Navigation Systems

A mic input jack and the option to run a remote mic that you can position closer to your face.
My Kenwood stereo has bluetooth with a built in mic that's just too far away from me and is overcome by road noise, it's only useful if I'm parked.

Weather is far and above what I need to know about.

After I started running to Canada regularly I bought a Tom Tom, really just for the last 5 miles but at times it is really nice to know exactly how far I am from my next turn or the next town.

 

If something aint broke dont fix it. There are three very good and reputable manufactures of truck GPS systems out there, Rand McNally, PC miller, and the Garmin Nuvi. A few other truck GPS units but they all have bad reputations or reviews from truckers. Most truckers who have a truck GPS have one of those three. All three do an excellent job, the top two are nuvi and the Mcnally. Before you spend the time or money for a new truck GPS, did you ask yourself if the proposed item you are thinking of making would have a distinct advantage to the ones already out there that would make it more appealing to truckers than the ones they have? And if so by the time your proposed product hits the shelves will the existing established and trusted manufactures of that product have beaten you to the punch? The top two are darn near perfect. Only a few shortcomings, but the manufactures of the big three are doing a lot more research on those shortcoming than you are in order to sell more than there other two competitors. They have greater resources, more experience and are established, trusted, liked, and even worshiped by most of there users.

I have the Rand McNally in my truck. Same company who makes the trucker road atlas (trucker bible), which I use and am happy with only a few slight down faults to easily overcome by user, only very slight improvement possible, like a trailer wash find button would be nice. Occasionally makes mistakes and tells you that your truck which is programmed into it is going someplace it shouldn't when you know it can, wrong speed limit most of time even with free updates, but as a professional driver, you are also a professional sign reader so that should have no bearing, a lot of times only gets within 1/4 mile of destination but you should as a driver have called your destination and have directions from dispatch as well so that has no bearing eather. Its basically perfect. These small down faults are about the same with all three top manufactures of truck GPS units. Guaranteed each of the three is putting massive cash and resources into any viable add on or improvement to outdew there competition. Not trying to burst your bubble, but I really dont think there is room in the truck GPS market for an inexperienced startup company/manufacture. Forgot to mention. Qcom which is in most trucks already also is working on getting the bugs out of there own built in satellite navigation system.

 

You might want to spend the extra cash for a "Truck" GPS unit. Mcnally and nuvi, have truck mode. You program your truck specs into it, hazmat if applicable and presto. They have "truck only" Point Of Interest button which can be clicked off how I run mine. Truck stops click of button, rest areas click of button, tire shops click of button, cat scales click of button, massive truck only features, wallmart click of button, tells you when chicken coop is coming up (if your heavy you can set it to alert you 30 miles in advance that there is a chicken coop on your route so you can change your route) They dont send you down streets or roads with load limits that exceed your programmed in weight (80,000lb). Low bridges ets. I can dang near get all 73 feet or so of tractor and 53' reefer most anyplace a 4 wheeler can go as long as there is nothing hanging lower than 13'6" I love tight streets, small county roads ets. its bout the only thing I find that actually requires any skill about this industry.

Everything you mentioned above is exactly how the mcnally is which I run and I have heard from numerous users of the Nuvi thats how it is as well. A car GPS is going to mess you up seriously if you try to use it wrong or expect more from it, which is what you have been doing. You are expecting your car GPS to do a truck GPS's work, aint gona happen. There is a reason you pay extra for a truck GPS. It has truck features, lots and lots to choose from or you can leave off if you choose. In my unprofessional opinion seems to me like you are relying on your GPS to much anyways. If you rely on a GPS to much you will always be disappointing, in my opinion

 

i want a nav system that takes me to a main hwy/int from a shipper then lets me stay on main hwy's until i have no other choice but to drop to a secondary to get to my consignee

 

If main highways is all you want, save some hard earned cash and buy a trucker road atlas instead of a GPS unit.

 

Grumppy, check out this $40 http://www.truckstopsplus.com/ add-on for Microsoft's Streets and Trips, (which is $40 at Best Buy,,,I dunno where ya got it at $80) There are several threads about this add-on, and I am going to buy it in a week or so.



Personally I don't use any GPS. I plan the route out before I go w/streets and trips, and write it out on my notebook paper. Not gonna trust a GPS to guide me in; and not going to pay BIG money for the RandMc gps either.
And you gotta have a laptop to update, or at least update the GPS every now and then on the home computer. Oh yeah, it has some GPS function but I don't have a gps,,,duhh. see below, from link above.


Welcome to Truck Stops Plus, the home of the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template which adds over 12,300 pinpoint accurate truck specific POIs to Streets & Trips, and now also the home of the new TSP 2011 POI Database which is our new POI database of over 12,300 truck specific POIs distributed in .gpx, .csv, and ov2 file formats suitable for uploading into most popular brand models of GPS devices. Our TSP 2011 POI Database also now contains a new Delorme draw file (TSP 2011 Delorme v7.dmt) making our database compatible for the first time with Delorme Street Atlas.1
From now on when you purchase our Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template you will not only receive our TSP2011.exe setup file for installing the Truck Stops Plus 2011 template, but also our TSP 2011 POI Database as well packaged together in one zip folder. Hence, whether you use Streets & Trips only, a standalone GPS device only, Delorme Street Atlas only, or all three simultaneously, Truck Stops Plus has you covered because you get all three great products for one great low price downloaded together in one TSP2011.zip folder.
New for 2011

