Cookie Policy - How TruckerConnections Uses Cookies
Plain English. No legalese theater. This page explains exactly what cookies we set, why we set them, who else can read them, and how to turn the optional ones off without breaking the site.
Last updated: May 28, 2026 · Effective date: May 28, 2026
What Cookies Are and Why We Use Them
A cookie is a small text file a website stores on your device - phone, tablet, or laptop - so it can remember things between visits. On TruckerConnections, cookies keep you logged in between truck stop Wi-Fi sessions, remember whether you picked the dark theme for night driving, measure which pages drivers actually find useful, and help us cut romance-scam profiles before they reach you. Some cookies are essential to make the site work at all; others are optional and only run if you accept them through our consent banner.
The short version
We use four categories of cookies: Essential (always on, required for login and security), Functional (theme, language, preferences), Analytics (anonymous traffic data via Google Analytics), and Advertising (targeted ads from partners). Only the first category runs without your permission.
Types of Cookies on TruckerConnections
Each cookie has a purpose and a shelf life. The table below lists every category we set, what it does, and how long it sticks around on your device. Session cookies disappear when you close the browser; persistent cookies live until they expire or you delete them manually.
| Category | What It Does | Examples | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Keeps you logged in, secures your session, protects against CSRF and bot abuse. Required - the site won't work without these. | session ID, CSRF token, load balancer cookie | Session only or up to 24 hours |
| Functional | Remembers your preferences - dark or light theme, language, dismissed banners, last-used route filter on profile search. | theme=dark, route_pref=I-80, banner_dismissed | Up to 12 months |
| Analytics | Anonymous traffic measurement: which pages drivers visit, time on page, device type, approximate IP region. We use Google Analytics 4. No personal identifiers. | _ga, _ga_*, _gid (Google Analytics) | Up to 24 months |
| Advertising | Lets advertising partners show you relevant ads on other sites after you visit ours, and measure ad performance. Set by third-party networks. | Web beacons, advertising IDs, persistent device identifiers | Up to 13 months |
You can browse TruckerConnections with only Essential cookies enabled. Turning off Functional cookies means the site will forget your theme choice every visit; turning off Analytics and Advertising changes nothing visible to you.
Third-Party Cookies and Analytics Partners
Some cookies on this site are set by trusted third parties, not by TruckerConnections directly. We use Google Analytics 4 for aggregate traffic measurement (which pages drivers find useful, where they drop off, what device they're on). We also work with advertising partners who may set Web beacons, persistent device identifiers, and advertising IDs to measure ad performance and show you relevant ads on other websites you visit later.
We do not sell your personal data to these partners. Each third party has its own privacy policy - we recommend reviewing Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy if you want the full detail on how they handle analytics data. You can also opt out of Google Analytics specifically by installing the official Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
A note on "Do Not Track"
Most browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. Because there is still no industry-wide standard for how sites should honor DNT, TruckerConnections does not currently respond to DNT signals. Instead, we give you a granular cookie consent banner on your first visit and a clear way to change your mind at any time - described in the next section.
Managing Your Cookie Consent
You're in control of every optional cookie category. Here's how to set, change, or fully withdraw your consent - three options, in order of how granular they are.
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Use Our Cookie Consent Banner
On your first visit, an opt-in banner appears at the bottom of the screen. Pick "Accept All" for the full experience, "Essential Only" for the minimum, or "Customize" to toggle Functional, Analytics, and Advertising individually. You can reopen the banner anytime by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer.
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Adjust Your Browser Settings
Every modern browser - Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge - lets you block third-party cookies, clear existing cookies, or refuse all cookies entirely. Look under Settings → Privacy & Security. Blocking Essential cookies will log you out and break account features, so we recommend blocking by category rather than wholesale.
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Withdraw Consent at Any Time
Changed your mind after accepting? Reopen the consent banner from the footer link, switch any category to "off," and save. Your previous analytics or advertising cookies will be deleted on your next visit, and no new ones in those categories will be set. You can also email [email protected] to request a full erasure under GDPR or CCPA.
Updates to This Policy
If we add a new cookie category, change a retention period, or onboard a new analytics or advertising partner, we will update this page and revise the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes will also trigger a fresh consent banner on your next visit, so you can re-confirm your choices. For broader data questions, see our Privacy Policy, or read about how we keep members safe in our Safety Tips. Questions? Reach the team via the Contact page.