GPS for Truckers, are there GPS devices designed for truck driver

We had nothing but issues with the Rands, so it is garmin and only garmin. I can't fault Garmin units, they are used in the military, Aviation and other mission critical applications.

 

Garmin is the best and really the only.

The FSX Software for the flight simulator game features Garmin Units where appropriate inside the 3D views of the virtual office you are in when flying a variety of aircraft.

Our Rand software (Streets and trips, late 90's retail version) had a GPS antenna which did well for it's time attached to the laptop. From time to time in white outs we were able to keep it centered on the interstate middle lane specifically driving by the laptop itself when everything was essentially painted over and even the hood was not able to be seen through the windshield. (Looking back on it, it was crazy and unprofessional on many levels. One of which is that there is no way of knowing the road situation in front which requires different sensor groups to penetrate the visibility issue)

But I would not rely on GPS alone for trucking when it comes down to it. I would be the first to laugh when people make wrong turns following the dot on the screen instead of using their brains.... and was humbled myown self when in thick fog, we came off US 1 in Delaware looking for a particular access road that was marked well to get to a grower to load plants for Iowa. The problem was that the original access road was cut off, landscaped over and used in a very small part as a driveway for a 40 acre cell phone tower installation.|

That was where we come in. We followed US1 off the bridge, got onto the next road close to the shipper and turned right in that thick fog to access the next route. We forget the name of that road but think it wont take too much trouble to find it again on Google Earth... and learned that we are now inside a 40 acre cell tower installation and we needed to turn the rig on what was then wet grass instead of pavement and work around the generator buildings, other buildings cabling securements for the towers anchors for them etc. Suddenly we had visions of being laughingstock of the entire trucking industry, husband wife idiots follow GPS and take down cell tower in a foggy night.

We got it out of there, 53 foot trailer and all, proceeded down the route about half a mile past where we found a newly built connection to the route we needed to get to the shipper which was right there on the corner.

It's hard to explain, they cut off about a mile of this road, built a new bypass and completely new connection approx 1/2 mile beyond where the old connection which is now a new Cellular tower installation driveway. And Rand Streets Servers never updated the software to reflect the new construction, new routing etc. It was also in the early days of the internet, we were still Dailup in those days among other issues.

We don't blame Rand for failing to update. The Fog was not THAT bad and in hindsight it was relatively easy to find the shipper and the new route that was built to get to it. It goes to show how two truckers can be off the ball, miss the 8ball entierly and go on to make further mistakes which was really unnecessary when it was all over but the story telling.

GPS is a wonderful magic, something that would have been very useful back in the 80's but only the Military had that then and even then, certain weapons systems follow the stars themselves rather than GPS.

 

My Garmin is all the time trying to get me to go on roads I'm not allowed on, and it is a trucker gps.
I should switch it to the man's voice and see if it works better.