Google Maps traffic rerouting question

All I can say is you are stuck in the 1980s This is 2018 and there are new tools to help driving better, truck GPS has its own problems too. To each his own, use whatever work for you.

 

I'll tell you what I tell my drivers - GOOGLE is not made for routing trucks, it is a superficial routing system for tourist and simple routing of consumers.

Sorry dude, the tools we have all have a long long way to go, and can't be trusted. This only makes people more steering wheel holders than truck drivers.

Like I tell others learn how to read a map and route properly.

 

Nothing wrong with Google Maps as a SUPPLEMENTAL tool to others. Especially if you run mostly west or Texas. But it should NEVER be your only routing tool if you’re running 13-6 or 14-0, and 53s

 

I like to throw my permits out the window and go strictly by Mapquest when oversized.

 

Google doesn't even attempt to route trucks on truck-legal routes. Google allows you to choose car, public transit, and walking routes. You're in a commercial truck. A new or used 5 inch truck GPS is likely much cheaper than the ticket for having a commercial truck on roads it's not allowed.

 

My truck GPS often disagrees with the speed limit signs along the road. I imagine people would try a lot harder to see and obey the roadside speed limit signs if they didn't rely on the GPS for the same info.

 

OP, as you probably guessed you're getting a lot of answers from luddites (old school stubborn guys) that don't respect technology. I feel your pain....and theirs.

What Six said is key, "Don’t look for hard rule, be flexible."

I keep an up to date truck atlas and have used it twice, literally, in the last 6 months OTR. I know how to use it but I don't need to use it.

I've driven tractors for many years and having a little time behind you to be able to 'feel' a bad decision on a route is key. It's usually pretty obvious from signs, other trucks around you and the lay of the land if you're about to nose your truck in to an alley.

Google Earth (satellite view) is your friend and I would make one other recommendation. I have a cheap Samsung tablet and am running SmartTruckII, $50 a year IIRC. It keeps your miles for IFTA, gives you satellite view, TRUCK speed limit and endless other options. You can set over speed-limit warnings which I totally rely on and it shows you scales, rest stops, anything you want really.

I have a couple hundred at most in the tablet but a cheaper one would still run it fine. I use a hotspot from my spare smartphone in the truck that I run my ELD on. Never had a problem. It sucks at live traffic, though, which is why I also run Google Maps. Their live traffic can't be beat. When it shows a slow down I look at the reroute options and start comparing that with what Smarttruck is showing me for truck routes. Very rarely do I have to compare this to the paper atlas. This requires pulling over. Don't do all this while driving. It still saves me time.

 

Absolutely! Couldn’t have said it better!

 

No driver, absolutely not stuck in the 80's. OP was giving excuses for not having a the proper tools to do his job. I offered cheap and easy solutions.

I use the latest technology and stay current. What I don't do is make excuses for not using the proper tools to do my job correctly, safely, legally, and efficiently. I'll use an analogy again, it's like trying to use a Phillips screwdriver in a slot head screw. It may work but eventually you'll ruin it.

Rather than do the right thing, OP is trying to only use non truck tools to accomplish his job. At least that's what I gathered from his post.
Nothing wrong with using Google maps, as long as it's only used for traffic reference on your pre determined truck route. Using it for truck routing is simply irresponsible and unsafe for all of us.

 

It is really pretty easy to tell if it's a truck route or not, even on Google maps. If it's a winding, snake ### looking road, it's probably not a truck route don't go that way, it's a barely discernible line on the screen, it's probably not a truck route don't go that way. Common sense and trusting your instincts goes a lot further than you might think.