Comprehensive Guide to the Best GPS for Delivery Drivers in 2024

Working in the delivery industry is all about efficiency and speed. The more optimized the route planning, the less time drivers will have to waste driving around.

It’s as simple as that.

The quicker drivers fulfill their deliveries, the faster they can start another round for some extra cash or even go home. 

This means that the GPS app is one of the most critical tools in their inventory, informing them where they are and directing them to their delivery destination.

Isn’t it great?

A GPS map will undoubtedly get delivery drivers from one point to another quickly, depending on traffic conditions. However, that is surely not enough.

When drivers are making over 50 deliveries in a day, it’s inconvenient to enter addresses or be redirected a hundred times.

To avoid such inconveniences, your drivers need to integrate their trusted GPS maps with an efficient route optimization software to streamline their delivery operations.  

And so, we’ve compiled a list of the best GPS for delivery drivers in 2024 to assist you with this.

Let’s get started from the basics!

Understanding GPS Apps for Delivery Drivers

A GPS app is a tool that notifies delivery drivers where they are and gives them street-by-street directions to their destination stops. Some of the top GPS apps for drivers are Google Maps and Waze.

GPS apps give their users the ability to tailor their experience by allowing them to choose what voice they want to hear when navigating the route and whether or not they would like to receive updates about things like toll bridges, speed limits, and highways.

These are excellent benefits for regular vehicle users. They are, however, not really what delivery drivers, in particular, would appreciate. 

It would be more beneficial if routing details were sent back to dispatch or if the app sent delivery updates to clients as the status of their delivery changed.

This can be achieved by integrating a reliable route optimization software with your GPS app.

Key Features and Benefits of 6 Top GPS Apps

App	Key Features	Pros	Cons
Google Maps	Wide range of features, popular, reliable	Versatile, user-friendly, extensive data	Can be slow, limited offline features
Apple Maps	Default app on Apple devices, good integration with Apple ecosystem	Seamless integration with Apple devices, clean interface	Less features than Google Maps, limited customization
Waze	Excellent real-time traffic information, community-based	Real-time traffic updates, user-generated content	Can be cluttered, not ideal for long-distance trips
TomTom	Offline maps, detailed navigation	Offline navigation, accurate route planning	Expensive offline maps, limited customization
HERE WeGo	Offline maps, good for public transportation	Offline navigation, public transportation integration	Can be less intuitive, limited customization
Sygic	Offline maps, head-up display, electric vehicle support	Offline navigation, innovative features, electric vehicle support	Expensive additional features

Let’s find out what GPS apps are more in demand in 2024:

1. Google Maps

Google Maps is one of the finest GPS navigation apps that require no heavy introduction. It’s a renowned tool that has undoubtedly helped many people several times.

Google Maps, a long-standing preferred option for local navigation and route planning and as an app, has evolved significantly over the years. It now includes features such as traffic-based rerouting, real-time ETA, and group planning.

Notably, for the past couple of years, Google Maps has been an essential ingredient of doing business. Local restaurants and bars, organizations, and businesses that want to be found prioritize being easily discoverable through Google Maps by its users.

2. Apple Maps

For iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, Apple Maps is the default mapping application. This means that 100 million Apple device users use Apple Maps, which is a popular choice.

Apple Maps is a preferred choice for many drivers since it provides voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation instructions and notifies you of accidents, traffic delays, or construction work.

Apple Maps does its job well and is always adding new features and upgrades in order to keep up with its major competitor, Google Maps. This applies to both the local business listings and navigation features.

3. Waze

Waze is a reliable tool and one of the best navigation apps used by over 140 million delivery drivers, truck drivers, and riders. Its primary function is to provide real-time traffic alerts, as the entire brand is based on the ubiquitous dislike for traffic jams.

Waze’s capabilities, such as around-traffic scheduling, real-time rerouting, and force majeure route planning, make it the go-to GPS application for drivers in places with adverse weather conditions.

Overall, Waze is a popular GPS app since it focuses on common delivery driver issues such as traffic jams, fuel efficiency, and the calculation of the dynamic estimated time of arrival.

4. TomTom

TomTom is one of the most reputable GPS apps for drivers. It is also a provider of offline maps for more than 150 countries and offers smart voice navigation in over 100 voice options.

TomTom gives real-time traffic information, turn-by-turn and changing lane direction, multi-stop route planning, and speed limit alerts to its users. TomTom also sells GPS navigation gadgets, such as the TomTom Trucker, which is designed exclusively for truck navigation.

TomTom does offer expensive memberships that guarantee an ad-free experience with advanced features such as drive-to photos and vehicle profile.

5. HERE WeGo

HERE WeGo is a free turn-by-turn navigation system with voice assistance. It also offers parking assistance and offline navigation through country-specific maps that users can download before riding on the routing path.

With HERE WeGo, drivers can note waypoints for additional stops during their route, as well as add route options such as bridges, tunnels, motorways, tunnels, and gravel roads.

HERE WeGo also includes details for bike routes along with public transportation such as trains and buses. This GPS app is ideal for drivers with insufficient internet data or users who spend a lot of time in places with poor cell connections.

Drivers can easily use the offline mode of HERE WeGo or download the map, and they will be all set even if their internet connection goes down.

6. Sygic

Sygic boasts of being the most downloaded offline navigation app for drivers, with over 200 million users worldwide. This GPS app’s key features include traffic and parking support, 3D maps, and fuel pricing information, making it a driver’s top choice.

Sygic is revolutionary in a number of ways. It has a head-up display that shows navigation directions directly in front of your eyes. It also offers sign recognition.

