GPS systems -good and bad

A gps is a good TOOL! A tool is only as good as the operator. Learn to do it yourself with a map, you'll thank us later. I use my gps for basic route comparisons, estimated mileages, estimated trip times, and the best feature is I can see upcoming streets in unfamiliar areas before i get to them. Just don't rely on it to do everything for you because it will get you in trouble if you do whether it's truck specific or not. I use a simple basic Tom Tom that is made for cars because i only use it for said purposes I mentioned already. I paid $40 for it brand new on sale.

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi for cars that I use in the semi, anytime it routes me I get my Motor Carriers Atlas out and verify the route for restrictions, in 3 yrs I've only twice had a problem with it.
Recently, I drove a semi that belonged to someone else and had a Garmin Truck GPS in it, I really liked it, but for some stuff it was only semi accurate. The weigh station listings need to be updated (it showed several that didn't exist anymore) and a few of the truck stops were off slightly. I had it mounted side by side with my auto gps, the biggest thing I liked on the truck gps was that it told you which lane to be in. It saved my butt in Chattanooga, but at the sametime, it also threw me off in Miami and caused me to take a wrong exit which made me detour.

The biggest thing, whatever route it gives you, also carry a motor carriers atlas and match that route for low clearances and restrictions.

 

NO you do NOT need to get a GPS!
You NEED to get a truckers road atlas and learn and start there THEN get a GPS later!
I know that, that school you spent stupid money on to teach you such things as map reading, routing and other needed knowledgeable things in the world of trucking spent several hours on map reading. If not who is this institute of stupidity so we can pass the word that they aren't worth the money and also what company are you hired on so we can add this little bit of information to their "bad company list" as I can bet a dime to a donut they have a long thread dedicated to them!" OH! never mind I see it's Werner! What was I thinking you got a good trainer! More than likely he's "had his own" for maybe 6 months! They say the first thing you lose when getting old is your memory and I forgot...what was I ranting about???? OH!..

If you had/have a hard time figuring out a route this job might not be for you. And didn't that so called TRAINER not teach you how to plan a route with a paper map? If not then I would probably just forget anything else he attempted to teach you as he didn't do his job and the lazy way isn't trucking and it's more than likely incorrect!

Here is a thread started up just several days ago. Read! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...dvice/123128-gps-to-gps-not-gps-question.html

 

GPS was programmed for the 4 wheeler in mind. You really just need to pay attention to the roads and not a electronic device that will take you under a low bridge.

I would love a good GPS, alas I also would love to be turning miles too. Most of the info you can get from google maps. Get the address, let google plot it, check against a road atlas that the route is acceptable for 13'6", then look at google aerial to view destination, you can move up and down these virtual roads and find where you are going and save your self alot of headaches down the road.

 

I agree with the other old hands. It's best to learn it old school first. By doing that you get to know your truck, how it handles, how the stick feels, etc..... If you've got a GPS, you're going to be more worried about where you're going and you won't be listening to the truck. Be the rookie that doesn't make a rookie mistake and you'll feel better about your abilities.

As far as GPS units go, I can't say anything about the Garmin unit, because I haven't had any experience with it. On the other hand, Rand McNally and Cobra have both put out units exclusively for truck drivers. They're both good and both are made by reputable companies who have a long and trusted history with the trucking industry. I'd check out either the RM or the Cobra first. They're pricey, but should ultimately pay for themselves.

Good luck!!! Shiny side up, drivers....

 

Here's the thing that I notice whenever this topic comes up. You can basically divide truck drivers into two camps when it comes to GPS. There is the camp that tells you GPS will always route you under a 4' tall bridge and the road leading to this bridge will be lined on both sides with nuns pushing quadriplegic orphans in wheel chairs who will die a horrific death if you so much as think about trying to turn around or back up. And then there are those who will tell you that they've used GPS for years without much trouble and have spent about 1/1000th as much time being lost because of it.

I have found that you can also divide the two camps up into those who have actually used GPS and those who have never used it. And the groups of drivers would be almost identical in both cases. Those who have actually used it will tell you that its an incredibly valuable tool to have so long as you understand how to use it and so long as you understand its limitations. And then there are those who have never used it and/or don't understand how to use it or the limitations. This second group tends to do everything in their power to make you believe that just having a GPS unit in the truck will cause you to plow into a dynamite factory at 70mph and only a rocket scientist of the highest magnitude could use GPS and not succumb to such a fate.

I use a $120 garmin nuvi car unit and I wouldn't drive without it nor would I spend the money to buy any of the truck specific units. Just look over the route before you drive it and adjust as required to keep yourself off the cow roads as much as possible.

 

What he said...

 

I think just opposite. When I first started driving I worked for a company that ran specific set routes to specific stores. And in almost every case, the directions they provided were wrong or incomplete to the point that you almost always got lost down narrow roads with weak bridges the first time you drove a new route after the 6 month bid change. This meant that I spent most of my early driving days so focused on whether or not I was going to get lost and how to get unlost without breaking anything that I didn't have any time left over to concentrate on how the stick felt or how the truck handled. Those things were definitely secondary to navigating back during that time for me.

So I decided to put together a laptop/GPS combo that I could use in the truck (garmin units still cost a fortune back then). As soon as I did that, getting lost/unlost really wasn't an issue anymore and I found I could focus more of my attention on actually driving the truck and improving my driving skills.

As always ymmv. But for me, having it in the truck definitely allowed me to focus more of driving and learning the finer points of driving because I didn't have worry so much about navigating and/or deciphering the cryptic directions that my company provided.

 

Yes, I remember when I started using GPS going into an area for the first time. Several times after I used the GPS to go to that same stop and you never really learn the area and the stop. You learn to just watch the screen and zone out. It's a crutch.

Pull out the map and do it the right way I say!

 

With all due respect, just because your experience has been that you don't 'learn' an area while using GPS doesn't mean that will true for everyone.

My job is making local deliveries and I cover most of the Southwestern portion of a state which I've only lived in since last February. I've used GPS since my first day on this job and I would say that I know this area quite well even though I've only been driving here for a couple of months.

I get everywhere I need to go with GPS and since I well understand how to use it and what its limits are, it works just fine for me. So I think I'll keep doing it the wrong way.