Taking and receiving calls as a truck driver on the road can be hazardous. You need to answer work-related calls, but you also don’t want to stop the truck every time you receive one. This is why bluetooth headsets are such a boon to modern truck drivers, improving their safety factors a dozen times over. When you spend countless hours on the road delivering goods all across the country, truckers need a reliable wireless headset.
Truck drivers can spend upwards of weeks in their trucks with only their radios and phones to keep them company. Whether it’s for work or for keeping up with loved ones, truckers need headsets built for them in their gear toolbox.
Talking and Driving Laws
Some states are cracking down on dangerous distracted driving by passing laws enforcing it. California passed a law that bars drivers from talking on the phone without some sort of hands-free device. Truckers face other dangers on top of answering phones. For those who drive through the night, exhaustion is never far away. There’s also the danger of driving hypnosis from the monotony of the same dull action day after day. Weather plays a huge role in safety, as well as other, possibly reckless drivers who pose a threat.
Honestly, truckers have enough to worry about in the daily grind without stressing about answering their next phone call. FMCSA regulations forbid truckers from engaging in distracted phone conversations where their hands might leave the wheel for even a second. This makes headsets an absolute necessity for truckers. Truck drivers are an especially big concern for this since their vehicles essentially triple the damage output in an accident.
Headsets enable truckers to drive and talk simultaneously, and Bluetooth technology that can react to your voice and answer calls automatically is a major boon. The only problem lies in which one to choose. These days, tons of different brands exist. How do truck drivers know which brand to pick and why? What advantages do some offer over others? And how will you know which one is just perfect for you?
The Importance of Using a Headset While Driving
Distracted driving, even something as simple as holding your phone while you’re talking, is exceedingly dangerous. It’s spelled game over for so many unfortunate motorists, including truckers. Whether through no fault of their own or negligence in keeping their hands on the wheel, too many die every year from distracted driving. And again, police are on the lookout for such distractions, and they aren’t above pulling big semis over.
Luckily, the headset was invented. It’s just like it sounds — a phone set that attaches to your head. You can talk and drive at the same time while keeping your hands on the wheel. And since Bluetooth controls many devices, it’s possible to answer a call without even touching the device.
By being voice-activated, you simply have to speak to the device to take the call, which also saves time and attention for the road in front. Besides all that, truckers operate under strict regulations preventing them from talking on the phone without headsets, meaning they could be fined, suspended, or even fired for violating this rule.
The better headsets, like anything else, can run a bit on the expensive side, but it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re planning on using it a lot. If you haven’t found one yet, you might surprise yourself by how handy they are to have, and how easy they are to use.
What to Look for When Buying a Trucker Headset
It’s not as simple as just going out and buying a headset. There are a lot of factors you have to consider. Truck drivers, where some live pretty much on the road, have unique needs to take into considerations. Features such as comfort, sound clarity, noise cancellation, battery length and obviously Bluetooth capability are musts for truckers. Here’s an overview of headset features and functionality to consider if you’re a truck driver:
- Bluetooth: This is almost non-negotiable since it’s required to activate remotely. Fortunately, it’s rather hard to find one without it.
- Noise Cancellation: For instance, trucks are extremely noisy vehicles, so you’ll want a headset that has excellent noise cancellation and can block out external distractions for better calls.
- Talk Time: This is a big factor in the usefulness of your device, especially since you’ll spend so long on the road and you’ll need a guarantee that you’ll have plenty of time in which to communicate.
- Range: Naturally, range is super important, especially if your routes commonly take you into the mountains where the signal is scarce.
- Voice Control: This one is also a biggie since you don’t want to drown the hearing of the person on the other end.
- Functionality: Hey, this one just goes without saying — it won’t be much use to you if it doesn’t even work properly.
- Battery Life: You may not have a means of charging it remotely. Long battery life is utterly critical. You never know when your next call will come in in relation to your next pit stop.
Best Trucker Bluetooth Headsets
Here are our top 5 wireless headsets for truck drivers.
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1. Yamay Pro Trucker Wireless Headset
For under $50, this sleek little driving headset is ideal as an entry level headset. Its long-lasting battery (17 hours talk time, 200 hours standby with only 2 hour charge time) the Yamay Pro Trucker headset is great for lengthy over the road truck trips.
But how does the sound quality fair? For an inexpensive headset, its noise cancellation feature is pretty good. Its ability to minimize background noise and enhance voice quality fairs pretty well for a headset at this price.
This mono headset has a soft ear pad, its headband is adjustable, and the overall physical design makes the Pro Trucker headset stand out when it comes to comfort.
