Best truck navigation GPS apps for commercial vehicles

Likely for drivers, paper maps have become a thing of the past. They were replaced by a convenient modern navigation tool for commercial vehicles – a simple app which requires only one thing – a mobile phone (Android or iOS).

Truck and commercial vehicles drivers can choose any navigation app from the App Store. Each of them has its own advantages and key features. Before downloading an app, we recommend you to read a little more about it.

We've collected the best apps for commercial vehicles and created a top-list:

GPS app for commercial vehicles

Let's consider the features that are in demand by drivers in the first place. It is these features that will be taken into account in this review to choose the best truck navigation.

• Toll roads: a special function of the navigator, allowing you to rearrange the route. Thus, the truck driver can save money.
• Truck stops: rest areas are marked on the map where the driver can stop for the night or make a brief stop to relax.
• Advanced Route Creation: you can pre-create the most efficient route based on your current location and other parameters (amount of fuel, estimated time, etc.).
• Traffic jams: this function is available in all modern GPS navigators working in online mode.
• Offline map of any country for building a route without Internet to save mobile traffic.
• Adding custom information to the map and receive data from other users;
• Additional advantages: fast route building, searching for buildings without numbers, voice prompts, information on traffic jams and road junctions.

Trucker Path

Millions of drivers around the world use the Trucker Path app to perform their professional duties. It is not surprising that truck drivers have prioritized this app. The main focus of the developers of this product are such functions:

• Construction of the route of any complexity and length. You can create a route lasting several days with stops.

• Offline maps;

• Informing the driver about the events on the road, road accidents, repair work and weather conditions;

• Trucker Path contains a lot of service information: parking lots, parking areas, hotels, weigh stations. For each object the schedule and degree of load is available.

The developer claims that Trucker Path is faster than Garmin GPS and similar apps for commercial vehicles. Whether this is true or not, you can check for yourself by downloading the navigation app.

Download: Android | iOS

Truck Parking Europe

Even if you have decided on an app for long trips, the choice of parking is not insignificant. Even not all navigators help you find good safe and inexpensive parking in the city or on the route where you are staying.

The free app Truck Parking Europe solves this shortcoming. It brings together a guide to all the parking lots available in the current region.

Features:

• Availability of free spaces in the selected parking lot and opening hours
• Real reviews of parking lots by users
• Additional services available near the selected parking: hotels, stores, auto shops, cafes
• Necessary infrastructure, useful for truck drivers: truck wash, power supply, etc.

The software for trucks is very easy to use: you can set the initial data (time, distance, end point) and as a result Truck Parking finds you parking, places for parking and rest.

Download: Android | iOS

Sygic

Sygic is a truck navigation software with the Europe and the United States maps. You can travel anywhere using 3D offline maps (at least 200 countries supported). These offline maps show so-called "Points of Interest", i.e. gas stations, cafes, toll roads, shops and tourist attractions.

In order to use Sygic offline, pre-download the maps onto your mobile device.

Realtime features for commercial vehicles navigation work in online mode only. Besides, Sygic offers the most accurate information based on the data gathered from 500 million users worldwide. Moreover, this data is also given by global auto manufacturers, mobile operators and providers of information on mapping and road traffic.

Within the first 7 days you can try all the features of the navigation app, including the ones available after purchasing Lifetime Premium subscription. After 7 days Sygic will leave only its basic features, which are actually enough for a full-fledged operation.

Navitel (Android / iOS / Windows CE)

Navitel is a convenient navigation app for commercial vehicles and truckers which can work with no Internet access. Moreover, Navitel can provide its users with the following features and benefits:

• The app database stores maps of 66 countries which can be purchased and installed for permanent use from the manufacturer's official website.
• This software can map various routes from point A to point B, calculate the distance and approximate traveling time taking into account traffic jams.
• A map with road conditions is also available in the app. Repair works, accidents, speed cameras, etc – all of this data which is added by other users can be seen on the map in real time. Besides, you can add such data to a map yourself by sharing useful information with other road users.
• Additional features for trucker navigation: voice prompts, on-board computer, weather forecasts, fuel prices, speed bumps and radar data.

In general, Navitel is one of the most popular apps for Android and iOS. Alongside with its mobile version, there is also auto-navigation software running under Windows CE with a pre-installed "Navitel".

Download: Android

Yandex Navigator (Android / iOS)

Another popular GPS trucker app for Android, which is capable of mapping routes in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and other countries.

Its main features are:

• The capability to choose one of the three route options after comparing estimated time on the road.
• Full operation in offline mode. In order to map a route without Internet connection, you have to download the map of the city you need in advance.
• Unobtrusive voice accompaniment. Voice assistant Alice gives not only directions, but also warnings against traffic jams, accidents and speed cameras. In addition to it, Alice can also answer your questions (for example, on the amount of fines, available parking lots, etc.).
• Yandex Navigator can assist you with finding a free parking space, it can remember routes and find specified objects on a city map, as well as provide information about toll roads.

You can download Yandex Navigator for trucks and commercial vehicles from Google Play via the link below.

Download

iGo Navigation (Windows Mobile / CE, iOS, Android)

User-independent navigation app which is very popular among truck drivers. You can download the app from Google Play via the following link.

The main advantages of iGo Navigation are:

• The app requires for installation a minimum amount of free memory allowing you to save space for photos, videos and other apps.
• Maps of more than 100 countries including the US, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Germany are available for drivers.
• A huge database of places of interest which simplifies the process of searching for restaurants, cafes, monuments, museums and shopping centers.

