Truckers are increasingly doing business via mobile devices, according to UShip.com's third annual mobile usage survey. It also shows significant shifts in use of smartphone GPS navigation over traditional GPS units and a greater appetite for social media and apps via mobile.


Started in 2010, uShips mobile study tracks year-over-year mobile trends of a cross-section of active transporters on uShip, ranging from commercial carriers to small fleet owner-operators to hot-shot drivers. More than 26,000 drivers were surveyed between Oct. 17-30, 2012.

According to the survey:

- 7 in 10 are conducting more business via mobile devices than ever before, compared to 6 in 10 a year ago.

- Nearly twice as many U.S. truck drivers use Android phones over iPhones; 1 in 4 uses a basic feature phone

- More than half of drivers say their phone already has or could replace their GPS device on the road

- Over half of all drivers say the 2012 texting ban has not changed their behavior on the road

- Text messaging (79%), Internet/email (65%) and camera (55%) rank as the most popular features

- 26% now use their mobile device for social media, up from 13% in 2011 and 19% in 2010

- 43% now use apps, a jump of 16% over 2011 and 10% over 2010

- Nearly 1 in 2 (47%) are now more likely to buy a tablet for business, up from 1 in 4 (26%) in 2011

Smartphone Navigation vs. GPS Navigation

Data suggests there's a growing trend towards using a single device on the road - for business, navigation, entertainment and communication - ultimately putting smartphone GPS navigation and on-the-dash GPS units at a crossroads, notes uShip.

- Over half of drivers say their mobile phone's GPS has "already have replaced" or "could replace" their GPS unit

- 53% use their mobile phone's GPS feature more than (36%) or equal to (17%) their traditional GPS device

- 47% say they'll "never" give up their GPS device

- 52% now use their mobile phone's GPS feature - up 24% from 2011 and 22% from 2010

"The 2012 uShip Mobile Usage Survey surprisingly shows smartphone and GPS devices on a bit of a collision course, especially as mobile phones expand their feature versatility, especially with apps and social media," said Eddie Peloke, vice president for mobile, uShip. "Study findings also coincide with uShip mobile app trends, which has seen 3000% increase in downloads - in the hundreds of thousands - over the past year alone."