Troubleshooting for Truck Drivers

Technology has slowly been integrated into the trucking industry with everything from ELDs to GPS navigation. Of course, just like all recent technology, it is great until it stops working out in the field costing valuable hours and frustration. With ELD mandates taking effect recently, it is more important than ever to be able to get your tech working reliably. Over the years, Dispatch Commodity has worked with a wide variety of devices out in the field, and we have four tips and tricks to fix them up fast so you can get back to work. 

1. Turn It Off and Back On 

It might be the most annoying thing that you hear when you call for help with a tech related issue but there is a reason for it being on the top of our list. It works! Turning your device off and back on can clear any corrupt data or stop processes that are causing your issue. It also may install any pending updates that have a fix for your issue. For devices that are powered by the truck, for instance an ELD, you might have to go one step further and power off the device and the truck for at least 30 seconds to get a complete restart. 

2. Unpair and Re-Pair Bluetooth Devices 

The next most common issue we help drivers troubleshoot is Bluetooth connections. With so many devices relying on Bluetooth it can sometimes be hard to pinpoint the source of the problem. For us we mainly deal with Bluetooth connected thermal printers, but this process can be applied to almost any Bluetooth device you may use in your truck. As a common practice, most Bluetooth devices show up with either a serial number or the make/model of the device as the default name. Some devices may also have a default password like 1234 or 0000, but most often once you select the device, it should pair on its own. It is also a good idea to make sure to unpair any devices that are not in use to prevent issues. This is especially a problem when trucks in a yard are shared by multiple drivers that may have individual devices that pair with other trucking equipment.  

 Steps to Reset Bluetooth Connections 

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and press an hold the Bluetooth symbol until you are in the Bluetooth settings. 

2. Tap the gear icon next to the device. 

3. Tap the “Unpair” option. 

4. Scan for the device and select it from the list of available devices. Accept any valid pairing requests. 

3. Clearing the Cache/App Data 

Our third tip comes with a bit of a warning. Clearing any application data or cache may result in data loss or cause issues with the application itself. Most trucking companies have some sort of application whether it is for their electronic ticketing system or the ELD and at times they can have issues that require more than a simple restart. If data within the application itself has become corrupted, then you may need to navigate to the app settings on your device and clear the stored data manually. In reference to the application settings, the is normally a storage option that can be accessed and two buttons labeld “clear cache” and “clear data” respectively

 Steps to Clear the Cache and Data 

1. Swipe down from the top and tap the gear icon to access the settings. 

2. Select Apps from the list of settings. 

3. Select the “App manager” if applicable. 

4. Scroll to the application you would like to clear the cache and data. 

5. Tap on “Storage” 

6. Tap on “Clear Cache” or “Clear Data”. 

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4. Check For Updates 

Our last tip is another tried and true method for solving issues with almost any software. Make sure your application or software you use is up to date. For drivers using applications found in the Google Play Store this most likely is happening automatically in the background. If however you are using a device that has a custom operating or uses a Mobile Device Management system, then you may not have access to the Play Store. Most applications have ways to check for updates in the settings of the application itself, but if not you may have to contact your office to push out any updates. 

Hopefully after trying these steps you can get your equipment back up and running and back to work. If you want to read more about our recommendations for hardware to use out in the field check out our article here.