To be rugged or not - that is the question?

Haven't searched previous posts, but since technology changes come about quickly anyhow...What opinions are out there about the best laptop to have mounted (on a Ram seat-mount) in a truck? Should I get a rugged-type of computer for longevity/reliability? Want to have a nav program (CoPilot) and a log program (DDL or Eclipse maybe).

Not well-versed in computers, so spec's and numbers get over my head; as Col. O'Neill might say - Auugghhh! Carter, will it work??? Thanks for the input!

 

Alaga,
I only have a couple of general suggestions about your choice. One is to be sure that the mount has a padded screen retainer, so that jiggles and bumps don't allow the screen assembly to work itself either closed or farther open whilst you drive. Such motion would also work the hinges much more during a drive than a typical open-once-to-operate, close-once-to-shut-down operation, and you might end up with hinges that won't keep the laptop open once you take it out of the vehicle.

The other suggestion goes to the other main "moving part" in the machine: the hard drive. Solid State Drives, or SSDs, are still considerably more expensive than the traditional screaming wheels of magnetic death (hey, it's almost Halloween....) that they replace, for the same storage space. On the plus side, however, they're becoming more and more commonplace, and can oft times be ordered as a line item option at the time of purchase if you get your machine from someplace like TigerDirect.com. And, since there's no waiting for an electric motor to spin up to speed, the "access time" can be much faster.
But the best advantage for a mobile environment is that you're not driving around with what amounts to a pretty fragile gyroscope that runs at around 5400 or 7200 RPM and changing its environment several times a minute -- or a second. Rugged as they are, traditional hard drives still have teensy spaces between the little tiny sensor "heads" and the magnetic disks that are spinning next to them. Even as careful as I am with electronic gear at my ham shack & repair lab, I've killed a couple of hard drives by having my laptop fall just a foot or so onto carpet while it was running.

An SSD is basically just a big flash drive that mounts inside the computer and substitutes for the conventional hard drive, so once it's installed, there's no more maintenance involved besides the usual things like keeping all the vents clear of dust (a blast from a can of air every few days).
Other than that, it will probably come down to making sure that you can get reliable, quick service for your purchase, whatever it is.
Well, and maybe being sure it's coffee-proof, if there's a chance of a spill. Some computers are made to be liquid-proof, and some have covers that can be bought as accessories. Even though I'm a commercial radio tech, I'm also a ham operator, so by definition I'm....ummmmm....I believe the polite adjective is "frugal". I'm more likely to opt for a $400 laptop and upgrade to an SSD, plus a keyboard raincoat if it's going to be in a hostile environment, before I'd plunk down $4,000 for one of those cool armored laptops. Of course, YMMV.
And since graphics will be important to you, see about finding something with the highest screen resolution that you can. Some places (including TigerDirect) sell machines that have come in from lease programs, but that means they're already a couple of years out-of-date for the latest-and-greatest. For map displays readable from a distance of two or three feet, you're not going to want something that looks like an Atari 2600 game screen

That's all I've got; hope it helps some.
Sorry I'm so long-winded.
Drive safe,
Handlebar

 

Currently, find the cheapest laptop with 8 gigs of ram. I prefer a 15 or smaller screen. SSD is a great upgrade and I prefer laser printers to print logs and such. I'm anxiously awaiting the new windows tablet to possibly replace my Android Xoom and my laptop.

 

WOW... Let me get this right. You sais "so that jiggles and bumps don't allow the screen assembly to work itself either closed or farther open whilst you drive". ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Picture this...Truck driver driving 80,000 lbs down the interstate at 70 mph. Does he/she REALLY need to have that laptop open so they can keep a close eye on their FB or whatever they want to surf while driving? Laptops need to be in the sleeper while the driver is on their off-time. NOT while they are driving. That only an accident just WAITING to happen. We have to deal with enough on the road out here without drivers needing to surf the web while driving. Maybe you can be the 4-wheeler in front of THAT truck while he is more interested in looking at whats on his/her laptop than you in front of him/her coming up on the construction zone. Be safe out there drivers...and please keep your laptops where they should be. Trucking industry looks bad enough and your family needs you back at home safe.

 

Careful where you vent your vitriol, HwyPrsnr. It was the OP who specified that he's going to use a RAM-brand seat bolt mount for his laptop. That's the same thing they use in police cars and fire engines. I agree it's dangerous to look away from the road whilst driving, but the OP has decided he's going to use this, apparently, to either replace or supplement his GPS, among other things. Otherwise he wouldn't be using the seat bolt mount.

He asked how; I told him how. If he's intent on doing this, the last thing he (and the other drivers around him) needs is the additional distraction of trying to figure out why his display flipped closed when he needed it to confirm the lane he was supposed to be in.

