The cab of your average long-haul truck has enough electronics to outfit a Best Buy, but there’s always some new device that promises to make the job a little easier and the downtime a little more enjoyable.

To gauge what drivers want, we surveyed members of the RoadPro Road Warrior Club on what new technology most appealed to them. Not surprisingly, their answers revealed a strong bent toward the practical and proven:
 

Technology which respondents wanted most:

Smart TVs – 67%

Self-service truck stop kiosks – 60%

Smart watches – 40%

These findings probably could be best summed up by the driver who added: “I’m just a simple person and all I need are a few things that make life a little easier on the road.”

Not surprisingly, less practical technology, such as virtual reality and video games, was not as popular. 
 

Technology in which respondents had the least interest were:

Robotic shopping carts – 80% uninterested

Video games – 67% uninterested

Virtual reality – 60% uninterested

Augmented reality – 60% uninterested

We fleshed out the survey by asking Facebook friends what mobile electronics they wanted. Laptops, dashcams and tablets led the wish lists, though a number of respondents said they didn’t want any more devices. (“I can barely work my phone,” one said.)

At least one driver was concerned about finding room for one more device in his cab: “I can't think of anything else I could put in here. Didn't get any sleep when I had a game console in here and I don't have any room for a bathroom/shower.”

In cases like that, a multi-purpose device such as Garmin’s d?zlCam™ LMTHD, which is a trucking-specific navigator with built-in dash cam, and Rand McNally’s TND™ Tablet 80, a hybrid truck GPS and Android tablet, are the best solutions. 

Another driver asked for a virtual reality driving game. That guy either can’t get enough time behind the wheel or he wants to indulge in a little fantasy driving behavior that most carriers would find unacceptable.

If history is any indication, drivers will continue to adapt the technology that works best for them, while skipping the stuff that’s fun, but doesn’t have a practical purpose (at least not yet!).