I have a student that can not plan without GPS

That sir, is pure market capitalism.

 

Is he going to carry a spare GPS? What if his phone breaks? You know the deal. If he can't see interstates in an atlas that's just scary, but then, I grew up without GPS.

 

Only a complete moron could not figure out a map. One of my childrens (6 and 8 year old) activities on road trip was routing from my Atlas and they were always bang on..
Ya. I would not hold the person back from getting their license. They'll figure out getting from point A to point B, just might find themselves on many scenic routes.
Getting there safely is your only concern

 

I can read a map or atlas just fine, but my nearly 60 year old eyes don't make it easy. When I spent a month on a truck with a trainer, he refused to let me use a GPS and insisted that I listen to his directions. That's right, he didn't think we needed an atlas either. During that month with him, he got us lost no fewer than a dozen times, including once in downtown Oakland Calif where I was preparing to meet my maker. From that point forward, I always had my GPS running regardless if I needed it or not.

When I started driving solo, I decided to try to use the routes they gave me on my Qualcomm instead of planning with my GPS. Three times the planners sent me on restricted routes, and once they routed me under a low bridge. Thankfully in each case since I had my GPS on and it kept me out of trouble.

You old school guys that think "real truckers" don't use GPS feel free to do whatever floats your boat. While you're sitting there in a rest stop in crappy light at night reading your atlas, I'll push a button and be miles down the road snickering at you.

 

90% of the time, you'll be okay relying completely on a GPS (but not newer Garmins) assuming you've pre-checked it against known information. But you really and seriously need to be on the lookout for that 1 in 10 times the GPS is missing some info or just made a seriously bad assumption. You put 100% confidence in a GPS in an unfamiliar area, you're setting yourself up for a problem of one degree or another. And when that happens you better have a capable brain that is hitting on all cylinders.

 

I don't rely on anything 100% of the time. It's just nice to have a fallback position if I forget something. Been using GPS for well over 12 years, and I can honestly say I've haven't been misdirected by one yet, in a car or truck. But I know it does happen.

 

Being incapable of learning to use a map indicates some sort of spatial recognition or abstract thinking deficiency, which might lead to a problem dealing with complex roadside signage or construction/detour special instructions.

Not wanting to learn how to use a map indicates mental laziness. That's also worrisome, but less so. A lot of people do not want to learn what they do not think they will ever need.

You need to determine which it is, and the only way to do that is to tell them that they will learn it, or you won't be able to pass them.

If they CAN learn it, it wont take them long, provided that you understand it well enough to teach it.

If you go by a terminal, dont hesitate to poke another trainer and ask them to take a shot at teaching your student if they can't seem to grasp how you are trying to teach it.

They NEED to know how to deal with paper tools. There ARE still places in the US with very limited or non-existent cell data networks, and if their GPS has a magic smoke leak, they could end up getting themselves in seriously deep doodoo, real fast.

 

You sir will be waiting for me to dock at the place Ive remembered from 30 years ago. Just a few brief words from Boss reminding me about what I did there back then. OH I remember. I'll be there shortly. No map, no GPS no nothing. Just drive and enjoy the scenery while mentally preparing to cross swords with Mr Grump in the shipper window.

??TEASE... it's all good. GPS, oldfashioned or whatever is fine as long you are on time where you need to be. That goes for all of us.

I consider myself the last of my kind, old enough to remember a life without a single cell anyhwere no internet nothing and cursive writing as well.

 

I would not drive anywhere without a gps for fallback. If you owned a newer Garmin and drove 48 you’d understand my previous comments. They’re as reliable as snow in September in Phoenix.