Devices for your drivers
Two kinds of device, depending on how much your drivers scan: without a scanner (any good phone — the camera reads barcodes) or with full scanning (a built-in or Bluetooth scanner for label-heavy work). Every piece scanned? See auto-parts routes.
Updated September 2026. RoadCoda doesn't sell devices and isn't paid to recommend any of these — prices and models change, so check before you buy.
Start here: one device per truck, not per driver
If your ELD's tablet is mounted and locked to the ELD, you don't have to touch it. Put one inexpensive phone or tablet in each truck, pair it once to that truck (Equipment › the truck › Pair a device), and every driver who takes the truck taps their name and signs in with the last 4 of their CDL. When a driver leaves, nothing needs collecting.- Drivers' own phones work too. The driver app runs in any phone's web browser — nothing to install. Some carriers pay a small monthly phone stipend instead of buying devices.
- Guest drivers (owner-operators, subs) always use their own phone from the link you send.
What any device needs
- A current Android or iPhone that still gets security updates, with a working GPS and camera (PODs, BOLs, damage photos).
- Chrome (Android) or Safari (iPhone), and a data plan — any carrier; a basic prepaid line is plenty.
- A screen lock (PIN or fingerprint). It holds customer addresses and door codes.
Without a scanner: phones and tablets (camera scanning)
Fine when drivers scan a few labels per stop — the driver app reads barcodes with the camera. Too slow for dozens of labels at every stop: see With full scanning below.
| Choice | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro best for fleets | Built for work: IP68 water / dust and MIL-STD-810H drop rated, a battery you can swap, glove-friendly screen, and Samsung promises 7 years of updates — buy once. | Costs more up front than a regular phone. Buy through Samsung Business or a business reseller. |
| Moto G Power (current model) best value | Big-brand phone with MIL-STD-810H toughness and IP68/IP69 water rating, usually under $300, long battery. | Fewer years of updates than Samsung's rugged line. Add a case and screen protector. |
| Samsung Galaxy A-series (e.g. A26 5G) + a rugged case | Around $200 with deals, 6 years of updates, easy to replace at any store. | Not rugged on its own — the case (OtterBox Defender-style or similar) does the work. |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 / Active5 Pro truck tablet | Rugged 8-inch tablet for a truck device: bigger screen for scans and signatures, IP68, swappable battery; the Pro gets 8 years of updates. | Needs a solid mount and a cellular (LTE / 5G) model or a hotspot. |
| Budget rugged brands (Ulefone, Oukitel, Blackview, Doogee…) be careful | Very cheap, huge batteries, tough cases. | Many get few or no security updates — not a good fit for a phone holding your customers' data and codes. |
With full scanning: a real scanner
If drivers scan many labels at every stop (auto parts, totes, cages, parcels), a real scan engine reads each label instantly, in bad light and off a curved tote, where a phone camera struggles. Two ways to get one:| Choice | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Zebra TC27 (or TC22) best for scanning fleets | An Android phone with a professional scanner built in (trigger buttons on the sides), IP68, removable battery, and Zebra supports it for 6 years. The TC27 has 5G / LTE for the truck. | The TC22 is Wi-Fi only — in a truck it needs a phone hotspot. New units cost well above a regular phone; certified refurbished units with a 1-year warranty cost much less. |
| Honeywell CT30 XP / CT45 | Same idea from Honeywell — rugged Android with a built-in scanner, long support. | Price is similar to Zebra; pick one brand and stick with it. |
| Budget Android scanners (Urovo, Chainway, Newland…) be careful | Built-in scanner for much less. | Check how long they get Android security updates before buying a fleet of them. |
| A Bluetooth scanner + any phone above cheapest upgrade | A pocket or ring scanner (Socket Mobile, Zebra CS60 and similar; budget brands too) pairs to the phone you already have. Keeps the phone in a pocket or mount while the driver scans. | One more thing to charge and lose. Get a 2D model (reads QR codes as well as barcodes). |
Setting a scanner up for RoadCoda
- Set the scanner to keyboard (keystroke / HID) output with Enter after each scan — usually how they come. (Zebra: DataWedge; Honeywell: keyboard wedge; Bluetooth scanners: "HID" mode.)
- In the driver app, open Scan labels on a stop and tick Using a scanner. It skips the camera, keeps the cursor ready and hides the on-screen keyboard — each trigger pull adds a label. The device remembers it.
Auto-parts routes: every box, cage, tote and bumper cover scanned
When a driver scans every piece at every stop — often hundreds of scans a shift — buy a scanner that happens to be a phone, not a phone that can scan.| Setup | Why |
|---|---|
| Zebra TC58 (5G), SE55 advanced-range scanner, trigger handle the workhorse | Reads a label in hand or from across a trailer (labels high on a cage, bumper covers in a rack), first try, even dirty or under shrink wrap. The trigger handle turns it into a pistol grip for hundreds of scans a shift. Rugged, removable battery. New units are pricey; certified refurbished and open-box units are common. |
| Zebra TC27 (5G) + trigger handle and rugged boot the value pick | Same workflow for less, with a standard-range scanner — right when labels are scanned within arm's reach. |
| Add a Zebra RS5100 ring scanner hands-free | For drivers carrying totes and bumper covers with both hands: scans from the finger while the handheld stays holstered; swap its battery to run back-to-back shifts. |
Insist on: a trigger (not the camera) · cellular 5G / LTE, not Wi-Fi only · a spare or swappable battery · a rugged boot and a charging cradle in the cab · long security support.
What RoadCoda does for these routes
- No signal? Keep scanning. Every scan is saved on the device the instant it's read and sent when there's signal — the driver never waits, nothing is lost ("12 scans waiting for signal").
- Scan against the manifest. Load the customer's label list on Dispatch (Import manifest); the driver sees "18 of 20 — 2 missing" as they scan, labels not on the list are flagged, and anything missing is filled in as a shortage on the receiver's signature screen.
In the truck
- Power: a 12-volt USB-C charger and a good cable in every truck. A dead phone is the most common failure, not a broken one.
- Mount: a vent, dash or cup-holder mount rated for trucks (RAM Mounts and similar). Keep it out of the driver's line of sight and follow FMCSA rules for anything mounted on the windshield.
- While driving: the RoadCoda driver app locks while the truck is moving — federal rules only allow one-touch, hands-free phone use for commercial drivers.
Setting up a truck device
- In the office: Equipment › the truck › Pair a device — a QR code (and an 8-character code) appears for 15 minutes.
- On the truck's device: open the camera and scan the QR code. The driver app opens, paired to that truck. Then use the browser menu › Add to Home screen.
- At each shift the driver taps their name and enters the last 4 of their CDL, and sees only their loads on that truck. Switch driver hands it over.
Lost or replaced a device? Unpair it on the truck (Equipment) and pair the new one — nothing else changes.