Truck GPS comaprison chart from Dieseboss

Ok, so that makes sense. If that road is new than any GPS will think you are driving like "cross country" through a field or something while you are on it, yet will try to put you on the nearest known roads at the same time. I just ran that route on the Garmin 465T and it takes you through the middle on 34 as well. Thanks for the clarification! I'll send it into the ALK map correction email address to get it changed too.

 

I see that your location is listed in Canada. If you are wanting TRUCK ROUTES in Canada then it is important to realize that only the PC Miler has Canadian truck routes at this time. Comparison chart to help you understand all of the various features between them is here: http://www.dieselboss.com/truck_gps_review_features.htm

 

Whoa, sorry Al. I just spotted your question. Yes, if there are any 430's on the shelves that have been there longer than about 2 weeks they will be out of date. However, even if someone does get one of those, the software is free if the unit was purchased after June 15th.

Feedback: The software "looks" much the same with just a few small cosmetic changes. The update is a "map and routes" update and it is quite extensive. I am finding many new roads, addresses, and POI's that aren't in the initial release. Also the trucking restrictions and proper routing is doing quite well in comparison to the old version.

 

I am revisting all of the map-specific errors that I have wrtten down for the last 6 months and the one you mention above is one of them. BOTH PC Miler and Gamin have put up a map update in the last month and I have installed both.

Result for the "Fairfield" route: Garmin takes me through the center of town on 34 and does not have the truck bypass around the southern end of town at all on the map. PC Miler correctly now routes me on the 34-bypass truck route to the south of town and doesn't go through the middle any more. (technical note: PCM map version 23 / Garmin map version 2010.20)

 

Well, first off, I sell and support the Garmin and the PC Miler because I believe that both have merit. These two brands have been doing the battle-royal, and now both have the "latest-greatest" software and maps that each has to offer. I have been waiting to provide my final opinion until each was in their "finished" configuration because it wasn't fair to either one to "declare" anything on my part when they both had announced "new updated" versions on the horizon a while back.

And the winner is.... PC Miler. And those who have the early versions (lets say... prior to April of this year) can vent (justifiably) about things like "my software corrupted itself" my "DC charger cord stopped working" and "ALK support is abysmal" and "it doesn't have nearly as many addresses as MS Streets or my Garmin." You would be right. If you bought it from us, these issues were much less painful than if you bought it at a truck stop or other dealer because we fully support all products after the sale, but they were still painful, and PC Miler took a black-eye as a result during the launch phase. Just remember that prior to 2009, there was no PC Miler Navigator or Garmin 465T. New stuff has bugs - its part of a "early implementer's woes."

And my reasoning? I maintain several key points about the Garmin all along that still hold true: Real-time traffic is nice, lane-change warnings are helpful, the interface is clean and the NavTeq maps are very thorough - but not perfect of course. However, with a price of $500 for only a 4.3" screen, and the truck-specific routing being only partially accurate, I can't recommend it as the "best" choice at this time. Another big show-stopper for me in the current version is that it does especially poorly when you go "off-route" where it then either stops routing altogether or it tells you to do fun stuff like taking a u-turn in a residential neighborhood. I am confident that Garmin will of course be continuing to update the units with new truck routing as time goes, but this review is about today, and not how it might be in a year. I also think that the bluetooth capability is not a big justification for the higher price because it is too hard to hear and for a caller to hear you anyway when you are moving. They would make a better use of technology by putting an FM transmitter instead of bluetooth. Steadfast fans of Garmin - get it. Again, I'm not saying that it is not a nice unit with great potential from the world's leading maker of GPS products.

The PC Miler's are way lower priced at $299 / $399 / $499 (for 4.3", 5", and 7" respectively) and, especially with the V23 maps, are now very solid in their addresses and the truck-route accuracy. Their support department has been split between "hardware" and "software" departments so has become less painful as well with separate phone numbers. (By the way, I had a 40-minute wait for Garmin support this week as well.)

So there, you finally nailed me down to an answer on this one. Oh and, let me add the inevitable phase "there is no substitute for my Rand McNally atlas - laminated edition of course" so that we can get that post out of the way now.

- Don