Truck Driver Laptop Shopping Guide

It’s no secret – mobile computing has almost become a necessity for truck drivers. More places on truck routes now have cheap or free wifi, hundreds of truck stops have Redbox or Blockbuster DVD kiosks, and Skype is quickly becoming one of the go-to apps for truckers to stay in touch with their loved ones. Most of these things can be done easily on some of the newest smartphones, but we have to say, there’s no substitute for a good, durable laptop with a large screen.

With the advent of tablet computers, laptop makers had to bite the bullet to create a lower price point and a way to get more features into a thinner case. There was simply no room for bulky, slow laptop computers when anyone could get 80% of the functionality in a tablet computer like an iPad or Samsung Galaxy tablet using the Android OS. The newest models have to be light, fast, attractive and durable.

Fortunately, it seems as though most computer makers have been up to the task. We’ve noticed several models by marquee brands like Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Lenovo and HP that have great price points and lots of tricks under the hood.

So let’s look at a few of the big winners of 2012, shall we?