Do local day cab companies have gps?

Day Cab. Awesome things. Turn on a dime. Back into anywhere. Street legal yard dog. GPS didn't exist back then. Fast and agile, were a life support system for city's. They were fun.

 

GPS, its a tool. Like any other tool there are pros and cons, the only real con I see is cost. Unless you want to compare. Hmmmm. Let's see, my Thomas Guides, 1 for Bakersfield & southern central valley, 1 for Los Angeles & Orange County, 1 for San Bernardino & Riverside County, 1 for Coachella & San Diego County, 1 for Sacramento, 1 for San Francisco, 1 Las Vegas, plus a couple of gene tree so map books covering Cal, Nev, Az, New York , New Jerseys, & Philly. HMMMM. Not to mention several Range Mc Nalley Road Atlas.

Now granted I did not buy them all at once, and they were tax deductible, and there was now such thing as GPS or Cellular phone when most were purchased. I guess this makes a good GPS a pretty good deal. It's is like having a current Thomas Guide all the time. There really is not a draw back.

My son just started driving and I got him 2 things , 2014 Road Atlas and Truck based GPS. And of course anyone who disagrees with me is not entitled to their opinion,there just wrong.

 

I would get a good city map as well as a GPS. I usr my GPS more for eta's than anything else but I'm a regional driver so I'm usually familiar with the area. Every company I've worked for in the last ten years would pull up and print directions from mapquest if you asked them.

 

Many company managers do not want to pay the expense of GPS, not that it is not practical, but just saving a nickel on the bottom line. I suggest you get a smart phone most have an app for directions and will work fine in local delivery. Many smartphones have apps that give you voice directions thus hands free. I use an IPhone the map app gives good directions, I would think Samsung Galaxy would have the same type app. Buy a cradle and attach it to your dash, and do not type in it while you are moving. You can also write off your Phone bill as a work expense on your taxes.

 

If you're driving day cab, isn't dispatch telling you specifically where to go? Dispatch at my previous job told us the locations, accepted route and expected times.

 

When I'm running local I'm in a day cab. I go to first time places all the time. Dispatch gives me an address and I plug it in to my gps. I think some people need to open their minds and understand that just because you're in a day cab doesn't mean you run the same route day after day. There is a wide variety of freight being moved by day cabs.

 

Some do, but every company I have worked for I was lucky to get a grunt out of dispatch when I picked up my paperwork much less instructions. Maybe this is the old way of thinking, but I like to plan my own route apps like Waze will tell you about problems with roads, like accidents or closures. Most disputes are just looking at google maps on their computers and donor see problems ahead. I am not saying if your company gives you a specific route to go your own way, just if you what GPS for local delivery a smart phone is a way to augment.
Here is a specific example. I was running up to Sonora, California at night dense fog looking for a new warehouse and dispatch had given me a map. Could not see more than 50 ft, could not see the addresses on the buildings that were at least a 100 yards from the street. My IPhone showed where I was in relation to the building and told me where to turn. Technology is a truckers best friend, it can make yor day much easier.
Most companies are not going to supply you with more than the bare minimum to do your job. I am just suggesting alternatives. Have a good day.

 

I got taught to drive a truck in 2011 by a old school trucker, he taught us how to use a map and almost brainwashed us into making sure you know your route before you drive, write it down turn by turn on a note pad, tape it to your dash for quick reference, how many times has a gps put you into the wrong place? ive heard horror stories of gps getting guys lost

 

I don't doubt the usefulness of a good GPS program. What I wondered about was having enough spare leash that you could pick your own routes because my previous employer didn't allow it unless you were avoiding hazardous situations. I figured most of them were like that.

 

I am with you. Writing it down is a must. GPS units can fail like anything else.