GPS laptop or stand alone model ?

Laptop all the way because you have the capability to multitask, you get a big picture view, you can not only see the street you are on but also the surrounding streets as well, and you can easily access aerial photos. I have both but the standalone can’t compete with my laptop. In fact, it is not even a contest.

 

I use Streets & Trips. I simply plug in the fuel routing my company sends me, which is a legal truck route. In other words, I right click my current location on the map and choose route and add as start. Then I enter the address to the shipper, then I add the address of my consignee, then click get directions in the route planner pane. Next, I add my fueling location which should be on the route that was created in Streets & Trips. I right click my fueling location and choose route from the quick menu and then add as stop from the submenu to do this. Next, I right click the fueling location, choose route, and then get directions, which then regenerates the route with the fueling location added as a stop.

Next, I compare the route generated by Streets & Trips to the legal truck route supplied by my company via qualcom and if there are any differences, I drag and drop the route in Streets & Trips to match my company supplied truck routes, but most of the time they are identical. Once the route is checked to make sure it is identical to the truck route my company sent me, I save it using my trip number.

The thing I really like about Streets & Trips is you can get aerial pictures of the maps at the click of a button. Then you can use those aerial pictures to find your shippers and consignees.

For instance, just follow your company directions on the map in Streets & Trips to your shippers and consignees, then when you are where your shipper or consignee is supposed to be located on the map, click the bing map button. An aerial picture will appear in a browser window.

Locate your shipper or consignee's physical location using the aerial picture, then once located, locate the entrance way to your shipper or consignee via the aerial photo. Next, place a pushpin on the Streets & Trips map where you believe the entrance way is located. Next, right click the pushpin you placed on the map, and choose zoom. The pushpin is automatically centered on the map, click the bing map button again.

A new aerial picture will appear in a browser window. Zoom in all the way, then press, birds eye view, a small square will drop to the center of the aerial picture. If you push pinned the entrance way correctly, the small square should fall directly over the entrance way. If you didn't slide the pushpin to the correct location for it to be in the small square.

Repeat the process, right click the pushpin, choose zoom from the quick menu to center the pushpin, and then click the bing map button again, zoom the aerial picture all the way in and then hit the birds eye button , the small square drops again, and if the small square drops directly over the entrance way, congratulations you have just pinpointed the exact location on the map where the entrance way to the facility you are going to is located.

Next, right click the pushpin, choose route from the quick menu and add as stop or add as end from the submenu, depending on whether it is the shipper or consignee. Next, right click the pushpin again and choose route from the quick menu and then get directions from the submenu and your route to your shipper or consignee's entrance way, depending on which one you are working on, is created.

Hence, when you drive to your shippers and consignees, you will not have to look for any signs or have to read any address numbers as Streets & Trips will give you precise turn-by-turn directions directly to the entrance way of your shippers and consignees, and try like I have, I just can't quite do that with my stand alone GPS.

 

Not all aerial pictures are equal. Some are very dated, so you don't always see what you should.

For best results, I would use the stand alone with a laptop. As the quoted author stated, the lap-top is excellent when used within close proximity of the location you are going, simply because you can see a lot more of the area.

The real issue, is over spending. I know too many drivers who have spent $500-$800 on GPS units, that fail them at the most inopportune time.

I have about $200 in mine and it's 2 years old. I'm constantly on the phone with a friend who purchased a more expensive "truck" gps, finding streets and routes for him.

 

In the last 12 months the aerial photos have improved significantly and are now much more up to date. I agree that in the past like in some states like Tennessee, for instance, they were black and white and not very clear, but if you haven't checked recently they are now color and pretty close to being up to date.

Now I disagree on the stand alone, I bought one and don't even hardly use it, because with the laptop, you don't need it. Not to mention that it is too hard and frustrating to manipulate the routes the way you need them.

In addition you can only do one thing with a GPS but with a laptop I can multitask and use if for a whole array of things.

However, the biggest issue is the cost involved. For instance, staples has Streets & Trips on sale for 14.95 right now, while it cost me $90 a year to update my maps on my stand alone GPS that I hardly ever use.

 

Not if you know what you're doing. I route, re-direct and add stops on the fly. I have a Garmin 205w which is considered "old".

People often talk about how limited they are on way points with a GPS. Only because they're being lazy about how they do it. It's never an issue for me to have multiple stops.

All I want my GPS to do...is get me there.

The software cost you $19.95, not including the receiver unit.

Garmin offers lifetime updates for one "not so low" price. But the overall cost is not that bad when you consider what you're getting.

 

True you can do all of that on the fly but every time you deviate from your route it recalculates and changes the route. I know, I have one and I can do all those things too. Now, when I'm on vacation with the family its great to have, but for over the road in an 18-wheeler, it is way over rated as Street and Trips can do the same thing way better and for a lot less. Not tome mention that I have to use reading glasses and can't stand manipulating maps in that tiny thing.

What if you want to check the mileage to the next truck stop or drop lot, or route around a traffic back up, or check if you should accept a preplan? I do all of those thing with Streets & Trip because I can open up several instances of Streets & Trips simultaneously and use them without disturbing the instance that contains my trip.

If I used just a standalone GPS alone, I wouldn't be able to multitask and time is money in my pocket in this business.

I don't buy a new GPS receiver every year. Do you?

We basically agree on the cost.

 

Not an issue with me. I usually have an answer to a pre-plan within seconds. Nearest truckstop within seconds as well, without interfering with my current routing.

Re-routing, around traffic....BIG red detour button on the screen...one click and done. It returns to the previous route, most times.

Of course I miss the big screen at times. But it's not that big a deal. I'm waiting for the 7 inch Garmin to come down in price though

The cost for map updates is about the same, when spread out over a 5 year period. Intial start-up cost are higher on the GPS, unless you have to purchase a lap-top. But back end cost of having a laptop take a dump in the floor, or some other unforeseen #### up....can be tremendous.

I use both as well. But the lap-top stays in it's protected case, unless I have need for it. Which has been never, in the past 2 1/2 years.

I bought the GPS to remove the laptop from the driver area of my truck, and protect my higher costing investment.

 

I agree regarding keeping the laptop in the case instead of in a breakable and theft prone place in the cab!. I am shopping for the best stand alone GPS unit my self for the same reason. I hope to be able to find the most useful and accurate unit available today. I hope someone here will have some suggestions for my purchase. I don't mind a high cost unit but would like one that's easy to keep updated and has a high memory capacity. Any help along these lines would be appreciated!