The SOS network in Truck Driver is mutual help between drivers, not a rescue service. It is a simple idea: a driver in trouble should be able to tell other drivers nearby, without calling anyone or explaining the situation twice.
What happens when you press SOS
- You press SOS in the app. Coordinates, the type of help and driver details go to the SOS server. Your phone number is not part of the alert.
- The server looks for devices with SOS enabled that were active in the last 48 hours and selects those within about 30 km.
- Those drivers receive a push notification. Tapping it opens a full-screen alert with a siren and your position. Your phone number appears only after a driver accepts.
While SOS is enabled, the app sends the last known position to the server roughly every five minutes. The feature is optional and can be switched off.
What it cannot do
- It does not dispatch police, ambulance or a tow truck.
- It cannot reach a driver whose phone is off, offline, or has notifications blocked.
- It depends on GPS, mobile data and the presence of other drivers with the app nearby.
- Delivery goes through Firebase Cloud Messaging, so it is a push notification, not a guaranteed radio channel.
The network is marked beta for exactly these reasons. On a quiet route at night there may be nobody within 30 km.
When 112 comes first
Fire, injury, a person trapped, a spill of dangerous goods, a vehicle in a live lane — call the emergency services first, then use the app. The SOS network is not a substitute for the emergency number and does not replace the accident procedures your company requires.
SOS is not an emergency service. In danger to life, call 112 (or the local emergency number) before anything else.
Why it is still useful
A locked gate at a warehouse, a broken tail light, a driver who needs a witness after a minor collision, a colleague stuck without fuel — these are the situations where a driver 3 km away can help in ten minutes, while a call centre cannot. That is the whole scope of the feature.
Where the app fits
Truck Driver includes the optional SOS network with a 30 km radius and a 48-hour activity window. It works in the same 9 languages as the rest of the app and can be disabled at any time.
Truck Driver is a driver assistance tool, not a tachograph and not an emergency service.