Another great feature of this Pro Trucker wireless headset is its Dual Device Connection or multipoint mode, that allows you to connect to 2 bluetooth devices simultaneously. Why is this important? If you’re a truck driver, you may have 2 smartphones – one for work and the other for personal use. You can easily switch from one phone to another.
When you’re not using the Yamay headset for communicating, truckers can use it to listen to music, which makes it a practical headset.
Customer Reviews & Ratings
With over 400 reviews, the Yamay Pro Trucker bluetooth headset has an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars – an excellent rating for an entry level headset.
Amazon Customer Testimonials
This headset is great! There sound quality is wonderful and the battery lasts me all day. Everyone on the other end of the line has said that I sound great too. My favorite thing about this headset is the charging base; it feels nice and heavy, has a nice soft touch texture to it, and is super convenient to use. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a quality Bluetooth mono headset that isn’t priced ridiculously high.
Verified Amazon customer
I love that this headset is sturdy…it’s not a flimsy set that feels like it can fall off in an instant. The sound quality is outstanding. I use it for work off my laptop and my clients come in clear, very little interference. I have one ear free to hear my children if they need me, which was important to me when choosing a way to effectively communicate with my clients over the internet…but that also means that noise cancellation isn’t the best. But it’s exactly what I wanted and needed for my job and family. And I love the stand that sits right next to my laptop!!
Verified Amazon customer
2. BlueParrott B550-XT Bluetooth Headset
This sturdy, robust bluetooth headset is at the top end of the price range. It’s excellent in noise cancellation, it’s what they’re known for. The company boasts that these wireless headsets can block 96% of background noise. When talking on the headset, reducing the loud sounds when driving an 18 wheeler, as well as all the wind and outside noise, is what you want as a truck driver.
Amazon customers rated the B550 XT’s sound quality a 4.3 out of 5. Calls and music are clear, and it has a nice balanced sound. This headset may not fair well in the office, in terms of sound quality, but it’s top notch in a loud and noisy environment.
The big difference between the BlueParrott B550 XT and its predecessor B450 XT is the voice control feature. The B550 XT has Voice Control Pro, which responds to voice commands for hands-free activation, and allows drivers the ability to manage calls and control apps easily and safely. You can also access your phone’s voice assistant feature.
With 24-hour talk time and 500 hours standby, long haul truckers will enjoy this headset feature. Among the bluetooth headsets in this review, the BlueParrott B550 XT and Plantronics Voyager 104 have the longest battery life which is critical when your job takes you on the road for extended periods.
The revised design of the B550 XT gives this headset an advantage over the others. It’s solid, rugged and durable yet weighing only 5.8 oz. The ear cup is made of sheep skin, which is soft and comfortable. However, its bulky design can take some time to get used to compared to other headsets. It gets somewhat uncomfortable when wearing glasses while using the headset, but adjusting the headband will do the trick.
Customer Reviews & Rating
PCMag rates the B550 XT a 4 out of 5, which is an excellent rating.
3. Plantronics Voyager 104
The bluetooth Voyager 104 is made by Plantronics, whose been producing audio communications equipment since 1961. It’s built with truckers in mind, with a single charge providing up to 24 hours of battery life.
The noise cancellation is this wireless headsets’ best feature boasting the elimination of 99.6% of external racket. When on a call, the noise-rejecting microphone does a good job of allowing the other side to hear you clearly. And the ear cup creates a nice seal around your ear so that you can hear easily.
The padded headband and on-ear cup for this mono headset make the Voyager 104 comfortable for extended periods. Aside from adjusting the headband, you can also customize the length of the snake boom for your comfort. It’s also moisture resistant and its glove-friendly controls benefit those who work outdoors.
However, it has an unfortunate tendency to drop the Bluetooth connection from time to time and it can have difficulty connecting to devices. The ear cup also seems to be a bit on the small side, making-perfect fitting difficult.
Customer Reviews & Ratings
With over 150 customer reviews, the Voyager received an average of 4 out of 5 stars.
Amazon Customer Testimonials
My 6 year old 250xt+ finally crapped out on me. I tried everything to keep it breathing but it wouldn’t have it. Because I’m “frugal” I found a refurbished 350xt on ebay for a deal but was rather put off with the inside the speaker mike boom in addition to the poor connection. Free returns are great! I’d been eyeing this one up and watched several YouTube reviews and decided to bite the bullet. So my thoughts after 3 days is that wow it connects fast and sounds amazing. My wife thought I was at a dock when I was cruising down the highway with the windows down. The volume could be louder as others have claimed but there is an android hack where you can override the limitations if you go into developer mode. Google how. Once inside the Developer options, scroll all the way down to the “Networking” section. Here, enable the toggle next to “Disable absolute volume”.
