Do I need to buy a GPS?

Well, my brain tells me to use whatever tools are best for a particular job - and a GPS is an invaluable tool.
Of course they are not 100% accurate, but then again, neither are maps.
With maps you have to wait at least a year to get an updated one (which, by the time it is published, will have different errors), but a GPS can be updated simply by connecting it to the internet (as long as the GPS manufacturer is keeping it up to date, anyway).

And the biggest problem with atlases like the RM is that they really don't show street level detail.

If you miss a turn with a map, you are stuck trying to find your way back. At least a GPS can re-route you on an alternate path. With a trucker GPS you are less likely to take a restricted road.
And face it, in town there are very few spots to pull that 53' trailer over to study a map.

As for relying on the Qualcom for accurate directions, well, it's been wrong too many times for me to trust it more than my GPS. It gives inaccurate distances, sometimes vague distances (turn right and go 3 or 4 lights, turn left...), sometimes even the wrong street names altogether. One time it seems to have mixed different parts of different street names together, and gave the completely wrong street name, all on the same 2 mile stretch getting to my final.

And what about the times when your direction request comes back with... 'no directions to shipper/consignee available'...???

You could call the shipper/consignee for directions, but trying to get understandable directions from some people is like scooping water with a sieve.

 

The old Rand is great for the big roads but useless when in town. Directions from the shipper/consignee along with a nice little electronic map are really nice. Especially when the shipper's directions include landmarks like 'the old KMart' and such or they fail to mention the detour that goes around the old KMart.

They will never be 100% but are a great tool when you often go to areas you aren't familiar with.

 

I'm new to the whole trucking thing, but as someone who drove a taxi for a year and a half, I can say without question that, in that line of work, a GPS will pay for itself very quickly. I've been reading maps for years, so that's not a problem. What can be a problem is trying to read the map in the dark while you are driving around in a neighborhood you are unfamiliar with.

The GPS saved me time and made my job much, MUCH easier. Were there times when the GPS gave me incorrect directions? Yes, but those times were few and far between. In my experience, the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.

I admit that the job of driving a truck is considerably different than driving a taxi, but from what I know about the technology, a GPS is going to be one of my first investments when I start driving.

 

I can read a map and can do calculations in my head which will tell me how long it will take me to get to my destination. I plan my trip in advance to get to a particular truck stop or place to sleep for the night. I usually call the shipper or consignee prior to pick up or delivery for directions. Most will know about road construction, truck routes, etc., I think that it is too easy to become reliant on GPS which isn't always accurate. I can buy a lot of Rand McNally's for the price of a truck GPS.

 

It's just ONE tool worth using. I"ve had my generic garmin tell me to turn where there is no street many times, 'arrive at destination' in the middle of a corn field, and some big places you think would be in the database, aren't.

Strangely enough, most of us did manage to make it to the customer before GPS and Cellphones.

A GPS is a minor convenience.

 

Here we go,yet another GPS thread...I have one,and its GREAT,but it is a tool,and ONLY a tool..One must STILL read a map,figure and check the route,and THEN turn on the handy,dandy GPS.. The technology is there,and its great,why fight it.?

 

I won't buy one. It's a nice tool to have, but not a necessity. I do have one on my phone, which is intended for regular cars. When I plan my routes out, I'll look at the route it suggests vs. routes from other sources and plan out my best route that way, but I don't use it going down the road.
If you're in a Qualcomm equipped truck, and driving for a company which plans out your routes for you, it's even less important to have. If you need final directions to the customer, you call them and ask.
If you want one, I won't discourage you from buying it. But you can get by without them just fine - this entire industry did for many, many years.

 

Pilots got by many many years without radar, ships sailed the seas with nothing more than a compass. Just sayin...

 

And why do people resist a good thing..? Just askin..

 

It's a good thing... a pricey good thing, at that. For me, buying one would make me feel like I was committing myself to being a road driver, rather than a sitework driver who ended up on the road as a means to an end and isn't planning on making this a long term thing.
I won't discourage people from buying them, but I want to emphasize that, if you have other priorities which you need to spend your money on, you don't need the GPS right this instant.