Drivers, why are we using GPS units?

This are the kind of posts I really get a kick out of.....ends up boilin down to the whole old/new thing again...and as usual both sides have good points.....so from one more old ####....dont see the difference HOW you get there..as long as you do it Safely and on time......

The fact that I have now been given 2 GPS units as gifts....and they are still home in the box should tell you what camp Im in.....lol

Course I've only recently warmed up to this whole

cell phone fad

 

There's a coincidence, there's a spot open in the camp that celebrates my first ETS (24SEP). I haphazardly collect vintage GPS units, but they'll all be vintage eventually.

 

I'm 32 been at this a year and im with old school guys. Calling the customer directions hasn't failed me yet

 

Super Trucker code? This thread is a perfect example of why people hit bridges and go through roads they shouldn't, keep relaying on beepers and your map and dont forget change for the public phone.
Gps are so cheap now in days, Most phone have them. Save time and Fuel. Complain about $300.00 really? I supply my trucks with Truck GPS, i don't need to be on the phone like the spelling bee spelling out every street same thing goes when i broker off loads, Its pretty ridiculous if you think a truck GPS is pointless.

Btw back in the days i used Mapquest and will fax it to the driver, for the same reason. Aint nobody got time for that. "let me grab the paper to see if im going the right way" while your slowing down to read direction, come on.

 

The one thing it does do is highlight your turns. Now if you are downtown somewhere where one wrong turn gets you in a heap of trouble and you've already confirmed the GPS route matches your local directions and you are looking for Peach St which is after the 5th or 6th light past the old drive in theatre that used to be a restaurant and the road sign isn't visible.....well for me that's more than worth it. Even if I only run into that scenerio once a year

 

kudos to you and your reply. i actually have just thought of a gps in a manner that is not haughty.you summed it up concisely for those that do use one and i shall attempt to not be so negative regarding their use.

i still can't consider the purchase of a gps in the very near future but will lessen the attitude for the "drivers" that are soo dependent upon them.

thanks.

 

i'm still trying to figure out how you all use the atlas and refuse to uuse anything else.

cuz the only thing i can see the atlas useful for is cross country. and maybe some of the major cities. anything else. and it does absolutely nothing for you.

nmy gps is not only a wonderful tool to have to arriving at my destination. but it does wonders in getting back out also.

you all only talking about getting there. you know. you have to leave also. and most times. you aren't leaving the same way you came in.
and also, like was mentioned. freeway is shut down for whatever reason. NO the cb does you no good. cuz no one else has one. and if they do. it's not turned on. and if it is. chances are. they aren't from around there. just like you aren't from around there.

sorry, but old school just don't work for me. i like my sleep. and the sooner i get there and leave. the more sleep i get. i'm not a tool for my gps. my gps is a tool for me. saves me a great deal of time.

my atlas is great. for the 411 it provides. but that's all it provides.

do i follow it blindy, you betcha. do i rely on it. U BETCHA. do i use it without a brain. NOPE. do i use the same brands you all use. NOPE. does it steer me wrong. NOPE, IT KNOWS WHERE THE HECK IT'S GOING. for 3 1/2 years now.

program your gps appropriately, combine that with your brain. and it's the best and smartest tool in the world.

don't program it, don't use your brain. and that's when you get into trouble.

you have 24 hours in a day, use it wisely. and make the most of those hours.

don't be calling us dumb becuase we know how to use technology and aren't afraid of it. it's not our fault you'd rather stick with the atlas. which has no clue how to get you there once you arrive.

and calling for directions. don't work when your destination has no reception. and more then likely won't have a pay phone near by. to stand at waiting for your call.

not everyone sits at a desk with a landline phone. some people do actually work out in the dessert. with no cell signal.

yep, the old school ways. don't always work either.

call me one of them dependent fools that relies on my gps. it's not my fault the darn thing works. and saves me a LOT OF TIME.

since you all have so many problems and can't trust your brands. maybe you all should try something else. like whether it's set right. or just needs a different manufacture. the cell phone apps with full fledged maps (NOT GOOGLE) seems to work really well. compare to what you all complain about with your well known brands.

 

I sure don't get it. The brain of the typical trucker seems to tend to remain occupied enjoying feelings of independence and professionalism, even as they depend on others for directions. Maybe that's inspired by technophobia, and maybe that is inspired by horror stories of nitwits getting themselves in trouble by improper use of a GPS.

I'm cost/benefit oriented. The week Streets and Trips 2001 was released I got a copy. I estimated the fine for being in the wrong place at the wrong time might be ~$400. S&T was $7, and the GPS receiver and accessories was $200. The laptop I needed anyway, to post to trucking forums.

When I wasn't using it to save the ~$400 the benefit as a trip planning and HOS management device was immeasurable. Those investments returned a monetary profit many, many times the amount of the initial cost. If I was in the area dispatchers knew I probably had plenty of hours to complete a long run, because I virtually always did.

Even then, I occasionally missed a turn. Instead of having only a RMMCA, I had a detailed map of the area at my fingertips, and could see exactly where I sat and every option available to me.

Rare was the month I didn't get 13K miles. Respect from my carriers? I got plenty of it, and knew I earned it. What's that worth?

 

The GPS unit have is actually at least 4 devices rolled into one. They are:
A) a map. I can view any location in the US and Canada from a national level detail all the way down to the city block level. I update it annually, so theoretically it is up to date. It serves the exact same function as the paper version, albeit with more detail. It also has the ability to look at STAA preferred routes, much like the atlases.
B) a route finder. This comes in handy when I am comparing routes when there are two potential paths I could take. Like an atlas, I view the entire route before moving the truck. Sometimes it will give a not-so-direct route, but I am the one driving the truck and I will drive the routes I see fit.
C) an address finder. Enter an address, it will place an icon of where it calculates where the address might be. Granted it is not 100% accurate but it will get you atleast on the street.
D) an ETA calculator. Because my GPS learned how I drive, it has my calculated ETA down pat, usually to within 5 minutes, which is very helpful when I let my company know when I will be empty or whatever.

For those who don't want to have a GPS voice "yelling" at them or feel they don't need a routing program, they should know that they don't have to use that aspect of the unit.

If anything, they should buy it and use it for the maps alone. Plug it in and watch the icon representing your location on a moveable map. If you compare the cost of a moveable map alone, $200 for a trucker one, cheaper for a four wheeler version, to the cost of a trucker's atlas, then all the local street maps of where you go, the GPS will pay itself off in 2 to 3 years. I bought my GPS in 2008 and it has 2014 maps in it.

One added feature I didn't mention above, with a special antenna, the gps can get instant traffic alerts, warning of heavy traffic ahead and the expected delay. Something an atlas can never do.