Truck GPS: Suggestion on which one to buy

Not sure if this is the right place to post, if not I apologize ahead of time.

I would like to buy the hubs a truck gps but which one?? It's a father's day gift so I don't want him knowing. I've looking over them and charts are great but I was wondering if any of ya'll had experience with them. After researching I'm kinda of in a toss up between the Garmin & PC Miller but would love to know your take on them since I won't be the one using it.

TIA

 

Jen
Personally I like the Garmin. I have used a Garmin in my job for 3 years, not ever had a problem with it. I used it for routing addresses, sometimes up to 40 addresses and it gave me ETA to the last addy on the route, time between each addy etc. Also, I bought a card at Walmart that gives me lifetime map updates, but I'm not sure if that would apply to a truckers gps.

Easy to update, and Garmin folks are quick to respond to questions and queries. I bought one for my hubby and he really likes it. He uses it in conjunction with maps and the routes that he is given when he gets dispatched. So far he hasnt any complaints with it.
Just my 2 cents, hope this helps.

 

Personally I run a Garmin 255w,got a better then sweet deal on it slightly used(saved $200)
Works real good at finding where I need to go.(which is seldom)

It isn't Truck friendly at times,but the ETA is pretty well spot on.
It has its place,it will never replace my road experience but does what it is intended to do when called to do it.(fun toy at best)

Will it do what the $500 rigs do? no but doing 95% of what they do for half the price is good enough for this working man.

I ran a borrowed Garmin 465T for 2 months,I know first hand of what these units will and wont do for a driver.

 

I just got the TND700. so far I really like it. I've used Garmin and World. Didn't like the World. Garmin was good. But I like the 700's ability to display more information on the screen without comprimising the map portion.
Also it has the log feature which tells you at a glance where you are for the day, the week, etc.
I ran one Hazmat load with it and it did a great job there. Never used Garmin for Hazmat.

 

Thanks for all your input. He uses our Garmin Nuvi 350 right now mostly for just ETA & general routing though since it's not truck friendly even though it has a truck option not sure what that's about I'm assuming that just steers you clear of parkways and just basic stuff like that. He took a wrong turn the other day over in Westchester NY trying to get to Buchanan NY & the maps only give you so much detail and a lot over there is parkways & restricted routes & I can only help so much because Google Maps doesn't tell you whats restricted & whats not. So I figured that a truck GPS would help since his company seems to be running him a lot in the NY/NJ area.

 

They are all pretty comparable. You know what though I have the new droid phone and the gps navigation is better than most of the car ones. It even has a car dock and all voice commands.

 

I just bought a IPad it has GPS as a application, don't know if it's good or bad... But it was free application.

 

Whatever you choose to buy, use it with a little common sense. Most of them (esp the cheaper ones) don't tell you where the low bridges and route restrictions are. They also give you the shortest route to a destination, which may not be the best route, especially when you get close and down onto surface streets.

 

I use the Cobra 7700, not a bad unit.

 

Powder Joints Which ipad did you get? let us know how it works out for you. I was thinking of getting one. By the way i use the TOMTOM 730