Christmas present!

All new Rand McNally's from authorized dealers have lifetime maps at this time. But I understand that it must not have had that going on at the time you bought your Dezl.

 

Just make sure he does not rely on it 100% as it may direct him down a road not made for trucks or may have a low bridge . A good truckers map book a GPS and common sense go along way . I personally have a 7 year old Garmin which isn't even a truckers Garmin. Even the truckers GPS units have been known to direct you down the wrong way . As long as he keeps this in mind the better , I don't say this to deter anyone but rather protect you.

 

on a garmin trucker gps you can put your vehicle profile in the gps, and it will guide you around low bridges,and such. but the are not 100% accurate. use still have to use your common sense and a good atlas. they are also good at mileage to delivery, and hours of driving time you have left, among other things. and it would b a lot better than a tie. whatever one you buy try and make sure its for truckers, just remember they are a tool not a cure all. if i didnt have one an my baby gave me one to me for christmas would b very happy, and i would make sure my dirty socks got into the basket everytime. lots of luck jon

 

get him a pcmiler. no one can say a bad thing about that one becuase they don't use it. they all like those more expensive units that they all complain about.

the pcmiler is the cheapest. and i have absolutely nothing bad to say. take it out of the box. plug her in. and drive.
it gets me to my destination. have never been steered down the wrong street. only had to make 3 phone calls to get me that last 1000 feet. very seldom does the atlas get used.
it's also the cheapest unit.

but like others say. don't just rely on one gps. i have my phone just in case. with 2 gps programs fully loaded. and one internet required google nav. you have a backup gps you can't go wrong.

others like to have all the bells and whistles so they buy the more exensive units. there's an app for that. for free. right to your phone.

the next thing would be a laptop. you can buy a usb tv tuner. so he has a computer, a tv, and dvd player all in one machine. i'm happy with a 15 inch screen. but if he needs bigger. 17 inch screen. most trrucks can only fit up to 22 inches i think. i also have earbuds for my laptop. but there are cheap speakers if he so desires that will work just as good for movie watching.

get him an appropriate phone for mobile wifi capabilities. such as android. he won't need a seperate wifi air card that comes with an extra bill every month. he can tether his laptop through his phone for internet.

the phone these days can pretty much do everything a person needs. there's absoutely no need for seperate goodies.
the phone does internet. typewriter. gps. emails. phone calls. mp3 player.

those are 3 of the 5 most handy tools a trucker can have. the other 2 being of course the cb, and the atlas.

 

Husband has a Rand McNally, it has it's quirks somedays, husband is not the best with technical things, but it is a Godsend most of the time. I also use google maps from home to google things for him, the unknown address that it just won't pick up out in the middle of nowhere. I sometimes have to find an address in the area for him to use to get it at least in the same area. They are a help for tracking time on road, etc. But like a lot have said, it is just a tool and paying attention to the Road atlas map and the front of the book is a good idea for low bridges, etc. The roadmaster will throw up a red flag if you are on a road you are not supposed to be on, but perhaps a block away it was ok, then the fun begins if you. I would also suggest a computer where he can google the area also, he can zoom in on most locations and see where the entrances are, perhaps if they have parking in some cases, etc.

 

i've had rm take me on streets that don't allow trucks. yet bark at me when i'm streets that do allow trucks.

or highways for that matter.

never had that problem with what i'm using now. LOL.