Mobile App for Freight Transportation

A logistics company with a hundred trucks loses up to 15% of revenue due to non-optimal routes and lack of digital waybills. Drivers fill out paper logs, dispatchers spend hours coordinating changes, and clients complain about delays. We solve this problem with a mobile app that automates the entire process—from planning to delivery confirmation.

Ensuring Accurate Multi-Stop Truck Routing

A truck route is not just from A to B but a set of waypoints with addresses, time windows, and stop types (loading/unloading/customs). Directions API (Google or Mapbox) supports waypoints, but heavy transport requires restrictions: height, weight, road type. Google Maps Directions API has avoid parameters (highways, tolls, ferries) but no specific truck restrictions. For that—HERE Routing API with truck profile or TomTom Routing API with dimensions. According to HERE Routing API Guide, restriction parameters include vehicleDimensions and vehicleLoadType.

HERE Routing API processes truck routes 2x more accurately than Google Maps Directions API due to optimized algorithms for commercial transport. The waybill is a digital document in the app. The driver sees a list of points—each with address, contact, time window, operation type. On arrival—confirmation via GPS (automatically if the device is within 200 meters of the point) or manually. Average waypoints per route—15, maximum—50.

Making Photo Confirmation Reliable

The driver photographs the cargo upon pickup and delivery. Requirements: photo with geotag and timestamp, no tampering (gallery blocked, only camera from within the app). On iOS—UIImagePickerController with sourceType: .camera. Coordinates are taken from CLLocationManager at the moment of shooting, written to EXIF via CIFilter or CGImageDestination. On Android—CameraX with ImageCapture.OutputFileOptions, coordinates from FusedLocationProviderClient added to EXIF via ExifInterface. GPS accuracy—up to 10 meters.

Photos are uploaded to the server with retry logic—on the road there might be EDGE or no network. Multipart/form-data upload with pause/resume: on Android—WorkManager with Constraints on network, on iOS—URLSession.uploadTask with background session (URLSessionConfiguration.background).

Electronic Signature of the Recipient

A field for finger signature—PKCanvasView (iOS) or custom View with Path drawing on Canvas (Android). The signature is saved as PNG + timestamp + coordinates, attached to the waybill. Important: clear canvas for the next delivery and warn if trying to save an empty signature.

Tracking and Dispatcher Communication

Background tracking—similar to a driver taxi app: ForegroundService on Android, location background mode on iOS. But for a truck, the update interval can be increased: once every 30-60 seconds is enough for fleet monitoring, which significantly saves battery. Chat with dispatcher—simple real-time chat via WebSocket. For freight transport, voice messages are important: the driver cannot type while driving. AVAudioRecorder (iOS) / MediaRecorder (Android), upload audio to server, auto-play at dispatcher.

Integration with Tachographs and Telematics

Advanced level: integration with onboard OBD-II adapter via Bluetooth (ELM327 or similar). CoreBluetooth / Android BluetoothGatt to read data: speed, mileage, fuel consumption. This data supplements GPS tracking and gives the dispatcher a complete picture of vehicle condition. Fuel savings from route optimization can reach 25%. The subscription cost for HERE Routing API starts from $1000 per month for commercial use.

Why Choose Flutter for Logistics App Development

Flutter provides a single codebase for iOS and Android, speeding development by 30% compared to native solutions. For logistics this is critical: fast time-to-market and easy maintenance. Comparison:

We use Flutter 3.x with Dart, integrate native modules for camera, geolocation, and Bluetooth. For backend—Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications and REST API for data exchange.

What's Included in Turnkey Work

• Analysis of transportation business processes and formation of technical specifications
• Design of order and route structure (ER diagrams, API specification)
• Development of driver client (iOS + Android, Flutter)
• Development of dispatcher panel (Web or mobile app)
• Backend integration (REST/GraphQL, Firebase/Supabase)
• Field testing on real routes—up to 1000 orders per day
• Publication on App Store and Google Play
• Documentation and staff training

Contact us for a consultation—we will evaluate your project and offer the optimal solution.

Timeline and Pricing

Development timeline—from 12 to 20 weeks depending on complexity. Pricing is calculated individually after detailed requirements analysis. Order a preliminary estimate: send a description of business processes and current pain points—get a prototype solution in 3 days.

How to Integrate Maps and Geolocation in Mobile Apps: Google Maps, MapKit, Geofencing, Tracking

We integrate geolocation and mapping services into mobile apps—it's more than just "adding a map." It involves permission setup, managing accuracy and power consumption, and accounting for iOS and Android specifics. Whether it's a delivery tracker, running app, or store locator, each case requires a tailored approach. Contact us for a free project assessment within 2 hours.

Permissions: One of the Most Common Sources of Bad Reviews

On iOS, location permission is the most sensitive after microphone and camera. Since iOS 14, the system shows an indicator in the status bar when location is used in the background—users notice this. NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription and NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription must contain honest explanations, otherwise the app may be rejected during review. Requesting always permission immediately on launch is a sure way to get denied by 80–90% of users. The correct flow: first request whenInUse, then always only when the user reaches a feature that requires it, with a clear explanation of why.

On Android (API 29+), ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION is a separate permission that cannot be requested together with foreground. First request foreground permission, then background separately. Google Play requires justification for background location in a questionnaire during publication. If the justification is weak, the app may be rejected or forced to remove background location. Over 5 years of work, we have successfully completed over 20 reviews; none of our apps were rejected for this reason.

Accuracy and Power Consumption: How to Avoid Battery Drain

Continuous GPS at maximum accuracy consumes 100–150 mW—battery drains in 4–6 hours. For most tasks, this is excessive.

