bad experience due to poor trip planning advice?

hey man like we have said..we all have those days but your asking questions so that's a GOOD THING!!!!! no question is stupid if you dont know the answer, but it becomes stupid if you have been given the answer and still continue to ask the same thing! So far baer you are asking the right types of questions and seem to be absorbing the info being put out!!! Excellent!!!

Be safe and have a good trip! dont forget to kiss the wife and little one before you leave out and try to never leave the house pizzed off at each other!! You're gonna be ok man!!!

 

As far as gps crapping out: Id carry a backup GPS- which would more than pay for itself in the usefulness that it provides. How specific is a US atlas going to be in finding small streets in a different city? Do I have to carry a trillion city street maps to feel comfortable. No way- gps or bust. I love it. BTW got the Garmin nuvi.

 

Ya know you guys just dont get it. We are not CONDEMING the use of a gps...just remember that it is a TOOL. And if you DO NOT have the proper trucker version YOU WILL get routed where you are not supposed to be. It has happened MANY times and in New York City. The drivers have been getting stuck under low bridges because "their GPS said it was safe" use your common sense get the proper gps but you should have some sort of backup and should also be able to read a map for crying out loud. But if all you rookies think you know better have at it. as far as the realbaer the original poster of this thread...he and I have talked on the phone and he understands alot better now that we weren't bashing him for using it and hopefully I have helped him in his planning dilemma's ....it seems like I did help him. He sent me an email of his next trip plan and it looked really good oh and he did use his gps but he "planned " his moves so that he can get rest and be on time. I salute him for being able to listen with an OPEN MIND because honestly kids you cant learn with your mouth open and your ears,eyes,and mind closed. that's just some food for thought!!!!

 

I use my GPS, along with my atlas, cell phone to call for directions, CB to ask other drivers, and common sense. If you use the GPS alone, no matter what brand, it will get you in trouble.
That is part of the problem with this new breed of drivers, they are not having to "think" about doing their job. They rely on a dispatcher { or somebody} to set up appointments, mechanics to check their trucks, planners to tell them when to drive or sleep, GPS to route them,an unknown somebody on the computer to advise them on jobs, and so on. Learn to think for yourself.

 

AN EXTREMELY GOOD POST

 

I'm just about finished with my refresher course in truck driving school and neither this school or the one I went to too get my CDL did much of trip planing. It was basically hears a map, I want you to tell me the route/miles/time it will take for you to get from ______ to _______. Thats it! Luckily I'm pretty good with a map thanks to the USAF but because of this less then perfect Trip planning classes I've spent $500 on the Rand McNally TND 700 + The Next Exit Guide + National Truck Stop Directory + The Deluxe Motor Carrier Atlas just so I don't get lost! lol $625 and a little common sense will hopefully get me by until I really get this trip planning down.


Schools really need to do more on the Trip Planning!





American Trucker

 

I definitely think schools do need to cover trip planning better than they do.

With what they did cover in school, the tools you have and the common sense, you should do fine.

If no one has mentioned it, when calculating how long it's going to take you, use an average speed of 50 mph to get an estimate of your time. That will automatically build some oops time into your planning. Try and get the most miles in on the first day or two of a run (depends on how many days it will take).

I always used that approach, and it saved my butt once when I drove for a transporter. Only had about 250 miles left of my trip on a sunday for a Monday vehicle delivery, and rolling across Mississippi, one of the hoses came off the air compressor. A fitting had not been tightened properly on the line that supplied oil to the compressor. Brand new box truck type chassis . . . cab, frame and tires was all there was to this thing. Sunday waiting on road side is not a fun thing. Because I had knocked out so much of my run on Saturday, the 4 hour delay didn't hurt me any.

If you have a laptop, use mapquest or one of the other online mapping choices to get a street level look at where you are going. To me, the screens on those GPS things are just too darn small. With the online ones, you get a bigger area to look at, and you can turn on the arial view to see what things actually look like.

I have used mapquest a few times to help my hubby out. Sometimes when he needed to bypass bad traffic back ups and a couple of times when he got a bit confused. Having looked at those areas on mapquest, I can see how it happened!

 

I didnt tell him not to use his gadget. I said dont rely on it. You know as well as I do, the gadgets dont know where the accident, construction, road closure or ball game is. And not having a map to reroute yourself quick is dangerous. Stick your sticks where the sun dont shine and use your lighter to light them!!!

 

I'm not as confident in gps as you are, I've yet to see one that wasn't confused and nearly useless in Boston. City streets are where I want a map and local knowledge (which may or may not be my knowledge). This applies in my pickup as well as a truck.

AAA has county maps available and I think they're free if you're a member. Think beyond the atlas. Storage would be a concern though.

To the OP and respondents: GREAT thread so far.

 

Trouble with many of these systems, especially Yahoo and Mapquest, is that they are geared for automobiles and not trucks. There are no indicators for truck routes or hazmat routing. MQ and Y will often route you through housing areas where trucks are not allowed.

About a month ago one of our Texas drivers had a roll-over with a load of Hydrochloric acid because he was "shortcutting" with his GPS in the back country. Major damage to the truck and trailer but no breach thankfully. No, he wasn't hurt beyond bumps and bruises.

BTW, State welcome centers usually have very good street maps, better than those in the atlas and they're free.