I have a Rand McNally Motor Carrier atlas and noticed that it really doesn't go deeply into street detail in major cities,do you guys keep a lot of major city maps in your truck? I'm sure I will have some sort of GPS whenever I switch my career to trucking but I don't want to completely rely on electronics to help me navigate.
I keep detailed city maps of the cities I find I go to the most, i.e. Chicago low clearance map, NYC 5 boroughs, Dallas, Twin cities in MN, Buffalo and detailed county maps of most of New Jersey. I have a Garmand C330 for door to door directions but, I never trust it explicitly. There are not many low end GPS units that have great truck routes so you still need to check and re-check your Rand McNally. The GPS unit is great for finding the shortest most direct route from city to city and is good, most of the time, getting me to the shipper/consignee. Frequently though the GPS, working from the address I am supplied, takes me to the front door of a place I'm going and not the truck docks. This is often a problem in bigger cities where there may not be an easy way from the front of the factory/warehouse to the docks. Sometimes they are on separate streets or alley access so you need to be careful when using a GPS unit. If you get lost the GPS is valuable for getting you back on track but again, you have to be cautious. The GPS does not see you as a 75ft long, 9ft wide vehicle. It only seeks the shortest best route to your destination. Frequently it will take you through residential areas and truck restricted roads to get to your destination. I like my Garmand but I still check my local maps to be safe.
For knowing where you are and what local streets look like, you can't beat Microsoft Streets and Trips. You can't trust its directions all the time for a BIG truck but having that big screen gives you complete situational awareness. Cost a little over 100 bucks and ya gotta have a laptop. I would never drive OTR without it.
I absolutely love my Garmin Nuvi 660. Not only does it do a great job with routing and turn by turn navigation but I can blow up a local area and see all the city streets in great detail. You can't follow it totally blind because it can direct you into areas that are no nos for trucks but is a fantastic tool provided you know its limitations and keep your eyes open. It saves me a lot of time and aggravation and I know I make much more money because of it.
If you are not inclined to go with GPS & internet maps, the Thomas Street Guide can be a help in some cities. But it does not show truck routes, or other restrictions. Personally, I like Expedia, or Map Quest, with some detailed instructions from the shipper/receiver if I'm going to a new stop.
