When with new company's trainer is it uncool to bring along a GPS?

I should have my CDL by mid-July and will be looking for an OTR job. I was wondering if it is considered uncool to bring along a GPS unit when you're riding with the new company's trainer before getting my own truck. I would consider taking along my four-wheeler GPS just to see the street names ahead and verify my speed - in other words, not use it for navigation.

 

I don't think it really matters much either way, but I say leave it at home during training. Chances are your trainer will have one, and if not, it'll be good for ya. It will teach you how to navigate without the luxury. Not all shippers / receivers will show up on your GPS, nor will all streets. There will be occasions you have to "scud run" and have nothing but your QC directions, your eyes, and your wit. What do you do if it's 2am, pitch black, and somebody knocked down your street sign last week? Better to find out how to handle that with your trainer on board to help bail you out than to have that happen the first week you go solo. It's only a matter of time before you get lost somewhere, really. And that GPS can often times get you into more trouble than it helps.

Generally, I tell people to bring only the bare necessities when going out with a trainer. As in, clothes, toiletries, etc. Once you get on your own truck, you can bring whatever you'd like.

But the short answer to your question....it probably doesn't matter. It's not like your GPS is going to take up much space. If he doesn't want you to use it, or he already has one, it'll stay in your duffel bag. If he doesn't have one, maybe he'll want to try one out. Either way.

 

I use a Garmin GPS that's geared for four wheelers. Garmin makes one for a hundred bucks more than the one I have. It looks identical, but it has a feature in the software that let's you input how tall and long your vehicle is and it will route you around such obstacles. But that still doesn't keep you off restricted routes.

For someone new to trucking, your best bet is to get one that is made for trucking. Problem is, they're expensive. A standard one can be used as a tool, but you need to know where you can't go. You still need to plan your route ahead of time and follow it. Calling the customer is a good idea too.

I use the navigation on mine, but I've been around long enough to ignore it when it tells me to jump on the Palisades Parkway in NJ, or tells me to turn left on some residential street full of low tree branches. Also, I'm on a dedicated account where 90% of the places I go I've been to a thousand times before. But once in a while they'll send me to some small auto parts store with no dock in middle of some big city.

I turn my navigation on because it's great for trip panning. The Garmin tells you what time you are going to be there, and from my experience, it's pretty dead on accurate. When my dispatcher asks me what time I'm going to be there, I'll look at the what time the Garmin says, and add an hour for traffic and bathroom breaks.

 

well my 1st trainer had a car gps that got us into alot of trouble cause he insisted upon listening to the dumb thing. my 2nd trainer had a garmin truck gps, and a netbook with streets and trips. that seemed to go really smoothly other then it putting us in fount of a 35ton bridge luckily we were empty but the gps didn't know that. my last trainer had a gps from nineteen dickity two with a 1 inch screen made for cars. we used my rand mcnally and he fell in love and bought his own the week after i got off the truck haha

 

I never relied on GPS until a couple weeks ago. This particular time it saved my butt a lot of aggravation. It's foggier than crap, couldn't see the street signs. So I watched distance to turn and where I was. Previous ones only caused me mucho grief. This is installed on the new Qualcomm we are getting with SNI, I don't own one. The other ones I've had were the jokes that USX had.

IMO, a newer driver should learn to navigate without a GPS. Not saying you're dumb or anything, but do you REALLY pay attention to road signs, etc. right now? I'll bet you answered yes, and you likely think you do. But you just got into a truck. You've got a lot going on, you need to really be paying attention to everything. Now, at this stage you won't be, that's why you're with a trainor. As much as technology has come to the rescue, that same technology can and does fail, and then what? I've known drivers who have become so dependent on their GPS, they don't even follow thru with a road atlas. Now too me, that IS dumb.