GPS, or a program for your computer

CoPilot Truck Laptop 9 is one of two that I've seen, but have not tried it. I would love a little gps that fits tidy in a cupholder like my regular gps (that, while trying to avoid accident, took us & load of raceponies touring through packed Georgetown/DC on a Sat night). Old fashioned truck map is a must buuut, nice to have something chirping directions while keeping eyes on the road eh? Being severely directionally challenged, I need all the help available.

 

I use a garmin streetpilot GPS, but back it up with a truckers atlas. GPS's are nice, but can get you in trouble.

 

Co-Pilot Truck laptop 9 is (to my best knowledge) only one which builds the route
“ taking into consideration “ that you pull 53 footer.
Also heard that Garmin Nuvi 670 GPS Navigation System does the same, but never try.
It is a good idea to have Google Earth Plus in your laptop. Being connected to GPS receiver, this software helps a lot to eliminate some common Co-Pilot “mistakes”.
And a Truckers atlas is a must in any case.

 

A small portable unit like a Garmin, Magellan, or TomTom will work well as long as you use your head when you are using it. As long as you still pay attention to the road signs and bridge heights, you will be safe using one. If you think that the GPS will do all the work for you and you no longer have to pay attention to bridge weight limits, overpass heights, and all the other things that make up truck routes, then it will get you in trouble.

If you program a destination into a gps unit, it will stay focused on that location until you get there. If you have to detour because a route is not suitable for trucks, then it will immediately calculate the next available route into the destination. And it will continue to do that until you do find a route that is suitable for a truck to use. If you are trying to use the gps to get to your destination, it will always lead you there, no matter how much you have to adjust the route to accomodate en route problems.

It's up to you how you intend to use your GPS. If you want to use it as a crutch, then you better invest in the full laptop and mapping programs that are truck specific and use them. if you are capable of being responsible for what you are doing behind the wheel, and can use the GPS as an additional tool to simplify your job, then you can use a simple smaller unit.

I have had a TomTom in my truck for over a year and it leads me right to where I need to go each and every time, but it does not tell me the height of the upcoming bridge. I still have to take responsibility for that myself. It's a tool in addition to my atlas. I use it as a tool, and it serves me well.
\
Sunday morn I was in Kansas City Mo, and there was a train parked on the track blocking the street that led to my delivery. I turned around (as did the truck behind me who followed my lead) and used the GPS to route myself on a different street. One of the streets looked to be a driveway into a steel scrapyard, but it turned out to lead us right to where we needed to go to. When I left 2 hours later, the train was still blocking the route, but thanks to my gps, I had made my delivery and was on my way home.

It's all in how you plan to use it.

 

i picked this unit up in texas at a petro for one hundred and seventy nine dollars after a fifty dollar rebate to check it out. i have fifteen days to see if i like it or not and can return it for a full refund if i do not. it has some cool options on it and may be interesting to my adventures on the road. i will keep everybody up on how well it works and give the good and bad on it.

 

I will be interested i knowing how the unit performs and listing its features... I am no Cobra fan, think they are decent but still I think it would be interesting to hear about this radio... (I like old Cobra radio's, just don't like the ones they put out today.)

 

I prefer Mio and Garmin for my GPS needs...

 

It be a GPS not a radio!!!

Alan

 

Jack
please let us know how it works for you
thanks
rag