What do you guys use? For mapping routes

No it doesn't, and that's what I mean about not taking it as gospel. I still have to look at the streets for legal routes and watch out for bridges. But, once it's focused on that address, it will constantly update and give you a route to that point, so when you find a legal street, you can turn down it and it will still direct you to the location. As long as it stays focused on where I want to go, I can afford to reroute myself as needed to make the route legal.

I use it, but I don't cede responsibility to it. It's a useful tool, but you have to use it within it's limits. And used that way, with a healthy dose of common sense, it works wonderfully. It's an inexpensive adjunct to what I do, not a replacement for my own judgement.

 

Ok, I see what you are saying now.

 

My husband only has the Rand Mcnally in his truck. He will call me at home and I will look up Rand McNally on the net for him, mapquest and yahoo to get directions. I also use state sites to find rest areas etc.

Good to know about Interstate! Their trucks look really nice but that's about all they had going for them when we looked at them

 

Rand Mcnally has motor carrier maping software for comercial vehicles. We have it at work and it's pretty good and it indexes any information to there maps so you can check it for yourself. Not sure of the price but I know it's alot cheaper than pc miler since we got it because they didn't want to pay for miler.

Usually in the truck I just use mapquest of google maps then double check the routs with the motor carrier maps to make sure they are truck routes and adjust accordingly.

 

Personally, I use BOTH the quallcomm generated directions, and Micro$haft streets and trips on the laptop. Usually they match up pretty much exact. But if you do it this way keep in mind that St and trips is NOT commercial routing! It does'nt take into account weight restrictions, low overpass, etc.
I've found doing it this way can be a lifesaver. There's no telling how many times I've been in California, told to take some "el nino ave" exit, only to find that "el nino ave" exit does'nt exist! The quallcomm may be assuming the named frontage road is on the exit sign, or a bigger arterial, or a road with 3 official names and several local nicknames.... :laughing: And with mud-clear text directions, the principal's the same.

 

I've got a laptop and streets and trips, two atlases, qualcom, and the internet... and I'm still lost...

thus far I've had only a few trips where I didn't have to do some creative, on the fly, re-routing due to construction.

I've been burned by all of my resources, most recently, this a.m. by the company who routed me on hwy 11 in wisconsin apparently not knowing 12 miles of it is shut down for repairs.

I'm a newbie... so I don't have years of experience to back up the next passage... but:

I think the door to door as stated directions are one of those fantasy things that just rarely exist in real life.

This week has been much less stressful on me by accepting I am not likely to to know where I am going until I've gotten there...

With enough experience (time) I assume I'll develope the sense of well being and skill sets many vetran drivers have:

"read the addy, glance at the atlas, and off we go, no problems..."

I've actually done well I suppose... I mean I'm not really lost or anything... I just have a sense of apprehension...

don't wanna be late and certainly don't wanna be the guy calling into safety saying I just trashed a trailer and load on a low clearance bridge in east chicago that was perfectly, well marked, 12'6".

I'm sure the confidence will come with experience...

until then...?

I'll be giving that flasher switch a real man's work out... hehe

 

I've had mixed results with MapQuest. In rural areas, it often directs me down all sorts of back roads. Maybe a straighter line, but it's ignoring a much faster highway that's nearby.

Since I do almost all of my deliveries in the SF Bay Area, I use the Thomas Bros. map book. It's great, except for its tiny little street numbers, which can be way off.

 

Well when i drove all i used was the rand mcnally truckers atlas and customer directions and directions from other drivers.. The last company i drove for we pretty much had direction books and if one guy went to a new place they gave directions to the dispatcher and he put them in the computer so anyone could read them. But i've been blessed with a good sense of direction all my life. gps is useful, i admit that but its like when i go out on the boat, i also know how to read my compass and compensate for drift current andwind.. Just another thought from the old school.

Blake

 

I personally have been a very big fan PC miler, it does a heck of a lot more for me than just routing.
Would highly recommend it to any of my fellow independents.

 

Rand Mcnally Map 1st
Co pilot 2nd
Co-pilot will take into consideration "non truck routes". "haz mat routing", "low bridge", "Scale locations", "truck stop locations", "Hotels with truck parking" ext...

It does have dock to dock direction but as all GPS navigation systems it always will not be 100%. You should always have customer directions plus Good old map to confirm GPS directions.

Copliot also has remembrance features so you can save the GPS location to guide you back to the same location in the future.
Copilot also has available 3rd party OV2 formats. Not sure what that is? well this is where people upload directions (customers names and addresses they have been to and already mapped)
You also will find much more OV2 locations uploaded other then customer but recreational type activity places for truck drivers to be able to park at..

Most GPS systems offer some type of OV2 but Co-pliot truck is more directed towards "big trucks"