TND TABLET WILL NOT BOOT UP

Trust me…you’ll do far better in technical service.

I’m not in the market for a laptop. I’m in the market for a GPS. Nonetheless, like I said, when I had a problem with my laptop, Dell sent a technician right over to my house within 24 hours to fix it. I didn’t have to deal with a loaner because it got fixed.

 

Trust me, you did not have the honor of receiving my service.

Please write a letter to those businesses that you deem are not up to your standards for services.

 

Just so you know, I took the plunge about a month ago and bought one. Had to return the first one because it kept giving me the infamous application error: nav.exe has encountered a serious problem and needs to shut down. On average it happened about 7 to 10 times a day. Connected it to the doc and did that deal that examines the files and repairs them. It found like 10 corrupt files and allegedly fixed them, but the unit kept crashing.

So I’m on the second one and it seems to be ok so far. It did crash twice since I had it, but both times were shortly after I turned it on in the morning. So I think it is okay.

My overall impression is mixed. I love the junction view and the clear instructions it gives while driving, but the routing is unhinged and the trucking POIs are substandard considering the price. The best features overall is it routes to GPS coordinates and you can save your shippers and receivers, terminals and drop lots, and whatever else you want. I even have one category I use to save via points.

I was hoping I could replace and retire Streets & Trips once and for all, but you guys still have quite some ways to go especially on the routing and POIs before I can do that. The biggest problem overall is the routing. Since I’ve had it, it only routed two loops correctly, I-270/I-255 in Saint Louis and I-285 in Atlanta.

All other loops are either totally ignored or screwed up in one way or another, as it seems to always route you most of the time right through the center of town even when there are signs that clearly say “local traffic” only or signs that tell trucks specifically to take the loop and even reference the city ordinance number. Also the centers of towns is where all the traffic, traffic lights, stop signs, low speed limits, and tight turns are located. I try to avoid those places like the plague unless I’m picking up or delivering a load in there.

For instance, the other day I hit I-495 from I-66 in Washington DC on my way to Trainer, PA and the 730 wanted me to head south on I-495, then go all the way around the loop on the other side, which would have made me go three quarters around the loop in hellacious traffic. Needless, to say I exited north and traveled only one quarter the way around the loop instead.

In Dallas it totally ignores I-635/I-20 and routes you to the center of town, where the biggest traffic bottle necks are and even though it is longer. Moreover, it does this on all the various route settings.

In addition, on a couple of occasions when I reviewed the route, the route was identical to the Streets & Trips route, but somehow during the course of navigation while in route it re-routed and wanted me to take a different route. Well, I don’t know about you, but I never take any route I haven’t checked out first.

It also has tried to route me down a truck restricted 3 ton road in West Virginia and over a low weight bridge in Corinth, MS I previously already knew about. Another time in Ganado, TX I turned on a road it told me to turn on and then it announced a weight violation. I thought it was supposed to keep you off such roads. By the way, that was a false positive in any event.

It also loves toll roads. In some places you can turn it off, but in other places where you have to travel on a combination of both kinds of roads, you can’t. Thus, you are stuck using via points and since that takes way too long, I’m following Streets & Trips instead.

You guys need to figure out a way to make setting up via points much easier and faster and also a better and faster way to review your routes. I can do these things in Streets & Trips far easier and in only a small fraction of the time it takes in the 730.

Get the routing fixed and the 730 will be a much better product.

On truck stops, when you route to the FJ in Frytown, PA at exit 10 on I-78, it wants you to go to exit 13 then back down to exit 10. It does the same thing for the Pilot in Waco, TX at exit 328, It skips exit 328, makes you pass the Pilot and then makes you turn around at the next exit up ahead and head back down. I didn’t do it in either case thanks to Streets & Trips, but that nevertheless is what it wanted me to do.

Meanwhile, at the FJ in Carlisle, PA, when I was right in front of it, it told me I still had another 9 miles to go. It also wanted me to take the Harrisburg exit, as opposed to the Carlisle exit off of I-76 as well. In addition, I routed to a shipper 1.1 miles away while at that FJ and the TND said I had 18 miles to go. By the way, again I always route to GPS coordinates.

Oh yeah, the first rest area on I-287 N off of I-78 in NJ is a truck specific rest area. Yet when you enter it, you get some sort of message indicating that the road is restricted for trucks in some kind of way.

Nevertheless, it gets along well with Streets & Trips, as both units announce their instructions politely at different times and don’t conflict with each other. You did say you can make it route anywhere and it can, but you neglected to mention how difficult and time consuming it is to setup via points and avoids in some cases. Most of the time I don’t have the time. Biggest problem though it to fix the routing especially where loops are concerned though.

 

I spoke too soon about I-285 around Atlanta. Need to go from Suwanee, GA to Graniteville, SC today. The logical way to go is to take I-85 south back to I-285 S, take I-285 south to I-20, and then take I-20 east to Graniteville, SC. I tried every possible option available in Rand McNally to make it route that way and it either wants me to pass on back roads through tight traffic, low speed limits, and tons of red lights and stop signs or otherwise take I-285 North and then go all the way around Atlanta back to I-20, which would add over 50 miles to the trip. For $400 that’s what I ended up with? What’s the deal? Come on man? Really? Give me a break!

 

you guys using rand, sure go through a lot of hassle for guided navigation.

with copilot, i input and drive. 1/3 the cost. and knows where it's going. doesn't require a external antannae nor does it require reboots and all the other quirks you all spend 3 times more money for.

 

I've said it a thousand times. The RM navigation products are junk and you guys keep plopping down hundreds of dollars for these things. Keep paying for garbage and they'll never improve their product.

 

You can't expect efficient routing from a product that won't use NON staa routes

 

I apologize. It wasn't the Rand McNally's fault. It was my fault. I forgot to turn off the hazmat routing because it is in truck tools as opposed to preferences. Preferably it should be in both places, since I pull hazmat loads only once in a while as opposed to all the time. It was out of sight, therefore out of mind. Hence, I would suggest putting it in both places instead of one. As a matter of fact, what is it doing in truck tools in any event.

Now yesterday I was passing through Louisville, KY on my way to Suwanee, GA and the Rand McNally was routing me right through the center of Louisville as it is the usual with the Rand McNally since it regularly ignores loops. Typically, I always take from I-65 to I-265 to I-264 to I-65 if headed south and vice-versa I-65 to I-264 to I-265 to I-65 if I'm heading north, because I-65 in the center of the city and has been undergoing construction for the past 3 years. In fact, there are signs on both the north and south sides of the city as you approach recommending that route.

In any event, yesterday I took I-265 and Rand McNally at first re-routed back to I-65, then after a couple of exits it looked like it re-routed to I-264 like Streets & Trips. Anyway, my son called me and as I was talking to him I followed the Rand McNally only. Meanwhile, as I was hanging up I looked up at the mileage remaining on the Rand McNally and noticed that it said 480 miles as opposed to the 430 miles it was previously saying just a few minutes earlier. Then I looked over at Streets & Trips and saw it was indicating off route. Then I realized I was on I-64 heading east to I-75 towards Lexington, KY, which would have added over 50 miles to my trip. Fortunately, I hadn't passed I-264 yet. So I ended up taking I-264 back to I-65, where the miles went back down to less than 430 miles. Anyway, if I hadn't caught that weird reroute and gone that route instead, it would have made me late for my delivery the next morning.

In any event, I hope you guys aren't resting on your laurels, because your product has some serious issues where routing is concerned.

 

Open the above to see answers.

Thanks,
mark

 

Let me look at this.

Thanks,
Mark