Another reason to appreciate Sygic is its electric vehicle capabilities. It’s an excellent choice for carbon-neutral driving because you can plan routes with charging points and pay for services in-app.

Now that you know about the top GPS apps of 2024, let’s understand why simply depending on them is not ideal for delivery drivers.

Limitations of GPS Apps for Delivery Route Optimization

When integrated with reputable route optimization software, a GPS app can be much more effective in supporting your job and equipping you to better serve your clients.

Here are some of the reasons why:

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Inability to optimize multi-stop routes

The more time a delivery driver spends on a route, the more gas they consume, the more you pay for fuel costs and labor charges, and the longer your customer waits to receive their product.

Unfortunately, a GPS app isn’t intelligent enough to schedule delivery stops in the most efficient way for your drivers. When you use a route optimization tool, you can be confident that your drivers will be given the most efficient routes for making on-time deliveries.

2. Lack of delivery constraint constraints

GPS applications are unable to account for delivery restrictions. 

A GPS app will tell the drivers their live locations. However, its inability to communicate this information back to the drivers’ dispatch teams means they will have no real-time visibility of the drivers’ whereabouts.

3. No auto-dispatching of drivers

Regular GPS apps require a significant amount of manual processes. As mentioned earlier, the delivery addresses you input are not mechanically sorted in order to create the most effective and fastest route for delivery.

So, once you’ve determined the optimized routes at the time, you’ll need to spend more time tracking and sending an available delivery driver.

You can sit back and relax while a route planning software dispatches drivers for you, informing them accurately where to go and when to go and whatever directions they’ll require along the route.

4. Inability to collect proof of delivery

Proof of delivery is a critical component of the delivery process. It is crucial because it protects your delivery business company against fraudulent claims of missing or undelivered shipments.

Proof of delivery could be a signature or a photograph of the shipment and the location where it was left. A GPS app does not have this capability, but any reliable and robust route optimization software does.

5. Lack of estimated time of delivery updates

We have, so far, established that GPS apps are primarily built for personal use. Therefore, they lack capabilities such as sending customers real-time delivery status updates or notifications.

This is a feature that can be accessed with a route planning software. The software will let your customers know exactly when to expect their order.

6. Inability to report on delivery KPIs

GPS apps lack delivery KPIs (key performance indicators). This is a drawback since it is critical to track delivery processes and make frequent changes to ensure they remain as efficient as possible.

All of the problems discussed here can be solved by integrating a live GPS tracking app with an effective route optimization software. The use of a route optimization software improves the efficiency of GPS for deliveries.

Benefits of Integrating GPS with Route Optimization

Route planning software offers delivery teams with a long list of pros, such as:

1. Real-time response to scheduling changes

When unforeseen situations such as traffic jams, road accidents, or weather alerts emerge, routes are immediately updated with a route planning software. 

Drivers are informed of such changes in real-time, so they are not left wondering about their next course of action.

2. Boost delivery capacity

A delivery route optimization tool can assist you in increasing your delivery capacity by informing you when additional drivers are required to make more deliveries within specific delivery windows. 

It also calculates and informs when additional drivers are required based on the number of drivers and delivery trucks or vans available at one time. This eliminates excessive vehicle loading as well as driver exhaustion caused by over-scheduling.

3. Improving the customer experience

A delivery route optimization software solution ensures more timely deliveries and sends customers real-time updates on the whereabouts of their drivers, ensuring that estimated delivery times are always correct. This improves customer satisfaction.

4. Maximizing driver satisfaction

A delivery route optimization software can even assist with driver breaks by automatically distributing them in a manner that has the least effect on your delivery routes. This can be achieved while ensuring all local and federal standards are met. Your drivers benefit from knowing when they will get to enjoy their breaks specifically.

Furthermore, because your routes are streamlined in real-time, your drivers are less likely to get delayed due to traffic and can complete all of their deliveries on time. This benefit will not only make things easier for your drivers but also for your customers and your delivery business company.

5. Increasing revenue

All of the outcomes of route optimization have one common factor, which is saving you time and money. Furthermore, less time spent on the road results in reduced fuel costs, decreased carbon emissions, and less load on your delivery vehicles.

6. Collecting relevant delivery metrics

Most route optimization software has reporting features, allowing you to see exactly which aspects need to be improved in order to save expenses and maximize revenues.

Now that you know the pros of having access to a route optimization software, you need to get a reliable and affordable one for your business need.

Integrate Upper Route Planner with Your GPS

In case, GPS apps are not efficient for your business, you can use Upper Route Planner to churn out optimized routes in seconds. The delivery route planner also has an in-built integration function which means it can seamlessly integrate with any third-party app. By doing so, you can transfer files instead of manually typing multiple addresses. 

Upper is made for delivery drivers to help them find the exact location using the optimal routes. Here, you can create route plans adding up to 500 stops before optimizing them with just a few clicks. 

The feature-rich route planner keeps your drivers and customers informed about last-minute changes, reoptimization or any other important instructions. Thus, the delivery process won’t get hampered and you will have more happy customers. While GPS app is only limited to turn-by-turn directions, Upper can help you do much more with its sophisticated algorithm.

Conclusion

We understood 6 GPS apps for drivers that might help them reach their destination. But, GPS-enabled apps may also have downsides that one must consider before getting them. Instead, you can try Upper as it is equipped with advanced features that could soon become your go-to app.

Upper Route Planner is one of the finest route planning and optimization software of 2024. It can calculate multi-stop optimized routes instantly and efficiently with automation. It can eliminate plenty of manual tasks and save you a lot of time spent on delivery operations, enabling you to focus and work on achieving core business goals.

Sign up for our 3-days FREE trial and streamline your delivery business right away!