Do Any OTR Truckers Still Use Atlas's?

I use my RM atlas literally every day that I'm on the road. It is an invaluable tool. If you just blindly follow a gps without knowing where you are going, you will wind up in a jam. The gps that I have will try to route me on crazy, terrible routes, just to save a couple of miles.

 

Lol if the electricity goes out then I guess he won't be driving anyway...Dang I thought they taught about maps/atlas in school

 

Its all I use

 

I just bought a paper copy (not laminated) at the Flying J in Albuquerque for $9.99. I had a 2012 laminated version, but thought I'd try the paper one and get a replacement every year for the same expense. So true - the GPS will occasionally put you in situations you'd never imagined. And would rather not be in. Some ugly u-turns and backs in the little device.

 

When I first started driving I couldn't read a map,I had a couple from the company and a friend plan my routes..Don't stress over it,you'll learn the atlas.The more trips you have the more you'll look at the atlas.Please don't depend on the GSP to plan your routes.

 

wherever you are now, you can practice by making up random destinations, then take your atlas and plan your route how you would go. then plug that address into your gps and see how your route differs from the gps routing. then decide which directions look better. shorter isn't always better in truck routing and gps's tend to give shorter directions. that 4 lane us route might be 5 miles out of your way but will save you starting and stopping all the way through town at 4 pm on a fri.

 

Hi TD, By all means, make sure it's the commercial driver's edition. We called it the "road bible". Got everything you need to know, Low bridges, truck routes, how to get around the scales (oops), just gives the bigger picture. And if all else fails, it makes a great seed cleaner,,,,,just kidding.

 

NO DISRESPECT to ANYBODY that has posted here, but -

I didn't realize it was this bad. I don't have a GPS. I use a smart phone map on satellite view to visualise the final landing, aside from that, its all the RM truck edition.

Sit down with the map, address and all info your company has given you on your load. Write out the plan on a piece of paper. Check the low clearances and restricted roads on your route.

Tape the plan to the dash. Follow it and update it as you go. Read all the signs along the way. Put sticky notes in your RM ( or just write on it) if there's something you missed or worthy of note.

You'll build maps in your head after a while. I was proudest when I kept the map closed on a run because it was all up stairs.

This way your brain will function. It is being worked.If you just plug in a device and rely on it to tell you what to do -


FORGIVE ME MODS - HERE IT COMES - THE BABIES WILL CRY

You will become a stupid robot. We are meant to use our brains, not have it deteriorate from lack of use.

This isn't a "Tech vs Golden Oldies" argument. It's about navigation - a skill required by anybody embarking on a voyage.