Drivers, why are we using GPS units?

with a rand, you defenitely need an atlas. no if's ands or buts.

with copilot, my atlas seldom gets used. other then the 411 it provides in the front.

i know how to read a ++++ map. but why, my gps works better then the map. cuz it get's me to my destination without a phone call. can't do that with the atlas. i have 900 minutes a month on my cell phone. why should i waste my minutes doing work. i'd rather use my minutes for my own personal use. not to mention. most of my destinations. are out in the sticks where there's no signal for me, or the other end to even give me directions. so calling for directions. won't happen.

i came back out on the road 3 1/2 years ago. when i first started, i was getting surprised responses that i never ever called for directions. they all were expecting phone calls so they knew i was coming. since i never called, no one knew i was coming.

today. i don't get those surprised responses. no one says a word. just tells me where to park and they'll load/unload me.

truckers are using gps more then you all would like to admit. or realize.

i can't imagine how much time was spent, back in the day before gps and cell phones. when the pay phone was the only thing around. but they weren't available everywhere. your destination was in the sticks, or the dessert. you get there, but you have no idea where to go. and no way to get a hold of anyone.

this old argument of which is better, paper or electronics. i'm sorry. my electronics gets me there. no paper, no phone calls.

 

After having an exchange with the RM rep over in the electronics thread, he admitted that the lawyers are essentially writing the routing. Their marketing dept seems to leave out that little tidbit, essentially over selling the utility and effectiveness of the truck based units. And it seems to be getting worse all the time. Truck GPS units didn't seem to be so hog-tied in the past, but they are almost useless for point to point routing now.

 

few months back, coworker and I were delivering to a farm in the middle of Wyo.. The directions we got from dispatch, via the farmer included his home address and his phone number, with a note that we stop and call him from this little town, which was still 15 miles from his house. The nearest my atlas could get me was the correct road, the nearest google maps could get me, on birds eye view, was a picture of his house. I put the address in my gps, my coworker said he would stop and call. I arrived 15 minutes before my co-worker. Seems, he sat on the side of the road redialing the number, the farmer was in the barn, without a phone, and his wife was in the basement doing laundry and could get to the phone. I use both as part of my routing on a regular basis.

BTW, the notion of calling a customer for directions. What happens when you get the person on the phone who has been working there 20 yrs and has forgotten how to actually get there, they just do it by memory. My wife can't tell people how to get to our house, but she knows how by memory. At the USPS BMC in Denver, there was one specific phone that drivers would call into for directions. Next to it was a piece of paper, across the top "IF CANNOT READ THIS, DO NOT ANSWER THIS PHONE" The paper contained directions to the BMC from every major interstate within 250 miles of Denver. I noticed last month the paper was gone, the guy said someone complained because the note on the top was discriminatory.

 

My TND 720 works great. I keep it updated and use the route setting I plan on using for that particular trip. The other day I ran from Amarillo, Tx up to Hugoton, Ks. Ran 2 lanes all the way on GPS. Very nice trip. Goggle Maps always gives me a good Satellite view. I still use an Atlas to do an overview. Technology helps when used properly and GPS Units, well u get what u pay for. This in no way replaces experience or prior knowledge. Shortest and may or may not be the Fastest or Safest.

 

Is that like one of those books with all the sex positions (a ####### map)? Well, I've got a g-spot positioning system right here...

 

Well stated, cabwrecker. My sentiments exactly.

 

Anyone else think it's kind stupid when your walking around and see the guys with 8 suction cups on the windshield??

 

I saw one guy had 4 gps units stuck to his window. I thought maybe he was testing them out for a magazine or website.

 

That's my biggest personal gripe about GPS units...not that I care what anyone else does...but in my case..i guess its jus an ol skool thing..But I can't stand Anything in my line of sight.....Anything at all between the dash&top of windshield bugs me.....heck I won't even mount my ez/pre pass.......lol

 

i cant stand anything on my dash period...