Getting Lost Questions ???

Any road aide can lead you astray. That's why you do your homework the best you can before you leave. More and more companies have canned voice directions on their menu that you can play over and over while you write them down. They seem to be the most reliable local directions. Then you use your RM and double check your GPS, use your Google Earth. If the GPS is incorrect you fix it the way you want to go by waypoints.

But everyone has gotten lost one time or another. It's how you get out of it that matters!

PFG in Lebanon, TN is a perfect example. From the Pilot a GPS will take you down Tater Peeler Rd to the backside of the property. Luckily there's a trucking company there you can turn around as you look at PFG on the other side of the fence. Had I called the customer which I did after the fact they gave me the right exit in. Who would think right beside an interstate but even there you can get in trouble.

Many towns roads stop and start a block later. GPSs have a hard time with that. US30 in OH used to run across a field. Don't be an enter and go. It'll get you in more trouble.

I remember when I first started all you had was a map and a payphone. You learned the hard way. Then there was drivers that wouldn't even do trip planning. They would take off wildly not knowing if they were taking the best route or not. When they got close you could hear them on the CB asking for help. I couldn't run like that because you know they got lost a lot. Getting lost is stressful. Do what you can to avoid it. If you do your homework you won't get lost but maybe once or twice a year.

 

We have a regular pickup in Lithonia, GA that our GPS will route around another road and down Lithonia Industrial Blvd to make a right into the customer rather than directly off Lithonia Industrial Blvd which has it's own exit from I20 and make a left.

 

I have a rand unit and it's terrible......or I should say notorious for that. it will route you around the block, or down to the next exit or the exit before when you could get right off on the correct exit and roll right up to the customer by making a left...... almost every time to get a right turn into a customer rather than the more direct route to make a left across traffic into the customer.

and yes, all my settings are correct. it's just like any other tool, there's a time and an application for it and not. just another reason to know the area you're going into by using all the available tools and not relying on just one exclusively.

 

Interesting that the highly vaunted RM system also has the issue I've had with the nav system on the Qualcomm... that of taking you the long way round to get to a destination. Latest issue I had was being asked to drive right past the truckstop I had as my destination, then get on a freeway, drive to the next exit, turn around, get back on the freeway and take the exit I just got off, then pull into the truck stop I passed in the first place. Needless to say a little common sense and staying alert and I simply pulled into the truck stop as the little .... (lady)... in the nav said, "You are headed in the wrong direction..."...

 

Dennisroc,another thing that would help is see if any other drivers from your company has delivered or picked up at a certain place.I've had to depend on them for directions.

 

GPS helps a lot as long as you verify where it is taking you. But if you can't get the GPS to take the address, try Google map the area and find an intersecting street, sometimes these streets will have a little number on it corresponding to an address (of if it has a business with an address, pull that up); use that address for your GPS if it will take it, sometimes it takes a couple of tries. A lot of your older, small towns still use address like Highway 30 and the Gps will not compute it. It helps when you are on the highway metropoliton areas with a lot of cloveleafs to go off on. But it does have a mind of its' own sometimes and you don't want to be there.

Google map is a great help, but... sometimes the address is new, or it has been reversed on the map, London, KY has some of that going on, guess a dyslexic person must have entered the info. It does help to google the place you are going to get an idea of where the dock is and what road you take to it, hopefully not the employee parking lot.

A large number of companies you call now do have the route directions preprogramed, the rest maybe one out of 4 have a live person who may know where you are supposed to drive, the rest you don't get an answer at. I figure if they say get off at an exit somewhere, then there must be a reason to do so. You can use google maps to look for possible hidden danger, esp if there is a railroad , esp in IL where there are low trestles.

And today you may travel it, tomorrow the town decides nope, can't do that, it's closed.

 

GPS is a tool not God, satellite photos of new stops help you determine the best way into a facility. Asking other drivers is good too. Most good drivers are happy to assist you. As for GPS I use the Garmin Nuvi for trucks but it will still send me into to truck ares so keep eyes open, pay attention, use common sense.

 

If you are going to use a gps make sure it is a truck version or else it will get you into trouble. Now with that being said, you can not fully depend on one either because they can make mistakes. I have been driving for over 20 yrs and i use my gps all the time, but i also out think my gps at times, but mostly on better routing options and that comes with yrs of experience and being able to recognize trouble before it happens, but it has never lead me into trouble, mostly just not the best routing.