What to Do When a Truck Driver Won't Share Their Location

You send the tracking link and nothing happens. Or the driver writes back: "I don't do tracking apps." It's frustrating, but it's rarely personal. Drivers who push back usually have one of a few specific reasons, and each one has an answer.

Reason 1: "I don't want to be watched all the time"

This is the big one, and it's fair. Nobody wants an app that follows them home. The answer is to be clear about the limits:

• Location is shared only while tracking is on for this load.
• It goes only to the broker on this load, not to anyone else.
• It stops when the load delivers, or any time the driver taps pause.
• It is never sold and never used for ads.

Say this in your first message, not after they push back. "Tracking only runs on this load and shuts off at delivery" gets far more taps than a bare link.

Reason 2: "It kills my battery"

Some older tracking apps really did drain phones, and drivers remember. A well-built tracking app backs off when the truck is parked, relies on the phone's own location updates rather than keeping the screen awake, and stops completely at delivery. If a driver has been burned before, tell them it slows down when parked and shuts off at delivery.

Reason 3: "I already have five apps for this"

Load boards, factoring apps, ELD apps and every broker's own portal. If your tracking needs an account, a password and a profile, you're adding to the pile. Keep it to a text code and one button. The driver shouldn't have to remember anything about you after the load delivers.

Reason 4: "Just call me"

Some drivers genuinely prefer the phone, until you're the fourth broker calling that afternoon. Point out the trade: one tap now means nobody calls you for the rest of the load. For a lot of drivers, that's the selling point.

How to ask so they say yes

1. Send it early. Right when the load is covered, not when they're already driving.
2. Use your company name. A link from a name they recognize gets opened. A link from a random number doesn't.
3. Say what's in it for them. No check calls, BOL in the app, POD in one photo.
4. Keep it short. Two sentences and a link.

"Hi, it's Summit Freight on load 1043. Tap this link once and we won't need to call you for updates. Tracking shuts off at delivery."

When they still say no

Some drivers won't share location, full stop, and you'll still book them because they're good. For those loads you need a fallback that doesn't mean you on the phone every two hours:

• Automated check-in texts at sensible points: after pickup, midway, and the evening before delivery.
• Replies logged to the load with a timestamp, so you still have a record.
• A standing offer in each text: "tap the link any time and we'll stop texting."

You'd be surprised how many drivers tap the link on day two once they realize it makes the texts stop.

What not to do

Don't make tracking a threat. "Share location or you don't get paid" might work once, but drivers talk, and good carriers have options. Don't track anyone without their knowledge, either. It's a fast way to lose a carrier and it can cross legal lines. Location sharing should always be something the driver turns on themselves.

HaulEye was designed around these objections: one tap to start, tracking only on the load, shutoff at delivery, and an assistant that texts drivers who don't use the app. The driver app is free and drivers never pay.