Best Printer for Trucking 2026: Fleet & Mobile Guide
Mobile cab printers, dispatch office printers, and BOL/shipping label printers for trucking companies and owner-operators.
Quick Answer: Best Printers for Trucking 2026
In-cab mobile: Brother PocketJet PJ-883 ($400) - rugged, full-page thermal. Dispatch office: Brother MFC-L5700DW ($400) - high-volume mono laser. Shipping labels: DYMO LabelWriter 4XL ($200) - 4x6 direct thermal.
Top 3 Picks for 2026
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DYMO LabelWriter 450 Turbo
Rollo USB Shipping Label Printer
DYMO LabelWriter 4XL
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Table of Contents
Best In-Cab Mobile Printers
Mobile printers for truck cabs need to handle extreme temperatures, vibration, and dust while printing BOLs, delivery receipts, and lumper receipts from phones or tablets.
Brother PocketJet PJ-883
Full-page mobile thermal printer
Key Features:
- Full 8.5" x 11" page printing
- Works -4F to 122F
- Bluetooth, WiFi, USB
- 12V DC car adapter available
- MIL-STD-810G rugged
- No ink - thermal printing
Best For:
- Bills of Lading
- Delivery receipts
- Lumper receipts
- Rate confirmations
- Driver logs (backup)
Why truckers love it: No ink means nothing to dry out when sitting in a hot cab. Thermal paper lasts years. Bluetooth connects to phone apps for instant printing.
Brother PocketJet PJ-773
Compact mobile thermal printer
Key Features:
- Full 8.5" page printing
- WiFi and USB
- 8 pages per minute
- Rugged construction
- Rechargeable battery option
Compared to PJ-883:
- No Bluetooth (WiFi only)
- Slightly lower temp range
- Same print quality
- $100 savings
Epson Mobilink P80 Plus
3-inch mobile receipt printer
Key Features:
- 3-inch receipt width
- Belt clip for wearable use
- 8+ hour battery life
- IP54 water/dust resistant
- Bluetooth connectivity
Best For:
- Delivery confirmation receipts
- COD collections
- Quick signature capture
- Drivers who leave the cab
Note: 3-inch receipts only - won't print full-page BOLs. Pair with a PocketJet for complete solution.
Best Dispatch Office Printers
Dispatch offices print thousands of pages: rate confirmations, carrier packets, BOLs, invoices, and compliance documents. Reliability and speed are critical.
Brother MFC-L5700DW
High-volume mono laser all-in-one
Key Features:
- 42 pages per minute
- 50,000 page monthly duty
- 70-sheet ADF
- Scan to email/folder
- Fax capability
- Super high-yield toner
Best For:
- Rate confirmations
- Carrier packets
- Bill of Lading copies
- Invoice printing
- Compliance documents
Brother MFC-L6800DW
Workgroup mono laser
Key Features:
- 48 pages per minute
- 100,000 page monthly duty
- 80-sheet ADF (single-pass duplex)
- Dual 520-sheet trays
- Enterprise security
Best For:
- Large fleet dispatch
- Multi-user offices
- Heavy document scanning
- 24/7 operations
Best Shipping Label Printers
4x6 thermal label printers are essential for freight operations, printing BOL labels, pallet labels, and shipping labels directly from TMS software.
DYMO LabelWriter 4XL
4x6 shipping label printer
Key Features:
- 4x6 direct thermal labels
- 53 labels per minute
- USB connection
- No ink needed
- Works with most TMS
Best For:
- Freight shipping labels
- Pallet labels
- BOL barcode labels
- Warehouse receiving
Zebra ZD421
Commercial thermal label printer
Key Features:
- Direct thermal or thermal transfer
- WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB
- 203 or 300 dpi resolution
- Industrial reliability
- Remote management
Best For:
- High-volume warehouses
- Cross-dock operations
- Multiple shipping stations
- Asset tracking labels
Truck Mounting Solutions
Properly mounting your in-cab printer keeps it secure and accessible:
Brother PocketJet Mounts
- Vehicle mount: PA-CM-500 mounts to dash or console
- Roll holder: PA-RH-600 for continuous paper
- Car adapter: PA-CD-600CL for 12V power
- Carrying case: CC-1000 for protection
Installation Tips
- Mount within arm's reach of driver seat
- Avoid blocking sight lines or controls
- Use vibration dampening mounts
- Keep paper protected from sun exposure
- Route power cables safely
TMS & Load Board Compatibility
Load Boards
- DAT One: Print from mobile app
- Truckstop: Bluetooth printing support
- 123Loadboard: PDF export to printer
TMS Systems
- McLeod: Network and USB printers
- TMW: Label printer integration
- Axon: Cloud printing options
- Tailwind: Mobile printing support
ELD/Compliance
- KeepTruckin: Bluetooth to PocketJet
- Samsara: Export logs to PDF
- Omnitracs: Mobile printing integration
General Printing
- Adobe Acrobat: Print any PDF
- Google Drive: Cloud document printing
- Email apps: Print attachments directly
Frequently Asked Questions
What printer do truck drivers use in the cab?
The Brother PocketJet series (PJ-883) is the most popular in-cab printer. It's compact, rugged, prints full 8.5x11 pages, runs on 12V DC power or battery, and works in extreme temperatures. Thermal printing means no ink to worry about.
What's the best printer for trucking dispatch offices?
Dispatch offices need high-volume, reliable printers for BOLs, rate confirmations, and carrier packets. The Brother MFC-L5700DW handles heavy daily use at 42 ppm. For shipping labels, a dedicated thermal printer like the DYMO LabelWriter 4XL prints 4x6 labels directly from TMS software.
Can truck drivers print Bills of Lading from their phone?
Yes! Mobile thermal printers like the Brother PocketJet connect via Bluetooth to smartphones. Load board apps, TMS mobile apps, and PDF viewers can all print to these devices. Many drivers print BOLs, lumper receipts, and delivery confirmations directly from their phone.
How much does thermal paper cost for a PocketJet?
Brother thermal paper rolls (100 sheets per roll) cost about $0.05-0.08 per sheet in bulk. A 6-pack of rolls runs about $35-50. Third-party thermal paper is available cheaper but may vary in quality. Paper lasts years in storage and won't dry out like ink.
Our Final Recommendation
For a complete trucking operation:
- Drivers: Brother PocketJet PJ-883 - industry standard, rugged, Bluetooth
- Dispatch: Brother MFC-L5700DW - high volume, scanning, fax
- Labels: DYMO LabelWriter 4XL - fast 4x6 shipping labels