1. GPS – is so popular, that many trucking companies have added it to their company trucks.  It is much easier than maps and most drivers won’t go back to reading the old fashioned way.
2. Cell Phones – have changed trucking jobs for good.  No more pulling over for a pay phone to call their dispatcher for information.  And truckers can have contact with their families and friends more often.  Younger drivers don’t remember the days without cell phones.  They have no idea what it was like.  (Lucky them.)
3. Laptop Computers – is a truckers line to information.  64% of those asked, felt that the laptop is one of the top 5 technologies needed for trucking jobs.  We feel that as each year goes by, the percentage of cabs with laptops will keep going up.  Life on the road without a laptop is hard to imagine for most people.   It is a huge segment of our communication to business, family, and friends.
4. Satellite Radio – has been a great lifesaver for radio listeners in “dead radio spots” along the highway.  Not only do you have radio where radio was not, but a driver now gets their favorite station wherever they are in the country.  It is very rare that Satellite Radio loses signal and better yet, there are stations that are specific to the trucking industry.

What wasn’t on the list surprised us.  Digital Camera’s were not in the top 4.  Our thoughts are that they have been in existence for so long, it is not thought as new technology, but as old technology.  As a trucker, they have the rare opportunity to see the country on a continuous basis.  We are sure most drivers keep one in their cab.

Below are the results by percentage from all participants. The column with the % is of the percentage of participants that chose the technology item in the front of the row. An example is that 84.38%, had 54 votes, chose the I-phone/cell phone as one of their 4 favorite technologies for truck drivers: