Do new drivers use gps? Truck driver stuck on the highway ramp

You should learn to use all the tools you can. Truck-specific GPS units are great. Google Maps and Waze are very good for real time traffic and construction. Paper maps and atlases will save your ### when your GPS takes a dump and you have no cell data. Your Qualcomm or communication with dispatch for instructions can let you know about routes that are not obvious. The shippers or receivers can be anything from awesome to ignorant.

I have found my way into difficult situations when forced out of my planned route by late night construction or poorly-marked road closures a few times. On two occasions I took advantage of one last highly useful source of help/routing information. Local police.

If you get into an ugly spot, like it sounds as if that driver did, then don't be afraid to call cops to help you get out. Even if it costs you a ticket, trying to get out yourself, or with randomhelpfulcrackhead, might make the situation much worse.

 

If you wait too long after getting your CDL and not driving, companies will have you do a refresher course.

Husband has Rand McNally, but sometimes it does the drop out, can't find, etc. If an address can't actually found, I have used the GPS coordinates to give hubby for his Rand off of Google maps on my laptop. I usually Google map the main roads he goes on and then scope out the actual area for anomolies. If you see tracks or overpasses, scroll down the road and zoom in and see if there are low bridges. There was one bridge in Chicago, not long ago, that a local trucker got an overweight on a posted bridge. The bridge may have been ok at one time to use, must have some issues I figure. Chicago and a lot of other areas have restricted roads in some of the little cubby holes around the city and a whole lot of train overpasses.

Company drivers are usually sent the route that the company wants you to use, usually the shortest. Always write these down just in case the qualcomm crashes, I used a notebook to do this, like 111, 95, 495, 84, 287, 78, etc, the fun ones to find are what I call cow trails. You can zoom in on Google maps to locate the docks, etc usually. A lot of times the address goes to the front of the building, not to the actual road for the dock.

 

GPS is probably the best tool you can have in trucking; more detailed then any atlas and more accurate and efficient then any directions served up by a human.

However, no tool is perfect. The big problem with GPS has always been the nut behind the wheel that relents all intellect to a talking machine. If your turn down a non-truck road just because a talking machine tells you to, you are an idiot. It just so happens, some trucking companies specialize in hiring idiots that only function on what they are told. So we all get to enjoy those great photos with mega company trucks and GPS in the headline.

 

It wasn't a full accredited program it was a 4 week company sponsored schooling so they just dabbled on atlas trip planning.

I would assume that there will be signs everywhere alerting you that the exit is closed and detour signs. What do you do when your GPS loses signal and regains it after you already passed where you were supposed to turn.

Computers f up alot a printed map doesn't.

 

i've relied on a gps for my travels. i've used most of them. garmin, rm, and currently using newelectronx gps. i'm good at reading a atlas, but most of the time i use the gps to get around. pairing it with google maps and atlas from time to time. keeps me out of tight spots.

 

I use multiple GPS units. The chances of all of them going down at once are slim to none.

I write down the route they give me on paper and use a trucker GPS (copilot) to take me to the interstate. Then I follow road signs, and to get me to the consignee I use BOTH copilot and google maps. Copilot seems to be off on delivery addresses but it gets me close enough that I can rely on google maps to get me to the front door. Usually by the time copilot is "off" there are no other streets to take so it just finalizes the last 2000 feet of the trip.

During the trip I use google maps traffic alert to alert me of upcoming traffic jams and update my ETA accordingly. Its usually pretty accurate, certainly more than copilot that goes off of drive time based on an average speed. Today copilot told me that my trip would take 7hr 47min. Google maps said it would take almost 10 hours because of traffic around Baltimore. Google maps, after a 10 hour trip, was off 3 minutes. Copilot was off 2 and a half hours.

 

Right now I am trip planning for tomorrow, running a permitted route for an oversized load. You can't screw up on something like this.

I'm using Google Maps and plugging in turn by turn directions using the "Add Stops" feature. Tomorrow morning, before I get underway, I will do the same with my Rand McNally GPS. That way I will be running two GPS systems for backup in case one craps out. In addition to that I have already written down critical turns on a sheet of paper and that is taped to the dashboard.

Did I mention it's a bad idea to get off route with a permitted oversize load? Fines can be HEFTY (think five figures) and they can also be misdemeanors or worse.