations so that you can stop safely and avoid any fines. The app works across Europe and adjusts to the many different EU rules for drivers’ hours, keeping you safely within the law. Available for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry. Truckstop UK With more than 200 truck stops and thousands of HGV parking plots listed across the UK, this app will find your nearest stop no matter where you are. This app for the iPhone works with your phone’s GPS software to locate safe, secure stops for hauliers. Information listed includes: name, address and post code, opening times, number of parking bays, as well as what facilities are on offer. CoPilot Truck This GPS system was devised for HGV drivers to keep them on safe, direct, truck-legal routes. What makes this GPS app particularly useful is that it can select a route based on your specific vehicle size and load type, and can even set specific routes for lorries carrying hazardous material. Available for iPhone, Android and Microsoft. HGVparking This HGV parking app claims to be the most comprehensive guide to overnight lorry parking in the UK. The app will not only tell you where the nearest parking is, it will give you a brief description of the site and details of how many parking spaces there are, the distance to local amenities, cost etc. One of the benefits of this app is that it allows drivers to rate the parking spot so that you can see the star rating of each site. You can even contribute your own review after your visit. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry across the UK and Europe. It provides services for matching work for a haulier with jobs and to buy and sell road transport and haulage work in the domestic and international markets. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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