Trucker Blames GPS After Hitting Bridge

I bought my husband a GPS for his birthday. It is truck enabled GPS. My husband never trusts it 100%. He double checks with his atlas and uses, what not many seem to use these day, common sense. Even the warnings that come with the unit say to pay attention to signs and use good judgement.

 

The GPS is only as good as the data supplied to manufacturer. Most the northeast is not mapped very well for truckers. Any time you leave the inter-state or US highway system you need to look at the signs.

I have run across undocumented low bridges in upstate NY and MA, on state and county level roads. You the driver must always be alert for such things.

Mark

 

I run with an OO who has been trucking for many, many years. We just spent a couple days with a trucker friend of his (Also many many years of driving) and his wife.

We sat in Freeeeing Iowa, fortunately in front of a warm fire talking about trucking and how it has changed over the years. Both of these guys were trucking before there were GPS'sm before cell phones and when phone rates were too high to call a lot from the road.

Times are different. There is such a high turn over of drivers, there are desparate disgruntled drivers and drivers who don't give a ####.

Both of these very experienced drivers and the wife told me that it is not wise to pull over and help another driver like you did in the old days.

The last time one of these guys stopped to help a driver on the side of the road he got jumped, a gun in his face and a knife in his back. They stole his wallet and tried to steal his truck, but he had locked it and so they stabbed him again and kicked him breaking his jaw, then took off.

He got up, got in his truck and called for help. He almost died.

I am a 126 lb woman... I am not going to stop for a driver I don't know. I can't risk my life, my truck and my load.

If I am on the side of the road I will call someone I know and trust.

Today there are cell phones, qualcomm and other resources myself and any driver can use.

I have seen #### go down at truck stops and I have seen some pretty desparate low life drivers out here... I ain't going to offer myself up to 'em.


There is no excuse for running into a bridge. Just using a gps only and not paying attention to signs is ignorant, that is a driver who does't care about the welfare of others, himself or anything.

I watched two guys today do a lame pre-trip, never even looked under the hood, just walked quickly down the side of the trailer and got back in the truck, too cold to do their job. If they beak down on the side of the road it is their fault and I wouldn't stop.

 

When the school year starts in Boston,there are a few rental trucks that hit that bridge every year.They are not profession drivers,but you think that they would read the many signs before they get to the bridge.

 

About the only thing GPS is good for is when you are delivering at night and it tells you to turn in 500 ft. The best thing to do is to call the shipper/reciever if you can before you get there. I suggest to talking to someone in shipping/recieving so you can get fairly accurate directions.

 

I agree 100%, I have always gotten the best directions directly from the customer, they usually have proper directions ready for you when you call, they know the area and know the best way to get there. I don't have a GPS unit and I never had GPS before I have gotten by all these years with just a mapbook and by calling the customer and it has always worked for me, why change now.

I heard on the news over the holidays about people getting lost on remote roads because they were relying on the GPS to tell them where to go, they are all idiots, if you are using GPS and not sure where you are going why not double check your route with a map before you head out.

anyway I think that if you drive for a living and can't plan a route without relying on a GPS to tell you every turn, you shouldn't be on the road for a living. Learn to read an atlas, your GPS might not work one day and you might need it.

 

Called one and got directions after tellling them which way I was coming and all. Followed them accurately. Ended up on a dead end road.

Seems they gave me directions for coming the other way.

 

i dont think that excuse is gonna work

 

ROOKIE!!!!!

 

Just bought me a truck routing GPS, so far so good. I will still use the trusty atlas, and truck stop book to plan my trip. I will ALWAYS call a shipper or delivery point for directions. Although doing that i have got turned around a few times. Never use Map Quest (car routes only), that got me caught up in Chicago on Sacramento street, kudos the Chicago PD for helping a driver out. My new GPS has got me out of a tight spot already, it kept me off a weight zoned road. Still wont trust it completly though.