|POLL| What GPS are you using?

No iphone, no Siri, and my S5 and my Garmin don't like each other

 

On a side note, as a trainer I'm finding myself amazed at how many people enter this industry without a CLUE about how to read a map or general geography.

"Okay, we've got to set the trailer tandems to a legal position to scale this load. We're picking up in Colorado and delivering in Ohio, which states are we going to run through?"

"Uh, let's see, uh... Michigan, Tennessee,..."

... and it's not just the younger folks, either. I dunno, I grew up fascinated with maps and knew how to set a compass to correct declination by the age of six and could spend hours scouring maps of all kinds. I'm just baffled by folks that have absolutely NO sense of direction or where they are going and want ME to tell them where to turn.

Jeeesh!

 

most times yes, sometimes no..

My 760 dezl tried to run me into a low bridge in Elizabeth, NJ just yesterday..

 

I use a Garmin 760 dezl with the free lifetime map upgrades in the truck....I like it pretty good, but I use it for reference only NOT trip planning..

I also have (2) 560 dezl'z......One in my pickup and one on my motorcycle..

All three Garmin's were free using my Love's points..

 

and if all that fails call 'olhand he's been everywhere ya know...

 

Streets and Trips. If I get into trouble I have only myself to blame because I chose the route.

 

just say "NO" to gps systems and use a two year old paper trucker's atlas. i pull for a broker and they will text me directions to new or questioned shippers/consignees. why would one desire to get accustomed to being dependent on a gps?

i pass many drivers that generally have what appears to be multiple gps's on the windshield. to me,that qualifies as distracted driving.for me to observe that,i have to be passing them on the far left.wonder what that means?

am i out of line to suggest that being dependent on a gps is akin to being lazy in some areas? i vividly recall the truck stops with a dozen or more pay phones,some with private booths/rooms. i have to wonder how older drivers such as myself got by for decades without a gps.they were not invented or weren't available to mere pions like truckers. pagers were the big technology thing back then.

 

I use the Garmin 760 Dezl, but have used the PCMiler standalone GPS's in the past, as well as CoPilot Truck for my laptop. All have their occasional "derp" moments, but the Dezl has given me less problems than the others overall. Rule #1: NEVER trust a GPS (even a dedicated trucking GPS) 100%.

 

I remember the "good (bad)" old days as well. Often those pay phones had lines of truckers getting directions (in addition to calling home, brokers, etc.). We had our road atlas and a LARGE box of city maps and map books. It was often a challenge to find customers (especially when I worked moving van and had to find residences that had no phone service yet). Many a day was shot trying to find the customer.

Fast forward to today and I see GPS as a great tool, but a tool that isn't 100% reliable. Compared to yesteryear it's far easier to navigate more efficiently. In terms of daily usefulness I rely equally on my GPS and Google Maps/Satellite View, my truck stop book (with copious notes of hidey hole parking spots), and my weather apps on my phone to make trip planning decisions. The RM Atlas comes into play for double-checking legal truck routing, restrictions, and getting a better overview of long hauls. I never consult city maps or map books anymore.

I'll take today's technology over yesterdays in a heartbeat. But I'm also flabbergasted at the lack of spatial awareness with some of my trainees, a general lack of direction. It's not just the younger folks, either. Some folks just never developed that fascination with maps and a sense of where you are in the world.

 

I use a Rand McNally 720. But I don't rely on it soley.

I use my RM atlas, Google maps/Earth, routing solution on my Qualcomm, customer directions from my company and most of all the other truckers I meet along the way.