Roehl Navagation system?

My company uses CoPilot in the QC units. It's a great tool and I stay out of trouble with them for going out-of-route, but there is one recurring serious issue...the CoPilot software has taken me down non-truck routes several times, but always at the end of the trip. What I've done to compensate is put the delivery address in my RM TND 720, which I keep updated regularly.

So far, both have been as accurate as I expect from an electronic device and when there is a conflict at the end and it appears I might be heading into a non-truck route using CoPilot (as happened today; fortunately, I saw the 'no trucks' sign far enough away) I shift to following the RM.

 

I started flatbedding at 67 and can say without a doubt that it was the worst decision I've made in this business. My muscle mass and strength and my flexibility have deteriorated considerably in the past 10 years or so; I am almost not able to heft those two tarps up from ground level to the trailer deck because of it.

This is not the business to start as an old man. There is just too much muscular work required. And I've fallen off the trailer twice...

I'm sure it would be fine to start early and become an old man, though.

 

roehls qualcomm/copilot does the exact same thing, i had a classmate that got a ticket for driving on a truck restricted road and he was on roehls route less then a mile from the shipper. when he complained about it they "roehl" told him too bad then they quickly cut his pay he was soo pissed he quit!
another problem with roehls qualcomms is they have bad antennas they'll lose connection too the satellite and it happens alot and it happens at the worst possible time lol.
and then possibly the most annoying for me are the waypoints that their software places along the route they're often misplaced and if you don't catch it or blindly follow the qualcomm you're likely too end up in some ones neighborhood.
if you miss a waypoint the qualcomm will go out of route and it wont recalculate until you stop and delete the waypoint a royal pain in the rear.

 

It's not your chronological age, it's your own personal physical condition and health. People age at different rates. It's ignorant to say a 50 year old can't do this or that, when there is a 70 year old doing it.

Mick Jagger is 71 and could pass any physical and get hired anywhere.
Elvis Presley at 41 couldn't pass a physical or get hired anywhere.
When Jack Lalanne was 85 he could of easily passed a dot physical and get hired.
When Chris Farley was 32 he couldn't pass a physical or get hired to drive a truck.

It's not your chronological age. It is your own personal health situation and condition.

 

I like this site. Good place to check out is also Glassdoor, for any company you are looking to drive for.

The biggest complaint with ROEHL was their routing. Over and over again I saw it from new drivers and veteran drivers.

 

I have been using only Roehl's CoPilot the 4 plus months I have been OTR. I don't own another system. The biggest thing is to take the time to learn how to input and change spots.

When it wants to route you down an area that is usually because it is entered as a stop instead of a waypoint. (the difference is that you are expected to reach a stop but just get close to a waypoint).

CoPilot does miss a restricted route so you must keep your eyes open. I had this happen in Atlanta where I couldn't turn around and the road didn't become restricted until I was on it. I was lucky that I got to a fire station and asked the firefighters since they know what's going on in their area and have larger vehicles as well. Fluke. Other ones it is posted BEFORE you would make the turn or keep rolling so you have to use your eyes as well.

Those comments said, I have thought about buying my own Rand McNally. I had to have the hardware on my Truck PC updated and all of the stops I had saved were wiped out.

Main thing I would say is--when possible--call the place you are going to if you don't have great directions AND don't be afraid to stop if things don't look right. Hit the 4 ways, get out and walk a block or two if needed to see what is up. It's a lot easier to turn around a human being than a 70 foot truck.