Best Truckers GPS

Everyone has different preferences, so it's hard to say which one would be best for you. When I started driving, the company provided a Rand McNally TND-710. I learned how to use it efficiently, so I suppose the RM truck GPS are the ones that I'd recommend. Others may have a different opinion, and as always, YMMV.

 

I use Rand McNally and love it... It does have a couple of draw backs like taking loooong to load and it freezes once in a while but only for a short time... As far as the routing goes it almost always right on the money... I have the 5 inch screen I wish I would have bought the 7in... I used to have a PC miler I would NOT recommend them...

 

I started with the Cobra,.. its ok. But was a little complicated and didnt route me the best at times.

I then bought the RandMcNally. Its features were good,. but thats all. It was the slowest hunk of junk. God forbid if it had to recalculate anything more than 500mi. You would have to pull over and wait 15 - 20 mins,.. if it didnt freeze up and restart on you.

I have been using the Garman 560LMT for almost 2 yrs now and couldnt be happier. Its for trucking,.. not cars. Though it has several modes,.. walking, auto and truck. The whole reason I didnt get this one was because it cost more than the others. I guess you get what you pay for.

The Garman does IFTA, trip reports, fuel records, Trip logging (E Logs,.. sort of), and a few more features, like back up camera and blutooth if you set it up. Mine is the mid size 5" model. They have a smaller 4" and now they have a larger 7" model. I stand behind the Garman as the best that I have used for trucking.

Routes me correctly and lets me know if bridges on routes I plan out are too low or have weight restrictions,.. also lets me know if I set a route through a no truck zone. Or you can let it calculate the best route for you.

Hurst

 

I've been running rand McNally for 5 years and have not had a problem with it. I've ran the t5c the t7e and now the 520 and all of them have performed flawlessly. They are keyed to your atlas so you quickly double check where your going via the map.

 

Rand McNally motor carriers atlas and a sense of direction. After that a garmin for trip planning.

 

Exactly. Especially that sense of direction!! We have a driver here who continually goes the wrong way.

 

I used MS Streets & Trips with a GPSr on a laptop sitting on my cooler between the seats. Big truck requires big display, in my book. No matter which you choose you can't depend on it, you have to check any questionable portion of your route with your Rand McNally atlas anyway, so why spend big bucks or imagine x is going to eliminate that requirement?

 

Anything where you can edit the routes according to shipper instructions etc. I use MS streets & Trips to plan, then drag the route according to the instructions we have on file or the shipper provides or the Rand McNally atlas indicates. If its a new place to me I always call ahead. I dont know if a regular GPS can do this but I know that as well as MS Streets and Trips that you can use Copilot Live. They do a Truck Specific version for $150 that you can use on a Laptop, Tablet or Phone. The bigger the screen the better for route planning. The Auto version is way less money and if you plan the trip properly would be all thats necessary IMO. You want to look at a GPS as a way to store and guide you on a route that you have preplanned. Dont rely on it to decide the route as even the best truck ones will inevitably take you the wrong way particularly where you need it the most - City back steets etc.