Personally, I've always thought it odd that police officers get an exemption from the laws about looking at screens or talking on the phone concurrently with driving during official duties. From personal experience in my previous career, there was zero specific training about how to cope with the extra distraction of the radio or data terminal; it was pretty much just, "You have to be able to do this," and left at that. But the badge doesn't somehow make the wearer better able to concentrate, either.

So, while I agree with your point, you're barking at the wrong mailman.

Handlebar

 

Thanks for the comments, esp you Handlebar!

I understand the concern with another distraction, but I intend to use the laptop to run CoPilot to help me get to where I need to be; Google Maps on my i-phone is nice, but I would like more (and I've got to hold the phone in my hand - I just admitted to breaking the law, didn't I?) since I do lots of job-site deliveries that get me to new locations with regularity.

And I want a log program (experiences with them, anyone?) and I guess I will need a printer.

Not that it matters, but I'm not on FB; and I run a daycab so where am I going to put the laptop (and printer)? But now I sound like a smart___.

I have found a small-screen ToughBook for $1,500; more than I would like to invest but will it hold-up better/longer?

 

It is extremely common now to see laptops, iPads, tablet PC's, iPads, cell phones, GPS, QualComm touchscreens, etc. from the driver's seat in this industry actually. In fact I would say that I see more often than not, some kind of electronics mounted up there. Laptops and touchpads are a couple of the more common.

The key is that you are legal and responsible with its usage. The same rules below go for everything from a clipboard, to a computer:

A. Cannot block the line-of-site of the road or your mirrors or gauges.
B. Cannot be unsecured (cannot be able to fly around in the case of hard braking or swerving)
C. Must only be in use for the performance of duties while driving (not for reading, surfing, watching movies, etc.)

 

CoPilot Truck or MS Streets.

Eclipse or DDL.

A MiFi, or an aircard, or a cell-phone with tethering/hotspot. (i.e. SOME way to get internet access)

A good mount for everything.

This recipe could cost anywhere from $400 to $4000 depending on quality/performance/ruggedness.

Lower cost option: (lower performance hardware / non-truck route maps / limited data / less rugged mounting) - An Acer Aspire One netbook, MS Streets, a Rosewill Mount, a Virgin Mobile aircard and 2 gig/month data plan, Eclipse Log. (cost: about $500)

Medium cost / medium speed / decent durability option - Any name brand laptop with mid-horsepower processor and memory, CoPilot Truck 9, Ram Mount, Sprint AirCard or MiFi with unlimited data, Eclipse Log. (cost: about $1000)

High cost option, high durability, high perfomance - A Panasonic Toughbook 31 , CoPilot Truck 9 and MS Streets, Verizon 4G MiFi with a 12 gig data plan, Ram Toughdock mount, Eclipse Log (cost: about $4000)


And yes, there are a thousand variations in between those. So to give the most accurate answer, it helps if you can also provide the budget limits too. Personally, for truck usage, I prefer the medium end of the spectrum having been setting them up for a decade.

 

I have seen more and more have a laptop in the passenger seat. It doesnt always have google maps or what-not. I have seen drivers watching movies checking sports scores ect...ect... These types of things is a good example of just one of the things that are tearing down the image of this once admired industry. Also, cop cars are nothing like driving 80,000 lbs down the interstate at 70 mph. A tractor trailer can do a whole lot more damage than any car. Not to mention the addition of whatever their cargo is, hazmat for one. But, all that doesnt really matter. We have to make things EASIER because it outweighs safety. Oh well, I guess it only makes relics like myself who can do a better job without all the extra junk in the cab look and do a better job than those who can do the job without them. Let them make the mistakes that affect their CSA scores and DACs, while I look good. Government dont care either...They know there are many many drivers down there in Mexico just waiting for our jobs up here. Be safe out there drivers.

 

Wouldn't agree with you more that the general public perception of a truck driver has taken a long downhill slide and drivers have done more than enough damage to them-(our-)selves to tarnish that image.

I didn't realize that having technology in the cab to aid me in doing my job was such a detriment in your eyes. Let me say that in my work I do a lot of job-site deliveries, some commercial and many residential. So, I'm always looking for someplace I've never been - not like plants or warehouses that generally are in the same place as the last time you went there. So, in order to locate my destination I have to either utilize technology such as a nav program/map app; or go back to the old-school way and have paper maps, written directions, watch the odometer (and hope whoever said it is "___ miles on the left" either measured it or had a pretty good sense of distance). So which is more dangerous?

I wish y'all safe travels and high-paying loads!