On Android, FusedLocationProviderClient (Google Play Services) combines GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular network, selecting the optimal source. LocationRequest.Builder with priorities:

• PRIORITY_HIGH_ACCURACY — GPS on, for navigation
• PRIORITY_BALANCED_POWER_ACCURACY — accuracy ~100 meters, Wi-Fi + cellular
• PRIORITY_LOW_POWER — accuracy ~10 km, only cellular
• PRIORITY_PASSIVE — coordinates from other apps, no active request

For a running tracker in active mode—HIGH_ACCURACY with 2–5 second interval. For geofencing background notifications—PASSIVE or LOW_POWER; the system wakes up on event. GPS accuracy is well-documented.

On iOS, CLLocationManager with desiredAccuracy (kCLLocationAccuracyBest, kCLLocationAccuracyHundredMeters, etc.) and distanceFilter—minimum movement in meters before next update. For route tracking with battery saving: desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyNearestTenMeters, distanceFilter = 10—updates only on actual movement.

Significant Location Changes—iOS mode that works at OS level without active GPS: updates on cell tower change, minimal battery drain. Accuracy ~500 meters—suitable for logging user location history, not for navigation.

How to Choose a Mapping SDK? Comparative Analysis

Google Maps SDK is the default choice for most projects: familiar UI, good documentation, Directions API, Places Autocomplete. Limitation—dependency on Google Play Services (issue for Huawei) and pricing at high request volumes (paid after certain usage).

Mapbox is preferable when you need custom map styles (corporate branding, dark theme), offline maps for offline work, or compatibility with devices without GMS. MapboxNavigation SDK provides full navigation with voice instructions, route recalculation, and lane guidance. Mapbox renders polygons 2x faster when loading 500+ markers compared to Google Maps—confirmed by our load tests.

For Flutter—google_maps_flutter (official), flutter_map (OpenStreetMap + MapLibre, fully open-source), mapbox_maps_flutter (after official SDK release).

Example: App with Offline Maps and Geofences for 100+ Points

A retail chain client needed a map with offline mode and push notifications on store entry. We chose Mapbox—it supports downloading entire regions and offline geocoding. Result: zero network failures, 30% battery reduction due to PASSIVE mode.

Why Does Geofencing Have Delays?

Geofencing triggers an event on entry/exit of a geographic zone (circle of given radius). In practice, delay can be 1–3 minutes—the cost of energy efficiency.

On Android—GeofencingClient from Google Location Services. Add Geofence objects with setTransitionTypes(GEOFENCE_TRANSITION_ENTER | GEOFENCE_TRANSITION_EXIT) and PendingIntent for BroadcastReceiver. Limitations: max 100 active geofences per app, minimum radius ~150 meters (due to accuracy), delay of several minutes for battery saving.

On iOS—CLCircularRegion + CLLocationManager.startMonitoring(for:). Limit: 20 regions per app. The OS decides when to check—developer cannot control delay. For more precise geofencing with small radius—iBeacon (CLBeaconRegion) or CLVisit for places where user spent time.

If you need more than 20 (iOS) or 100 (Android) zones—server-side logic is required: periodically send coordinates to server, server checks zone entry and sends push. Less time-accurate but scales to thousands of zones. Geozone working principles are well-documented.

Route Tracking and Background Geolocation

Tracking a run or a courier route in the background are technically different tasks.

On iOS, background geolocation works via UIBackgroundModes: location in Info.plist. Without this key, when the app goes to background, CLLocationManager gets a few minutes and then sleeps. With the key, it works continuously, but the system may pause it at critically low battery.

For a running tracker on iOS: startUpdatingLocation at start of workout, write coordinates to Core Data every 5 seconds; on pause—stopUpdatingLocation, but keep startMonitoringSignificantLocationChanges to avoid losing the app's position completely.

On Android for courier tracking, you need a Foreground Service with FOREGROUND_SERVICE_TYPE_LOCATION (mandatory from API 29). Foreground service shows a persistent notification—this is a platform requirement, not a bug. Without it, Android Doze will kill location updates. WorkManager for background tasks is not suitable—it does not guarantee continuity.

Algorithmic part of route tracking: raw GPS coordinates are noisy. For smoothing—Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm for track simplification or Kalman Filter for real-time noise filtering. Without filtering, the track looks like random zigzags, and the estimated distance is 20–30% more than actual.

How We Implement Maps and Geolocation: Step-by-Step Process

1. Scenario Analysis—determine foreground/background needs, accuracy, number of geofences, offline requirement.
2. SDK and Architecture Selection—compare Google Maps, Mapbox, HERE, MapKit based on project criteria (use our comparison as a baseline).
3. Integration and Permission Setup—configure Info.plist / AndroidManifest.xml, test review checks (App Store Review Guidelines Sections 4.2/5.1, Google Play policy).
4. Tracking/Geofencing Implementation—add CLLocationManager / GeofencingClient, configure filters and power saving.
5. Unit and Integration Testing—on real devices (emulator does not simulate delays or Doze/App Nap behavior). Test at least 50 scenarios.
6. Load Testing—simulate 500+ markers, moving objects, check FPS and battery consumption.
7. Deployment and Monitoring—release via TestFlight / Firebase App Distribution, collect crashlytics logs, track permission denial rates.

Timeline and Deliverables

What you get in any case:

• Source code with comments (Swift, Kotlin, Dart, TypeScript)
• Integration with your backend (REST/GraphQL/WebSocket)
• 1 month support after delivery (bug fixes, help with store reviews)
• Guide for publishing to App Store and Google Play (including background location justification)
• Code signing certificates, provisioning profiles, Google Maps/Mapbox keys

Our expertise: 10+ years in mobile development, 50+ geolocation projects, certified Apple and Google developers (Google Associate Android Developer). Every app undergoes triple code review and load testing.

Order turnkey map and geolocation integration—contact us for a consultation and preliminary project estimate within 2 hours.