GPS: stand alone or on iPhone?

Thinking of buying a GPS and also found some cool GPS apps on iTunes. My question is...are any of these that much better than what my iPhone 4S is capable of doing for me?

What device or app do you all recommend?



I might be ready to retire the old
"Dist- O- Map" and join the 20th century after all.

 

I personally use the Rand McNalley, but still use my phones GPS, company Directions and Carriers Atlas. Nice thing bout the one I us its refenced on pages and such in the Road Atlas. So they work hand in hand. But i will say, they are never 100% accurate, so keep the maps. But use all the tools that are out there now,

 

Same here.

There's a couple of problems with "apps." The first huge one, is will it give you reliable truck routing information? Nothing like coming around a blind curve in the dark, and finding a 10' overpass a 4-wheeler will fit through, and you won't. Ruins your day AND your career.

The second one is, when you're staring at your iPhone app playing GPS, and then a cop pulls you over for foolin' around with a hand-held cellphone, will he believe that you weren't texting? There's a $2700 incentive to tell you to shove it.

 

Not planing on ditching the Motor Carrier Atlas.

On a 4s you can just ask Siri for directions and she starts talking. She's pretty awesome. Hands free, right through my headset.

 

I use the Motor carrier atlas for most things. Always look at my route in it.

I also have a RM TND510. It's a mechanical device, so plan for it to fail.

Same with the mapping and navigation on the phone.

I sent in my TND510 and went old school for about 3 weeks waiting for it to come back. Definitely a nice reminder to how things used to be.

 

What are you going to do in the boonies, where there's no cell signal?

 

GPS for sure.

 

You're better off buying a GPS because your phone GPS is going to destroy your battery completely... you can always buy used GPS on craigslist or ebay for less money than iphone.. JMO

 

There was a thread about this here on TTR a couple months ago. Some of the things brought up: (from memory)

- You're going to need one of the apps that has the entire US mapset installed on your phone. That's going to use a couple of gigs of space. Remember, there are a lot of areas in the country where you don't have data service.

- Your choice of truck-aware apps is extremely limited. I believe the only trucking GPS app for iOS is CoPilot Truck, and it's $150.

- Remember iOS 6 maps? 'Nuff said.

- The GPS chip in these phones was intended to give 911 your location in the event of an emergency. Due to size and power requirements, the phone GPSes aren't as robust as standalone GPS receivers. Many phones (not sure about iPhones specifically) use aGPS (assisted GPS) chips, and require a cell signal to work properly. (That's why they work inside buildings.) No cell signal, poor GPS performance.

- Just when you need your GPS to wind through a maze of twisty little streets, all alike, your phone rings and you lose your GPS display...

- Your phone is a lot more likely to fall out of your pocket than a GPS (which is still in the truck).

In case you haven't guessed, I prefer a dedicated GPS. Which to get is a matter of preference; all have their quirks and problems.

 

Nav Free for the Iphone is as it says free, and maps can be added or deleted on an as needed basis, and you don't need a cell signal to navigate once maps are installed. But, these maps will NOT know you're in a semi. They're not tailored for the business. Are they useless, no. As others have said, just another tool in the toolbox.

I've been using GPS's since before they had maps and you'd be hard pressed to find me without one. If I was going back on the road I'd buy one tailored for the industry, either Rand McNally's or a Garmin Dezl (I own almost exclusively Garmins). I advise getting one with lifetime map updates, but traffic is take it or leave it. I have traffic on my GPS in the car, and am not impressed.