Best Options for Music on the Road
All of our trucks have a built-in CD player. A lot of drivers are satisfied with packing their favorite albums along for a trip. However, that requires thinking ahead, loading up of the albums, which take up room, and it is extremely limiting in terms of music selection once you’re on the road.
You’re probably familiar with music streaming, where you create an online account in order to be able to listen to music without purchasing or owning it. These are also great for podcasts. Most of our trucks are equipped with an auxiliary input which makes it very simple to play your streamed music through the truck’s audio system.
Here are our drivers’ favorite streaming services:
Spotify - With access to over 30 million songs and countless public playlists, you’re sure to find just about anything you’re looking for with Spotify. Plus the interface is great and very simple to use.
A popular feature of Spotify is the ability to create and share playlists. You can browse other people’s playlists, or create your own. There are playlists out there specifically created for truck drivers. Simply type truck driving in the search bar, and click on the playlists results.
Feeling a simple mood or genre? Looking for some new music along the same lines as your favorite? Simply click Browse - Genres & Moods, to see a list of playlists that will suit you. It’s as simple as that! Or, if you want, create your own playlist! In your downtime at home, load it up with your favorite music and let it play through while you’re on the road.
The best part - all of these features are available for free! However, for $9.99/month, you can purchase the premium version. This will eliminate ads and allow you to save and play the music you choose without using your phone’s data. This can save you from costly data overage charges from your mobile phone provider.
The only drawback to Spotify is that there are certainly gaps in the music selection. A selection of major artists, including Taylor Swift, Adele, and Prince have pulled their music off the platform due to low royalty rates.
Apple Music - While Apple Music certainly addresses some gaps in Spotify’s big-name music library, there is no free version available. However, they do offer a 3-month full trial, and the paid version is the same as Spotify at $9.99. There is also a family-friendly plan that can save you money if you have multiple members of your household using the platform, instead of paying for six individual accounts.
A large draw for Apple Music in the eyes of younger users is its integration with Beats 1, a 24-hour live radio station where well-known deejays play the most popular hits for listeners around the globe.
Pandora - While Spotify and Apple Music give you access to an enormous music library—allowing you to select your favorite music on-demand—Pandora, similarly, provides access to a similar volume of music, but it’s not on demand.
Pandora is unique in that it learns what type of music you like and don’t like, and provides you with the music that it believes you’ll enjoy. While this is great for learning about new music, and taking choice out of the equation, it can be frustrating for users who want to listen to a specific song or album.
Whichever route you decide to take when it comes to music on the road, please be smart and safe. Playlists are a great option. Some playlists, on Spotify in particular, can have hundreds of songs, meaning they’ll provide non-stop music for hours at a time. This prevents frequent interaction, which can distract drivers.
Happy driving and happy listening everyone!