RM vs Garmin

I personally prefer the RM. it doesn’t come with the traffic/weather built in(you have to subscribe to those and have one of those portable WiFi spots like the iPhone has to make it work), but the maps are a bit more detailed and imho the accuracy is a bit better.... for a truck gps. I recommend getting one of those paper RM road atlases with it. Also load up your phone with google maps, 511 apps or bookmarks from the states you’ll be running in, as well as some weather apps. I don’t know if you are new to this industry, but the one thing I recommend is TRIP PLAN. It can and will save you headaches in the long term. DO NOT TRUST THAT GPS AS YOUR SOLE MEANS OF NAVIGATION. It may be a trucker specific unit, but it can and will lead you off onto roads and under bridges you ain’t supposed to go through with a truck. Check the state and route limits on the roads you’ll be using, call customers for specific directions if you’re not sure.

 

Heck, I don't trust the GPS in my car! Going to a new place, I always look on my tablet at home before the trip & decide which way is best for me (google maps, MapQuest, etc.). I would say 70% of the time the stand alone GPS in the car wants to send me down a path I don't prefer.

 

Since I run a lot of very long, sometimes coast to coast runs, I use mine mainly to keep track of how far I am to my stops. Plus with the RM it’s got a huge directory of both truck and general places.. truck stops, restaurants, etc. other than that I try to plan my routes out the old fashioned way I’ve been doing it for years, so I don’t wind up having to “creative” park. A lot of times I’ll write down a complex route if it doesn’t jive with what the gps is telling me. Then there’s the fun of watching it go completely nuts with “recalculating”.

 

I just started using the Garmin 770HD, noticed a few glitches with local streets not coming up and these streets are not new, still learning how to use it so it might be me.
I decided to go with the Garmin due to the thread about RM support, too many issues, you should go read both of them, don't go by my opinion.

 

I upgraded to the RM 540 the other day, so far not bad. I like the newer, cleaner layout on the screen and the ability to update it online without having to hook it up to my MacBook with the crummy “dock” software. The only flies in the soup on this thing is the tendency for the speed readout to constantly bounce between 0 and actual speed, and requires rebooting a couple of times before it clears up. The other thing is because it no longer requires the dock software there’s no way to load all my addresses from the old 530 onto it. Of course the support (or lack of) from RM doesn’t help either.

 

[QUOTE="Anonymousproxy, post: 7089682, member: 160621". A lot of times I’ll write down a complex route if it doesn’t jive with what the gps is telling me. Then there’s the fun of watching it go completely nuts with “recalculating”.[/QUOTE]

If the routes generated are not taking you the way you want to go, add ship vias to force the route to go the way you want to go. It's not hard to do and it takes a lot less time than it does writing down the route on paper. As you can make the GPS unit route any way you want to go.

 

@Mark Kling

 

I'd recommend the RM TND 530 or the TND 730 and to stay away from the newer TND 540s and 740s because they really screwed up the navigation display screen. I've had a TND 730 since 2014 and its still going strong. Hadn't had any problems with it either. Although the first one I got kept freezing up on me at the most inopportune times and after I tried scanning and repairing it several times to no avail, I exchanged it for the one I have now and I haven't had any problems with that one.

Prior to the TND 730, I used Streets & Trips with the Truck Stops Plus template, which added all the truck stops, truck washes, rest areas, parking areas, turnpike service plazas, weigh stations, etc to Streets and Trips. Had to stop using it because Microsoft discontinued Streets & Trips and the maps in some places were starting to get outdated, but it was by far the best system going if you knew how to use it, which I did. In fact, I still use it today, not for navigation anymore, but for all sorts of things as it is still a great resource especially for seeing where all the truck stops on your route are and for checking alternative routes. Not to mention, that it is super fast.

Anyway, if you have a laptop, I recommend you download Google Earth, which is a free download, and what I use Google Earth for is to look up all my shippers and consignees. To do that simply type in the address minus the zip code and hit enter. Google Earth will take you there, then zoom in and find the driver entranceway. Once you locate the driver entranceway, place a pushpin right in the driver entrance way. Then after you place the pushpin, right click it and choose properties. When the properties dialogue page comes up, you will be able to see the GPS coordinates. Then key those GPS coordinates into your GPS device and then save them in your address book for the next time you go back. Your GPS device will then route you directly to the driver entranceway of your shippers and consignees. Indeed, that's the way I do it.

In addition, you should also check to see the best way to approach your shippers and consignees, especially if they are located in non-industrial rural areas, so that you can configure your GPS device to go in the best way.

I have several friends who used the Garmin 760 and 770 for a while, but they all eventually switched back to the Rand McNally after a while because of quirks with their GPS devices.