Google Maps now to offer some new useful features

And que a sudden increase in bridge strikes, running off roads, trying to take trucks over wooden foot bridges and up steep mountain passes in 3....2....

 

I use Google Maps a lot to check for the best route in to shippers and receivers. I would never use it for real-time navigation because of its many shortcomings in that respect.

Also, this quote stands out (emphasis mine):
"However, there is also a downside to using Google Maps, and that is the amount of personal data that Google collects from using it. Google uses this data to improve its services, but also to target ads, influence behavior and sell to third parties."
Yeah, no thanks.

 

would be nice if there was a middle ground between a truck GPS that will route you untold number of extra miles just to stay on a state hwy vs google maps routing you down a road that doesn't even exist anymore and when it did it was dirt...

 

You can drop pins as stops in Maps so it takes the exact path you've chosen.

 

If google maps had a trucker version they would make a killing. It has a much better user interface, graphics, realtime updates, and route planning than Garmin and Rand Mcnally.

we now route plan and check with our atlas for low clearances then force waypoints with google to our destination.

Hammer looks promising but we haven’t tried it yet.

 

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I use Google Maps like a SMART atlas. Enter my destination and see what it comes up with. Then I investigate what Google came up with. If one of the roads on the route looks like a cardiogram, I look at other options. If the destination is in a tight area or city, Street View comes in real handy. Satellite view can let you know the "lay of the land" at the customer, such as where receiving is located, etc, etc. The real time traffic is "must have" in my book. It gives you the option to avoid problems before you get stuck in them. All this and more for $0!

If this is an issue for some folks................may I suggest not using a smartphone, tablet or laptop on the internet if protecting your privacy is a concern. Everything on the internet is tracked................everything!

JD

 

I thought about mentioning this but why bother? Some people just don't get how the modern world operates. The only way to not be tracked, have ads targeted towards you or hide in any way is to be totally and completely off grid. Even then you're not 100% hidden.