Roehl selects ALK CoPilot Truck Navigation system

If its like the one I used a couple months ago in a truck I had for a short time. It sucks. Besides its foolish to rely heavily on and electronic nav system.

 

Didn't say when, we have 1,800 tractors, sheesh it's gone down a lot recently lol. Also seems like real time alerts for dispatch to know exactly when you go out of route also or miss a fuel stop so they can hassle a driver with messages why he/she did so. Will it happen before the in cab scanners or fender cameras they're testing out as well. Hmm....

 

I've been using that system since May and they keep asking if its working and if I like it...hmm. When it works it's ok, when it ignores a flag (location or route marker) it keeps trying to route you back until you edit and remove the last marker which you shouldn't do while driving, so then it gets really annoying, telling you to take every exit and go back. So you f with it while driving to shut it up. Probaly helps safety when it works and helps you see upcoming turns, but a pain in the ... when it keeps telling you to go back... The screen and ability to move the screen (swipe & drag) is nice.

 

Quote from article: The navigation system will alert drivers the moment they miss a turn or leave the planned route. The back-office receives real-time alerts of such events as well as planned versus actual reports for out-of-route analysis.

 

OK, except the route you're given doesn't take you right to the shipper or consignee; it takes you from and to the center of the cities where they're located. Or does this new system know about local directions also and guide you all the way? That would be really surprising given the number of customers who aren't in the directions database (or whose directions have mistakes in them).

For what it's worth, I've had the icon on my TruckPC main menu for several weeks now but when I press it, all it does is turn its border red for a moment, then back to normal. No app is launched. Figured it's still in testing or something.

 

Takes me right to their door, usually, but not always via the routing drivers have in our directions. You simply can't rely on it anymore than any other GPS, but it's close and much better than my Rand McNally for viewing and seeing the area roads at a glance. I'm sure the instant alerts to the back office when you go out of route was a determining factor in its adaptation here. Had a 16 year driver with Crete looking at it today while helping him figure out local routing in Fort Smith and he was impressed vs his Qualcomm navigation. It shows roads that are not truck routes clearly on screen and warns you verbally, also detects speed and warns about that if you're 10 mph over. Learned from personal experience in Chicago trying to keep up with project350.

 

I dont understand all the reliance on a eletronic box. What is so hard about reading a map and writing down directions. It is like every other electonic doo dad eventually dumbs down the user

 

If it shows what's a truck route vs. not a truck route in a given city, that's a huge improvement over the ol' Rand McNally atlas.

Sometimes we end up going a few miles out of route to get to a truckstop to park for the night. I hope they don't get super-picky about those cases.