Maps.me

Free navigation app for travelers, motorists and commercial truck navigation in particular. Its full functionality is available in both online and offline modes. The main advantages of Maps.me users are the following:

• Regular update of maps ensures their relevance. Map details are provided by the app users when they mark various objects, including monuments and even fountains.
• The app is distributed absolutely for free. This applies not only to the functionality of Maps.me, but also to its maps (the app uses public OpenStreetMap maps) .

Download Maps.me

Navigation devices for commercial trucks

You don't like to use mobile apps? It's not a problem since there is an alternative variant: devices which have no other features, except for the navigating one.

With a huge range of GPS navigation devices being sold, it isn't surprising that you can easily get confused by their vast variety. Some of them are quite sufficient, when others are not. There are both cheap and expensive models, and the former aren't always worse than the latter.

Prestigio GeoVision 5068

Prestigio GeoVision 5068 is a budget navigation device model for commercial trucks. It is based on Cortex with 128 MB of memory. The screen has a diagonal of 5 inches and its resolution is 800 x 480 mm. This fact has a positive impact on the amount of details shown on a map and the quality of images. It's unnecessary to use a stylus for the display since the sensor reacts well to the touch of a finger too.

The second distinctive feature of the device is its integration with the service which notifies users on patrol posts and installed security cameras. The presence of geolocation, of course, has increased the price, but it's fully justified. Covered countries: CIS, Finland, Georgia, Abkhazia and Azerbaijan. You can upload and delete new maps with no restrictions.

Users note that their devices work pretty fast, despite the modest characteristics of the processor (it's only 800 MHz). The navigation device can search for the right addresses and quickly load maps.

The price of Prestigio GeoVision 5068 is around $75.

Dunobil Ultra 5.0

Let's talk about an average device. It's equipped with an 800 MHz processor with an ARM Coretx A7 core. Its touch screen is sensitive and it immediately reacts to the taps of a finger. The manufacturer has thoroughly thought about the device multimedia features: it has a video input and transmitter. It also has a lithium-ion battery installed instead of the old lithium-polymer battery. But the capacity was left behind again: it's only 650 mA. These are the maps of Europe and Asia.

Users enjoy syncing with their smartphones which provides additional features. In general, taking into account its low cost (roughly $80) this navigation device can be called a decent one.

GeoFox MID 702SE

Functional navigation device running under Android 4.4. The display diagonal is 7 inches (800x480, IPS-matrix). It's easy to hit the right points of the sensor while driving, however, we'd still recommend you to set a route in advance. The software search engine works fine, the RAM is enough (512 MB) and the processor is quick (1300 MHz) with its operation capability being enough to deal with navigation issues.

The device launches fast and the battery with full capacity can work for about an hour which is quite a lot for this segment of devices. The build quality is quite high and the device body is stylish with a soft-touch coating. Since the weight of the device is very small, it can be simply mounted. Among its disadvantages are the lack of Wi-Fi module and slot for SIM-cards.

The advantages of the device are as follows:

• quick and easy loading of maps;
• excellent GPS reception;
• outstanding technical characteristics;
• user-friendly navigation.

The Cost of GeoFox MID 702SE is about $125.

Artway NV-800 GPS

The NV-800 model is called questionable by some experts, but consumers rate it pretty high. They note that the navigation device works as its counterparts from the premium segment, but costs much less – about $45.

The screen diagonal is 5 inches and its processor is an average productive one (800 MHz). The screen resolution is low, which can cause some inconveniences. You can only work via a stylus.

At the same time the device is capable of quickly finding a GPS satellite, so we can state that the manufacturer has decided to spend less on the screen, but installed an antenna of high-class. The battery is also of average capacity, but consider the following: not every expensive device is of 950 mAh, so it's not that bad. Maps cover the whole USA and a user can update them. Updates are downloaded pretty quickly, but you have to pay for this feature.

Roadmax Uno (MS-5)

Roadmax Uno (MS-5) is a top trucker navigation device based on Windows CE 6.0. It has everything a driver might need: warnings against radars, traffic jams, traffic signs and notifications on toll roads.

In order to view the basic set of maps and map a route, you'll require the licensed version of the app. The display diagonal is 5 inches with quite high resolution 800x480. There is no 3G module, but there is a USB modem port. Via Bluetooth you can download data on road traffic jams from your smartphone. Maps are available for Russia, CIS, Baltic States and Scandinavia, so the navigation device is in high demand among the residents of and travelers from and to the mentioned countries.

Users rate the device quite high and note that sometimes it may lose the connection to the satellite, but the device can restore it quickly enough. The price is almost $70 (which isn't a lot for the premium segment).

What app is the best for commercial truck drivers

Many drivers use navigation devices in order to get directions around a city and map routes. Meanwhile, if you download a truck navigation app on your Android phone or tablet, you can get a whole new set of benefits such as:

• well-timed update of maps and adding of new streets/ houses and other important objects;
• more detailed maps which show not only buildings/ restaurants and shops, but also pedestrian crossings, speed bumps, speed cameras and radars;
• mapping a route taking into account traffic jams, accidents or road repair works;
• full voice "communication" which is not only about giving the tips while you're on the road, but also about voice commands, answering your questions and sometimes even playing games.

It's pretty obvious that navigation apps for Android devices give drivers more freedom. Most of them have a free mode, they offer users a simple interface and continue to improve its capabilities.