Rand McNally 730....any good?

What the Rand McNally does well is truck routes based on weight, height and hazmat.

Google will routinely send you down no-truck roads and route you under low bridges. It's great in a car, lousy in a truck.

Highways and Interstates, I don't even bother with the GPS. That's what road atlases are for. It's when you're trying to find the route to a consignee in the middle of a town for which you have no maps when it really shines.

Over the time I've used it, it has paid for itself several times over in terms of lack of delays, lack of hassle and not having to stop, make a call, write down directions, etc.

I figure my driving time is worth about $25 an hour. Saving two hours a week, which is probably what I do save with the 730 was worth it to me. I have the money to spend. I just look at it like an investment. I think mine cost me about $350 after the rebate. Doesn't take long at that rate to make it pay for itself. ( 7 weeks). And I still have it and it still works.

To each his own. I love mine. But it's wrong sometimes. You still have to use your head. It's just an aid.

 

I have the 5" Rand Mcnally and I'm happy with it. Like any trucking GPS, don't forget to reset your bridge heights in New York.

 

If they could fix the #### lockup bug that has been plauging some of these units for a while it would be awesome.

Compare route could use some work, say direct route from FL to CA the second one wanted to send me up to Chicago then down to CA.

 

Yep the lock up is the big one for me also. So far it has not locked up on me when needed the most like when needed to make a turn on a different interstate or down a road in the middle of no where.
It has only tried to send me under what I felt was too low of a RR bridge once and was able to drive around it.

I get my pickup & drops the night before so I use Google map and another map program to see where I am going if I have not been there before. Then I enter the address in and see how it will send me. I like I can enter in all pickups & drops for the day in the multi stop program.

I have had mine for a few months now and still learning the ins & outs of it. I am not OTR but new to the area so don't know the roads too well. I can not take toll roads, have one close to the truck yard, so I have that turned off. Also just find how to turn down the screen brightness at night.

I do up date it every few weeks last was about 2 weeks ago.
Dave ----

 

Yes, when you first buy it, let it CHARGE UP all the way. If you try to turn it on right out of the box and the battery is low, it is trying to charge the battery and run the HD screen at the same time and you will see a black screen, or it will power up and then shut down. CHARGE IT first...

Under Electronic Connection I have a support thread. Please post there if you have issues.

DC/USB adapters do not provide enough charging amp's for the 7".

Make sure your DC end is in the DC connector with a solid fit.

 

You need a computer with connection to the Internet. The TND is updated via a computer.

 

The only one you can update via a Hotspot is the Tablet. Any other TND stand alone has to be updated via the Computer with internet access.

What you are saying about the Battery is wrong. I run my test units plugged in 24/7/365 with no issues. You do not have to unplug, turn off, or unplug every few hours.

I have tested the TND's since 2008 and I have never had a battery issue unless the DC end was not solid in the DC Connector, the DC cord went back, wrong DC Cord, etc.

 

If you felt the RR bridge was too low,,, was it 13'5" or lower? What you feel and what is actually there are two different issues. If you remember this RR bridge let me know where it is.

In your Preferences under General you have a selection to adjust the brightness.

 

The "freeze" issue is being worked on. It is a deep bug and hard to duplicate.

This is becoming a support thread, and if you have any issues, please post to the support thread under Electronic Connection. It is much easier to look in one area than in every section/thread for posts like these.

 

I will have to re-check the settings for how tall the rig is to make it is set right.

When I say "felt" think it was marked 13' 2" and looked too low for my rig that I know will fit under a 13' 6" under pass.
I don't remember what town or the road as I was heading back to the truck yard from a place we hardly go to as there are supplied cement by train cars. They ran out because the train cars were running late so it was an emergency run.

Like anything you got to use your head & eyes when driving.
Dave ----