To be rugged or not - that is the question?

Couldn't agree more. DISTRACTED driving practices of ANY sort does nothing but hurt the industry. Fortunately the original question had to do with how to properly use the tools at their disposal to more efficiently to the job, safely.

 

Sorry, but that was not the original question. One of the things were..."What OPINIONS are out there about the best laptop to have mounted (on a Ram seat mount) in a truck?" Where in there does it say PROPERLY? And my original post ran off handlebar about worrying about the laptop closing when, SAFETY WISE, the laptop should be closed. Laptops are not like Qualcomm and not allow you to use it while driving. Other EOBRs have done the same BECAUSE of safety. Ease of access of a laptop in the cab of any truck, reduces safety and is only an accident waiting to happen (major or minor, accident is an accident).

 

I used Eclipse with my Panasonic Toughbook in my last gig. I wasn't particularly impressed with the Toughbook for this particular application because it was so expensive. Loved Eclipse. Streets & Trips was good for trip planning. I'd go with a $500 laptop, Eclipse, and MS Streets & Trips. Just my $.02 worth.

 

OP: I use a laptop for mapping, gps and log (checking). Mine currently sits on the passenger seat, secured with a velcro strap. As a lower cost option for a mounting bracket, check this guys site: http://www.mobilelaptopmount.com/ With very minor modification, I think it would work nicely.

To those who are complaining about us using laptops: you can kill someone with a screwdriver, a car key, or a can of hairspray and a bic; they are still ok to own and use properly. Some people want to take away our CB's, disallow smoking, etc as distractions while driving. I'd much rather people just take responsibility for their own actions than ban something because a few people use them wrongly. Do I use it as a GPS? Yep. Does it block my view? Nope. Distract me? No more than the song on the radio, or glancing at notes.

 

Distractions are gauged in tenths of a second. The main deal is how long your eyes are taken off the road or out of your peripheral vision? Many things can be done with your eyes still on the road. The act of turning your head 90 degrees and focusing on a laptop can mean the difference of stopping the truck or rear ending someone. Just because one can get away with something 10,000 times doesn't make it safe. It's that one bad time that matters.

 

or a GPS, cell phone, a passing girl in a car, a billboard, your gauges, a road sign, the stereo, the CB, a map, a clipboard.

Absolutely agree that 10th's of a second matter when driving anything for sure.

 

To go back to the OP, here are a few pics of the 1,100 or so laptops that we've installed over the years. If you are considering a legal installation with the lid open for GPS and/or logs, or closed normally and opened when you are stopped, then I do recommend using various Ram-branded devices or a comparable rugged product.

 

Its only legal for now. The regs havent hit it yet. Lawsuits will catch up and do the same as cell phones and EOBRs. Its just a shame people look more at the money and not focus on the safety. I guess it really does take a lawsuit to cause those to listen. Personally, I think a life is worth more than money. I could never put a price on my children or grandchildren. Im done with this cause this makes me sick. Be safe out there drivers and always keep safety in mind, your family and others depend on you.

 

Yup. And it has come up at the federal level on multiple occasions. It stalled when they could not agree on a "golden list" of what devices were allowed to be in the driving area and which were not. As you said, the only specific device that got adjudicated in the last few years is the cell phone (the hands-free ruling.) The EOBR is getting very close now. Then there are State rulings that differ also - New York's non-trucking GPS ruling comes to mind.

OOIDA and other industry advocates lobby for personal responsibility as a concept that the industry should adhere to in a "self-regulating" way as much as possible without further DOT laws and FMCSA regulations. Conversely, the other side argues that there should be more laws and regulations with greater specificity added. The left/right (for lack of a better comparison) argument won't actually ever end. The industry will just evolve and devolve with the political administrations making the rules at that given time. It is our nature. In-cab electronics will certainly remain as one such topic indefinitely.

(Apologies to the OP for the thread drift into regulations.)