“Owner-operators want tools, small fleets want tools, to be able to do these things. And it’s not that they’re necessarily trying to save money, usually, but they want to save time.”
--Tyler Robertson, founder of Diesel Laptops, on his business' huge success providing software/hardware to truckers for self-help in the diagnosis-and-repair process
Irmo, South Carolina-headquartered Tyler Robertson, head of the Diesel Laptops diagnostic hardware and software provider, has striven for an all-makes focus since the company's early days. In use by untold numbers of owners, as well as maintenance pros around the nation today, Diesel Laptops officially got off the ground in 2015.
In this week's Overdrive Radio podcast, walk through Robertson’s history and just what his company offers to truckers and shops to analyze fault codes, providing a diagnostic assist, even getting you to potential parts you might need to fix the problem. As Robertson suggests in the quote off the top, namely that's tools you can use to help service shops help you, as it were, with timely repairs.
Robertson and Diesel Laptops make what might be the smallest fault-code scanner in the world, pairing via Bluetooth to a smartphone app that fills out information around diagnostic clues when the dash lights up. That Diesel Laptops "Diesel Decoder" has been around for a couple of years, but recent updates allow for new functionality Robertson details in this episode. They include the ability to one-tap from a fault code straight to insight on ways to fix the problem, part numbers and pricing (whether OEM or aftermarket). Also, with a $20/month subscription, ability to:
- Force a regen;
- Get your equipment out of a derate and back on the road;
- Adjust road/cruise speed;
- Do common maintenance minder re-sets.
The unit sells retail for $350 at the company website and elsewhere.
At the Mid-America Trucking Show last month, Diesel Laptops became the latest member of the Howes Hall of Fame, where the Howes Products company pays tribute to individuals and organizations truly making a difference for trucking and farming businesses it serves -- the wider industries, too.
Even before the company's official founding, Robertson was on a mission to democratize truck and equipment diagnosis and repair. It started as a side hustle the engineer built himself, selling tools online and elsewhere.
As so many bootstrapped companies’ stories do, in fact, Diesel Laptops' starts in the trunk of Robertson's car. "I used to go to truck stops and sling tools out of the back of my car," he said. "You've got to go where the customers are."
Hear much more about Howes' reasons for honoring the company, and more of Robertson's story, in the episode:
As mentioned in the episode:
- More about Diesel Laptops and past Howes Hall of Fame inductees
- Reporting from MATS 2026
- The Howes Hall of Fame official site, where you can browse the virtual gallery of past honorees and suggest a future member yourself
[Related: The top 5 diesel fault codes, and emissions issues you can do something about]
