I finally bought a TND 510, wish me luck!

Well I finally broke down and bought a Rand McNally TND 510. I researched and researched until I was researched out. What finally made me go with the TND 510 was having an on site customer support rep here on TTR.

Here's a little insight about me and my previous GPS units. I have been driving OTR for 30+ years. Old school? Absolutely, but not close minded to the point of not wanting or having a little help with me. At the end of the day I still have my atlas. I run dedicated freight every week and run the same routes all the time. I like anything that can make my job a little easier and because I'm on E-Logs trip planning is essential. My first GPS was a Garmin. I bought it for my bike 4 years ago. I put it on the bike and rode from Florida to Alaska and back with it. I then put it in my truck and used it for 2 years, watching it bounce around until it finally crapped out on me last year. I ran into a Walmart and bought the same Garmin my wife has in her car. The difference being the one I bought for her car was $350 when it first came out and the same one I bought last year was now $89. So I have only bought and owned Garmin, and for what it offered me I was very pleased with the product.

I have been researching all the available truck specific GPS's for the last 2 months. I looked at the side by side comparisons on Dieselboss's website and finally decided on the TND 510. Why? Because I don't need a mini flat screen TV on my dash staring at me all day long. I bought it today and it's still in the box. I will be home tomorrow and get it set up at the house then put it in the truck after Thanksgiving to really see what it can do. I am not going to compare it to the Garmin's I've had, that would be like comparing Apples to Oranges. I will write my report solely based on what this unit does for me. Stay tuned!

Side note: When I told my wife what GPS I had decided on, she asked me with all honesty and sincereness,
"What, you don't know how to get home?"

 

I agree 100% Must be nice to try and confuse a GPS. I've used one for years, but as far as one for the truck I agree, it's just one of many tools at our disposal. With my job the last 2 years I happen to go to the same customers quite a lot so this is really being used for trip planning more than to find an address.

 

Well time for a status report on my TND 510. I've used it now for the last week since I left the house last Monday. Going from the house back to the terminal was just for the learning aspect of it. I knew I was going west so I wanted to fully understand this unit before I headed that way.

I thought I was big time with my little Garmin car GPS, then I got this unit, my God what a great tool to add to my everyday driving. I'm still not up to speed on all the features, but from what I've used so far this is absolutely a great addition for any driver that likes to trip plan like I do.

I updated it right out of the box. I played with it enough to know that this little tool has made my life just a little more stress free. The only question that I have about it is do I need to unplug it when it's not in use, say while I'm taking my 10 hour break. The rest of the learning curve I am finding out myself.

What a great tool! I'll post again when I get back home, by then I would have used it for about 9000 miles. Then I will have a more detailed report.