Verified Amazon customer
4. Willful M91 Bluetooth Headset for Truckers
For under $50, the Willful M91 bluetooth headset is an attractive choice for its price and overall quality. Its ease of use and straightforward functionality are what endeared us to M91. Easy to pair your phone device with the headset.
Sound clarity and its capability to block out surrounding noise make this headset a great choice for truckers.
The M91 has a very attractive design. The headband is covered in soft material for comfort. The boom mic is also adjustable to just about any angle.
Customer Reviews & Ratings
Amazon Customer Testimonials
My fiancé is a truck driver and he took this on a trip with him and I could hear him clear as day and he could hear me perfectly. He had the window down st one point and I couldn’t hear anything besides him. His last set of headphones I could hear everything from the CB going off to the radio and everything in between. We are very glad we decided to purchase this headset.
Verified Amazon customer
I bought this trucker Bluetooth headset about a month ago.
Verified Amazon customer
As a truck driver, I was looking for something with great noise canceling on phone calls and some times can also listen to music with great sound quality.
When I was driving,my friends can always hear me very clearly without any background noise. This bluetooth headset feels soft, with padded earpad and headband seems high quality. The overall design won’t let you feel it is with top quality , but it definitely gets the job well.
It fits with my head and the over ear is very comfortable.And one thing I have to say,it is easy to pair and easy to use.
This is the most comfortable headset I’ve ever worn…
5. Mpow Pro Trucker Bluetooth Headset
Mpow Pro Trucker bluetooth headset is an excellent option for truck drivers looking for their first wireless headset. It’s the cheapest of the 5 reviewed, however, it packs a punch.
This headset has a very sleek and attractive in design. The earpads are made of memory foam for maximum comfort and the device has a total of 18 hours of talk time, as well as full, wireless versatility. Even better, it can connect with up to two Bluetooth devices at one time. However, again, they can be a little uncomfortable around the head due to the headband design and the soundproofing is so good that it can actually create a bit of a vacuum.
Customer Reviews & Rating
With over 5,000 reviews, Mpow headset received a rating of 4 stars out of 5. Tried, tested and loved.
Amazon Customer Testimonials
Well I’m surprised,I’m a truck driver and definitely works great and you can’t even beat the price absolutely nothing to regret! Is not heavy, fits perfect on your head and it doesn’t even hurt your ear, perfect hearing and noise cancellation is great, no doubt i spend my money on something that works great! I bought 2 no regrets!!!!!!!!!
Verified Amazon customer
Summary
Thankfully, the advent of technology changed the way we look at phone calls and distractions they may cause. Bluetooth has seen the rise of wireless calls and voice-activated devices. This is a huge step forward. Truckers looking for a simple, easy-to-use method of communication while they focus on their work don’t have to worry anymore. And if their budgets are flexible, they’re guaranteed to find something they like that will aid them immensely on the daily grind.
It is worthwhile to complete things that are worth starting and ending. Smart people always do things from beginning to end.
I found these reviews of trucker bluetooth headsets to be helpful. It can be frustrating trying to sort through the many products out there. It doesn’t matter if you want a TV, an electric toothbrush, or a truck driver headset. Most of the time you’re going to come up with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of results which is why I like review articles and those with links to the vendor.
What OTR driver wouldn’t want a truck driver headset? When you’re stuck on the road for hours, it’s nice to be able to call people up on your phone without worrying about getting pulled over? Some of the Bluetooth headsets here look good and economical. When I look for a Bluetooth headset I look for a sturdy one that can take being thrown around (like me).
You really don’t know the particulars of trying to make a call as a truck driver unless you’ve driven truck. I know people who use cell phones while they’re driving but not only is it illegal, it’s dangerous (deadly) and plan stupid. However, a hands-free unit has to meet the special requirements of being in a noisy place and where a trucker’s bluetooth headset needs to hold a charge.
For me, I’m looking for something with a long battery life and high-quality noise reduction. This article points out a key problem—the sheer amount of noise in a cab that can make communication difficult without the right truck driver headset. For me, the BlueParrott B550-XT Bluetooth Headset seems like the right fit (plus the promo photo looks badass like the guy is calling in an airstrike LOL).
First thing to clarify, I am not a truck driver but several friends are as well as a relative and they’ve repeatedly told me what a dangerous job it can be whether it’s road conditions, four-wheelers, or bad weather. At the same time, they have to take calls but how to do so when they need to focus on driving? That’s where a good truck driver headset comes in handy for them. They all have good headsets but I don’t know if they’ve seen some of these. I’m going to send them links to this article for when they need their next Bluetooth headset.