Map, GPS or both?

BOTH Use a Garmin Nuvi with truck routing. Use a good truckers atlas to plan the trip then plot the waypoints in the GPS. This way the gps will have you on the route you planned yourself but will reroute you automatically if you hit a detour. This will give you the advantages of GPS directions (much easier than reading a map while driving) and the advantage of a well planned route with no low overpasses or weight restricted roads.

 

You have to have a map. Get the standard that all truckers get. It is a Motor Carriers Road Atlas. Get the sprial one, because it lays flat, and you can look at it while you rear end a Ford Mustang stopped at a red light. Kidding....but the pages are laminated, and well worth the $40-50. The Garmin or TomTom will set you back $120 at minimum. If you want 'top of the line', there is Co-Pilot. It will run you $225+ (wait till new year, version 12 comes out and i hear has more bells and whistles).

What i am going to do, is get Microsoft Maps and Streets (or whatever its called) you can pick it up at Best Buy for $80. you need a laptop though. it comes with a GPS that you plug into an available USB port on your lappy, and it does the same thing as your TomTom or Garmin, but for a little bit less.

 

I just use microsoft streets and trips. I've been pretty much everywhere so nothing really suprises me anymore. If its a completely new area i'll scan it with windows live and get a heads up that way. If your a noobie get you a truckers atlas ad learn your routes that way then step up too gps. good luck

 

Best thing going in my opinion is Delorme with there GPS and you can't go wrong and it will keep all your delivery and pick up info for future referance and figure all your stops and all i loved it when i was running. Now when i get back and start the RV traveling thing i am sure i will go back to it all though ti have the garmin GPS in the truck now and seem to like it

 

I have a TOMTOM that I paid around $250 for and I use that with my Truckers Atlas and everything works out for me.

When the TomTom gives me a route I compare it to my atlas and look for obstacles and if everything checks out I just follow the GPS.

 

Garmin Nuvi, laptop w/Sprint aircard and Google Maps and then the truckers map. Laptop stays in sleeper, I just use that for preplan routing. The map is somewhere in the truck, rarely ever use. GPS on dash.

Common sense is your best friend. Something that you will learn in regards to driving a truck. Call shipper and receiver for CORRECT directions in, as this is when you ignore the GPS. Follow those directions to a T, especially if you are in a big city like Chicago. Your GPS will want to take you the quickest way, not the way a truck may need to go.

That is how I do it. Your best friend out here is common sense and your eyeballs. Use em, and bad things will be rare.

Mike

 

I use all of the the things that you listed above. I'm a driver with under 1yr experience and i haven't had any troubles yet (knock on wood)

 

Best use for a GPS

Plot out your trip in seconds instead of many minutes. (I still check the atlas over quickly)

Quick reroute in seconds if you run into construction or a long back-up (Hard to do with a map while driving)

Save your trips on your GPS (Better than looking for that piece of paper)

Know where you are, how far you've gone, how far you have to go, how to best manage your time, where you can stop, all at a glance.

We drive a lot a night. Reading written directions with a map light on sucks and isn't safe either. That lit up display on your dash is nice and your next turn is right there for you so it only takes a quick glance.

With that being said, GPS is great if it always works. GPS maps are made by people and people make mistakes you can't blindly trust them either. I always call for directions for that last stretch of the trip and compare them to what I have planed. However you cant always trust company directions either. I always ask for "Truck route" directions and double check those too! We had one company in Chicago run 2 of our trucks under a 13'3" bridge. They said "Oh you you make it under there, people do it all the time" So don't trust company directions blindly either is my point.

The technology will get better and better in the years to come. Mistakes will be found and corrected. Until that time you still have to be cautious and double check everything. A GPS is still nice though, its like a little co-driver keeping an eye on you so dont miss that turn, or can re-route you out of a mess quickly. It can tell you which lane you need to be in for your exit. Ive seen alot of drivers stuck in the right lane when they had a left exit to make. A map cant tell you that and in heavy traffic the road sign might not let you know in time to get over. Anyway thats my 2 cents on it. They have their uses but you still should check the atlas and get company direction. Between the 3 you have all your bases covered plus a second and third opinion never hurts either.

 

Grumpy,

If you're needing a new GPS because it's a year old. Don't waste your money buying a new one.

Just purchase and update in software/mapware. I believe it cost about $10. You can have a disc sent to your home. Which is the best way to go for most drivers. It takes almost 75 minutes to download the update, on DSL 6.0 Extreme.

You still have the same Garmin, with the features you like and are accustom to. With all new maps