Google maps... what IS it good for?

+1 being early. I'm really trying to understand. Weed to Medford? Straight up 5. Medford to KFalls? 140. KFalls to Weed? 97. I don't see that there are alternatives, assuming no highway closures. How did they route you?
I remember one time that 5 was closed at the Siskiyou summit for a haz mat spill, so drivers went up 97 from Weed. Then in Kfalls we learned that 58 (it seemed like everyone used to use 58, but it's not a fast highway in either direction) was shut down for a rollover. Fun night.

 

Good thing about google maps is when you do the street level view you can see cars and trucks in the picture. So if you see a truck on that road you know it's good for trucks.

 

I got the iMaps+ app for my i6, it seemed like the best satellite maps I could find that included a street view, the google maps in my last iPhone 4 was superior compared to the new Google maps the 6 comes with, I was greatly disappointed in the changes they made.

 

I used a Garmin GPS. However I never ever went into a place I never been before without checking my truckers atlas first. Anybody that puts 100% trust in a GPS deserves what they get. For the most part I knew the major US highways and did not worry about low bridges much. However get off those highways into less traveled state routes you had better be checking your truckers atlas. Even company directions can be in error. I once had this issue in PA I checked my truckers atlas and sitting about 10 miles from my final was what I later found out was a 10 foot bridge. My directions routed me right under that bridge. Yes I got ahold of my company and got it fixed, but still.

 

Google Maps is also good for avoiding low clearance bridges. Not all of the low overpass locations are listed in the truckers atlas. But looking on Google Maps for the best route in gives you an overhead to see potential problems, then the street view allows you to see the posted height. I use it all the time, not so much for navigation, but for problem avoidance and safe route planning.

 

BTW, in case it's unclear. Google Maps [app] works great on any smartphone as well as in a laptop browser window. But be advised, doing a lot of work on Google Maps with Traffic enabled and especially satellite and street view, you can chew through a lot of data.

 

Yep


And then there's the customers that can't give directions or tell you which entrance is for trucks

 

That's why I'm never giving up my unlimited data plan that I am grandfathered into

 

So your company tells you what route to take, you don't take that route, they tell you that was a mistake.

Ok, so what was the question?