• The Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template and our new TSP 2011 POI Database now contains more than 12,300 pinpoint accurate trucking specific points of interest (POIs) covering the USA and Canada. Indeed, it's the largest and most accurate trucking specific POI database available today.
• For 2011 the entire database has not only been re-updated as always, but also completely re-geocoded for a new higher level of accuracy. Hence, if you haven't updated your previous Truck Stops Plus template in a while, this is the best time for you to do so..
• Contains 5986 truck stops, including 1058 major chain franchise truck stops and 4928 independent truck stops!
• Also includes 2197 rest areas, turnpike service plazas, and picnic/parking areas, 1008 weigh station locations, all of the Speedco locations in the USA, and 2749 Wal-Mart Supercenters, divided into 2476 Wal-Mart Supercenters that allow overnight truck parking and 273 that do not allow overnight truck parking,
• New for 2011 we also now include 402 truck wash locations,. which includes all of the Blue Beacon Truck Wash locations and Truckomat "Iowa 80" Truck Wash locations in North America.
• New for 2011 quickly check fuel prices online by clicking the P pushpin symbol hyperlink. You must have an aircard or Internet connection for this new feature to work.
• The Independent Truck Stops are divided into the Independent Truck Stops category and the Independent Truck Stops w/Scales category, which makes searching and routing to independent truck stops with scales or without scales much easier and faster. You can also easily distinguish them apart on the map as well.
• Both the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template and our new TSP 2011 POI Database also contains the pertinent information professional drivers need the most, such as if it is a small, medium, or large truck stop, whether the truck stop has a scale or no scale, whether it does major repairs, minor repairs only, or no repairs, whether it charges for overnight parking, etc., and new for 2011 all major franchise truck stops also include the phone numbers and the food offerings too. (Note: Because of certain limitations in Delorme much of the aforementioned information will be absent).
• New for 2011 the turnpike service plazas also now indicate the name, specific location information, truck parking size, whether or not it has a truck scale, and the food offerings.
• Also with the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template you can easily check for Restricted Routes and Low Clearances right from the convenience of your laptop screen with or without Internet access and without a Motor Carrier Road Atlas.

With today's skyrocketing fuel prices nothing will help you minimize out of route miles better than the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template combined together with Microsoft Streets & Trips or MapPoint, or the TSP 2011 POI Database combined with your favorite standalone GPS device, or Delorme Street Atlas. t "Iowa 80" Truck Wash locations, and all the Speedco locations in the USA.. The Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template is a first of a kind high tech truck stop guide and Wal-Mart Supercenter locator tool on steroids, and together with Microsoft Streets & Trips or MapPoint it will handle all of your routing and GPS navigation chores. It’s everything you need plus much


Let's see, If I can get a 10% commission..... I can retire in...xx years....

 

A GPS is only as smart as the one using it. To produce a real trucker friendly GPS, you would have to identify all low clearances, restricted routes and know the right way in on some of these one way in, one way out towns.

Right now, the better GPS's you can alter the route to match what you know from other sources. eg, programming legs or finger touch detour here.

 

Ok, Grumppy, I DID see that Streets w/ gps for $80. I forgot about that one!

Hey, you didn't clik their link, I guess, or you missed where they talk about having 'low clearances'. ( I didn't copy/paste ALL of their info on my original post, only part of it)) Look here below; it says it does 'low clearances' too:

"With the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template, you will also be able to relegate your Motor Carrier Road Atlas to backup status, because you will be able to easily check for restricted routes and low clearances right from the convenience of your laptop screen without an Internet connection, making it not only much easier but many times faster as well. In addition, new for 2011 with an Internet connection you can also check for diesel fuel prices online in only a matter of seconds by clicking the P hyperlink pushpin symbol. You will never use an antiquated Truck Stops Directory ever again, nor will you want to. Also, while you are traveling in GPS navigation guidance mode you will be able to see over the horizon for miles ahead in advance! With the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template you will be able to see all oncoming truck stops, Wal-Mart Supercenters, rest areas, turnpike service plazas, weigh stations, etc. contained in the template for miles ahead in advance as you are traveling down the roads of America and Canada. You will never check a truck stop directory or Motor Carrier Road Atlas again while you are driving! It’s like having your own personal advanced high tech radar system right th

 

Say what??

• Also with the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template you can easily check for Restricted Routes and Low Clearances right from the convenience of your laptop screen with or without Internet access and without a Motor Carrier Road Atlas.

With today's skyrocketing fuel prices nothing will help you minimize out of route miles better than the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template combined together with Microsoft Streets & Trips or MapPoint, or the TSP 2011 POI Database combined with your favorite standalone GPS device, or Delorme Street Atlas. If you are serious about saving money, then the Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template and the TSP 2011 POI Database are absolutely indispensable tools you can't afford to be without!
Product Overview for the Truck Stops Plus 2011 add-on Template
The Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template transforms the popular Microsoft Streets & Trips and MapPoint routing and navigation GPS software into easy to use trucker’s software. The Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template is an add-on template that replaces the standard out of the box templates that comes with Microsoft Streets & Trips and MapPoint with a special template called the Truck Stops Plus that contains more than 12,300 trucking specific points of interest, including 5986 truck stops, which includes 1058 major chain franchise truck stops plus 4928 independent truck stops. Also included are 2749 Wal-Mart Supercenters, divided into 2476 that allow overnight truck parking and 273 that doesn't, more than 2197 rest areas, turnpike service plazas, and picnic/parking areas, 1008 weigh station locations, 402 truck wash locations including all of the Blue Beacon Truck Wash locations and Truckomat "Iowa 80" Truck Wash locations, and all the Speedco locations in the USA.. The Truck Stops Plus 2011 Template is a first of a kind high tech truck stop guide and Wal-Mart Supercenter locator tool on steroids, and together with Microsoft Streets & Trips or MapPoint it will handle all of your routing and GPS navigation chores. It’s everything you need plus much more!