Garmin GPS truck routing

Does it ever direct you onto really narrow or dead end streets?

 

Yes, but it does try to avoid them. A lot of information just isn't on the maps for any of the units. There are places where it will tell you to turn down a residential street in a big city, like Chicago, and you know that's not where you want to go. So you zoom out a little and scroll, it responds pretty well. Sure enough, there's the truck route 3 streets on. It's just misjudged the shortcut.

Dead end streets it tries to avoid entirely since it knows I can't make a u-turn 99% of the time. There are some places, like a certain well hidden rail depot, that it will take you to the address, but where you want to be is in the trees on the other side of the interstate.

Other times I've blindly followed it on purpose just to see where it wants to go. It has taken me down little gravel roads and through trees that I just squeaked by. But low and behold, there I was back on the main road exactly where I wanted to be.

It works the best when you can figure out exactly where your destination is by looking at satellite views on google maps and/or calling the place. You can pinpoint the spot and tell it to route exactly there. Many addresses are off by up to 3 miles. That's true of all the gps units since they all use the same maps, though.

 

It is not 100% but I have found it to be of great help especially at night and when directions are not to good concerning a customer. Sometimes it has lane assistance and sometimes not, that is a problem that maybe the new Garmin that just came out for Truckers has corrected. But since prices have gone done on the 465t due to the new Garmin I see it as a great buy.

 

Ok folks I have a Garmin DEZL 560 LMT their second generation truck GPS. By the way it's pronounced "Diesel" (DEZL). Their first generation Truck GPS was the Nuvi 465T and it's about $265-$300.00 now. I've owned both of them and no other Garmin GPS units are capable of truck routing. I threw my paper maps into the drivers room at work so other drivers could use them about two years ago. I drive the Northeast US including NYC. My DEZL is my only form of navigation. That's how much I've grown accustomed to it and how much I trust it. With that said though it is only as good as the map data in it. With NY state and NYC marking bridge clearances a foot lower than they really are you have to take it with a grain of salt as it will try to take you around bridges that you don't need to divert around. I also write custom poi files for delivery, backhaul and motel locations for my fellow drivers and have accumulated a file of over 2,000 locations that I program onto memory cards so new drivers can purchase a pre-programed card from me and after slipping it into their Garmin GPS (truck or non-truck GPS) they too can have all the locations that I have in mine accessible by account #'s etc.

What else can I clear up for you guys about the Garmin GPS units?

 

I have the Garmin DEZL 560 LMT unit too. I also have an older Garmin Nuvi 755T. On top of that I have the Rand McNally TD700 too. The 560 routes very quickly and is a very nice unit. I am just getting into the trucking thing so I can't help on the features of the 560 for that, but the 560 can be used for trucking, switched to car, and then also switched to motor home too.

The only draw back that I have seen between the 560 and the Rand McNally unit is you can see the truck stop and or weight station on the screen.

The big plus for the 560 is I can load up a bunch of PIO's and do map routing with my laptop then upload to the unit.

Garmin has been around for a long time and makes a very good unit,

 

I use a Garmin "Nuvi" a couple of years old...totally useless for trucks. You will drive off a cliff easy with this one. Does anyone know if you can get a truck software upgrade for this one? How much is a truck specific GPS?

 

Cheaper than it was. Think you can pick up a truck version of that nuvi for $240 now.

 

A very very long time. I still have Garmin's III, III+, and the IV which were units with a moving map display. One needed map software to do a route then load it to the unit. I also have one of the orginal street Pilots. And for other applications I have a 76CS. Definatly a leader in the industry and a good reason( of many) to abandon RM.

Still though, still some polishing to be done with the routing- not quite there yet.

 

WOW, I have an old 76CS too. Many trip in the winter on my snowmobile it was a very good unit.

 

Huby has a Garmin 465T. The routing works great