Millis OTR journal

Based on my experience with the Rand-Mcnally 740 and 750, I really think the quality of truck GPS navigation is going downhill. These days all I use mine for, for the most part, is to help calculate ETAs. I learned a long time ago to mistrust those things and your think with all the GPS horror stories out there, other new drivers would learn too.

 

Lol just in training alone. Trainees always get flustered on the final couple miles to a destination when I tell them we are going to ignore the GPS and go a different way. Or when the GPS takes us off the highway just to get us back on the highway.

One of the worst offenses I had with a trainee and directions. We are in Georgia heading up to holiday city in Ohio. We go over the route, pretty much 75 north until past Dayton, it’s a no brainer.
So I’m sitting in passenger seat not really paying attention when in Knoxville the guy hops off the highway I ask what we are doing and he says gps said to get off. It didn’t he just got off at the wrong exit should have stayed onto 75n. 30 minutes of terror. Getting back to highway since there was no entrance ramp back on.
Just wasn’t paying attention to signs and was focused on GPS.
Try to beat into trainees heads not to get into a pickle and if you do, stop what you are doing and figure away out before it becomes impossible!

 

My trainer definitely instilled in me to use all the space available to set up . I definitely learned if you give a people an inch they'll definitely take a mile. It's a lot easier to get out of a bad situation when you prepared using all of the space available.


I completely understand both sides of it having gone through training last year. My trainer made me do a week without a GPS . It was definitely a red button with my trainer and I.

I will definitely say learning to maneuver the truck and manipulate the trailer and just the overall new aspect of learning to drive a truck I kept finding myself paying attention to the GPS because I didn't want to miss a turn or put myself in a bad situation. But GPS is I've also ran me through the middle of residential areas making my life a living hell in Trenton .

I'm getting better by the day without having to rely on a GPS but I run two and look over The route ahead of time and kind of plan it that way.

I personally run the dezl otr 700 I prefer the garmin over the Rand McNally but I know everybody's different. Had Best buy price match mine and got it for $260 during the holidays.

 

Who was your trainer? Cuz when I was training at Millis I never let my guys use gps for at least a week. It stayed on the pass side with me, and only I could see it. They had to go thru the map and write their directions down on a Pc of paper. If after a week I felt they were understanding trip planning then I’d let them use gps but they still had to write down their directions and then compare.

 

Rich T From what I recall he's been driving for millis for like 25 years? Definitely taught me more than I could ever imagined. Stand up guy. We keep in touch on the regular to the point of even family outings together.

@MIT was going to be my trainer but he ended up with Crocs instead

 

If any of you guys use the Bluestone Service Plaza on the WV Turnpike (That's the southernmost one on the NB side) make sure to bring your own food. They're tearing it down and rebuilding it starting next month.

 

If I ever see your old truck I'm going to tell them to sterilize everything!

 

I guess I should feel lucky.... Looks like new Millis drivers cannot bring a pet along.

 

When did this happen? Not that I would bring a pet. Is it just trainees or all new drivers? All sorts of changes lately. I’m not thrilled with that minimum pay thing as you know. Trucks from what I hear don’t come with refrigerators anymore, but they install some type of fridge at Trenton.

 

They're slowly chipping away at things, aren't they?