A good GPS for a city driver?

Discussion in 'Trucking Electronics, Gadgets and Software Forum' started by USMC3533, Feb 15, 2014.

  1. USMC3533

    USMC3533 Bobtail Member

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    Aug 29, 2013
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    i currently have a rand mcnally intelli route 720LM worked great when i was otr, but now I'm a city driver doing LTL work, and this gps will make you do a 5 mile circle to get to a place thats a mile away. Obviously I'm not going to be using the gps once I'm comfortable with the area. But I'm wondering are there any good gps out there for city driving.
     
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  3. tangerineGT

    tangerineGT Road Train Member

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    Sometime the reason it takes u out arounnd is becasue of truck routes,
    Once you get into a city gps has a tendency to get ya into trouble.
     
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  4. milskired

    milskired Road Train Member

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    I honestly just use a map here in Chicago driving a ready mix truck. You can buy a very detailed city map for about 50 bucks for the area that you will drive in. Also you have to search around but you can also find maps with the bridge heights for EVERY bridge in the area. I have one for Chicago and the list is well over 100 bridges. Also once you learn the area you will rarely use any of it. The only thing I use my GPS on my phone for is just to pinpoint an address if its in a neighborhood that is not in Chicago or if it is on an angled street in Chicago then I go back to my map on the best route to get there. In my opinion a GPS for Local city driving is a waste!
     
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  5. USMC3533

    USMC3533 Bobtail Member

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    Aug 29, 2013
    Woodbridge, NJ
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    i would definitely have to agree with this, especially if your not familiar with the area.
     
  6. milskired

    milskired Road Train Member

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    I agree totally with the above. The thing with my job is I go down no truck streets and streets with 5 ton weight limits EVERY SINGLE DAY! That is also because I have to in order to get to my customers. I also back down city blocks, drive the wrong way on one way streets and all sorts of other stuff that is against the law but has to be done in most instances.
     
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  7. skellr

    skellr Road Train Member

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    CoPilot Truck has a map that does ok at showing restrictions at a glance. Just having a map like that that tracks along your position is enough to figure out routing on the fly.
    Screenshot_2014-02-15-12-19-57.jpg
     
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  8. NewbiusErectus

    NewbiusErectus Medium Load Member

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    Heck ya, I know the RM will panic sometimes if you don't go the way it says ,, and it will try to get you thrown in jail while getting you back to where it wants to go. Brooklyn and Pittsburgh area come to mind.
     
    mickeyrat Thanks this.
  9. Reverend Blair

    Reverend Blair Light Load Member

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    Winnipeg, MB
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    Get a map book with truck routes clearly marked and make a point of learning the city as well as you can. GPS seems pretty useless in the city. Also, find a radio station with reliable traffic reports.
     
  10. yessir

    yessir Medium Load Member

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    queens, ny
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  11. Mark Kling

    Mark Kling Technology Contributor

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    You still probably have your settings for STAA and you are trying to get on NON-STAA roads.
     
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