When is a good Time to get Co-pilot

[crazyWillie]

SO i have been reading though numerous forums and threads about co-pilot.

I know its kind of costly but those that have it love it so was wondering when is a good time to get it after how long of driving, 6mo a year what???


thanks allot

[stevedb28]

When you know you are going to stay driving and when you have the money. It may be 6 months and you know you are going to do this for a long time to come. But you may be doing it for a year and dont know if you want to do it another 6 months. It depends on the person i suppose.

[crazyWillie]

Yea i hear you there, i am pretty sure i will be doing it along time

*well hoping*

I rode allot with my uncle when i was younger. So we will see but if i like it after 6 months or so i will probably get it , after a yr i am gonna team with my uncle. make better money.


guess only time will tell

[Malaki86]

If you're just starting out, I'd recomend getting Microsoft Streets & Trips until you know you're going to stay out driving. It's much cheaper, and it's better for actual planning of the trips (time estimates).

[crazyWillie]

I hear ms streets doesnt keep u on interstate though

[Soladad]

I agree with Malaki86 on staying with Streets & Trips. If your company give you your routing then it works well to determine time estimates. That is what I basically use it for (time). Works quite well for that part. Still need to consult your map and the info inside the front cover as to restricted routes and low over passes. If your company doesn't give you routes then no S&T isn't the best since it does take the shortest car route.

Soladad

[saddlebum]

Invest in Dadgum maps.... Your drivers,not computer jockeys,Dang!!!Im on one now for fun,not work....Use some skill somewhere,don't be a damn steering wheel holder,

[yoopr]

I agree-A good trucking atlas is all you need

I agree-A good trucking atlas is all you need

Ya, your probably right. Who would want to listen to turn by turn instructions from a GPS when you could hold the atlas in one hand, steering wheel in the other trying to squint and read at 2am.

[nrvsreck]

I think I'd hate having some dumb computer telling me where to turn and when to do it. I prefer to plan my route ahead of time and stick to it the best I can. I think my ideal combination would be my trusty old laminated MCRA for setting up a route and a copy of MS Streets & Trips for street-level maps.

[Sealord]

When Co-pilot incorporates STAA rules and routing. BOL

[yoopr]

I agree-A good trucking atlas is all you need

Ya, your probably right. Who would want to listen to turn by turn instructions from a GPS when you could hold the atlas in one hand, steering wheel in the other trying to squint and read at 2am.

Well I know that you haven't turned a wheel yet but it's called Planning in advance so you don't have to read your Atlas going down the Road.

[Midnight Flyer]

I agree-A good trucking atlas is all you need

Ya, your probably right. Who would want to listen to turn by turn instructions from a GPS when you could hold the atlas in one hand, steering wheel in the other trying to squint and read at 2am.

Well I know that you haven't turned a wheel yet but it's called Planning in advance so you don't have to read your Atlas going down the Road.

Trip planning is ESSENTIAL to any driver making a living and roaming the highways! Whenever you get your load assignment on the Qualcomm or whatever, get out that Trucker's Atlas and carefully lay out your route and maybe mark it using a highlighter pen. Make notes on those sticky note pads or a small notebook and keep it within easy reach. Go over and commit to your memory what route to take, which exits to take, which streets to go down and where to turn and so forth. Just study your route after you get it laid out and you won't have to read an atlas at 2 a.m. :rock:

[crazyWillie]

Thanks allot guys i will probably hold off for awhile on the Co-pilot for about a year or so , to get my planning down and all .


thanks allot

[groinster]

I use Streets and Trips when i want to see street level maps and you can never go wrong with your trusty Atlas. I also have a C330 Garmin, which i will never give up. I don't always use all of these tools, but i do like to have them around. You can use whatever you want, but i agree with Yoopr, you need good trip planning skills. Everytime i get my qualcom, i start my trip planning mode, and i know the route before i take off, in its entirety.

[Malaki86]

I've still yet to find street level maps in the MCA in anything but a major city...

Until they do that, I'll use my current combination of Co-Pilot, S & T, and the MCA.

[crazyWillie]

Yea i hear it takes time but i know i will get it down, i have a pretty good internal compus so i figure with time i will get it down.

all the input in apreciated thanks allot

keep it comin

[stevedb28]

I use streets and trips and have used it when I worked for a cable company. It really doesnt make sense to use it on a whole 700 mile trip. But, it is useful to get you out of a dock onto the highway and then once you reach your destination to open up the laptop again and let it take you in. So its a cross between reading the atlas for the major highways and a program to take you in the rest of the way. I know old timers say you dont need a stinking program. Its really just another tool, like anything else. Do you need a cb nowadays? No you dont. Do you need a qualcomm? No. These are all just tools to help you get the job done. I know that when I worked in cable while other guys were thumbing through their little street level maps to route their day, all I did was plug 9 or 10 addresses in and clicked on route it and I was done. I got the job done a whole heck of a lot faster just based on the mapping.

[Toothpick]

I?ve worked it both ways, without navigation software and just the plain old Motor Carrier Road Atlas and with navigation software complimented by the MCRA and I can honestly tell you that having the navigation software is well worth it and then some.

For some of you who like to hold on to the old ways of doing things, I say don?t knock it until you?ve tried it because until you?ve actually used the software and seen for yourself all that it is capable of doing to make your job and life that much easier, then you don?t know what you are missing much less know what you are talking about.

Like for instance, the ability to see beyond the horizon and to see Weigh Stations far in advance as you approach them, to see Pilots, Flying Js, Loves, TAs, Wilcos, Petros, Rest Areas, Parking Areas, etc.,etc., etc.

Ever need to take a leak and wonder where or how far it was to the next Rest Area or the next Truck Stop? Well with navigation software you can see them way ahead of time far in advance as you approach and know exactly how far they are. That is if you take the time to load them in like I did.

Ever wonder how many miles you got left to go before you reach the next leg of a trip? With navigation software you always know at a glance.

Ever get directions that are convoluted as hell and when you pull out the MCRA to make heads or tails of them, the roads aren?t even listed in the MCRA? Happened all the time for me when all I was using was the MCRA alone! So instead of waiting till you actually attempt to drive them to find out the hard way that they are wrong and risk being late or worse, get in an accident or stuck somewhere, with the navigation software you can actually follow the directions ahead of time and know beforehand if they are right or wrong and then figure out the correct directions before you ever start your trip when they are wrong.

Ever pull up to a street and it wasn?t marked? I can?t count how many times that happened to me when all I was using was the MCRA. With the navigation software whether a street is marked or not isn?t a concern because the software tells you which street it is and exactly when to turn. In fact, other drivers tell me all time, ?I was lost and then I saw you so I decided to follow you because you were going so fast and I could tell that you?ve been here a bunch of times before.? They freak when I tell them that this is my first time!

Ever get detoured unexpectedly to streets you are unfamiliar with in a city or town you are also unfamiliar with? It doesn?t happen often but it does happen occasionally, and on those occasions when it does, you?ll be very happy you have navigation software at your disposal, because it is a lifesaver in those circumstances or for that matter anytime you get turned around, need to know where you are, and how to get back on track.

The above are just some of the software?s many capabilities and uses, believe me there are many, many more. In fact, despite the fact that I?ve been using navigation software for the better part of a year now, I?m still discovering more and better things that I can use it for all the time and many more things than I?m willing to type up for you guys in order to illustrate some of it?s many uses and capabilities.

Now?is it infallible? Hell no?but neither is the MCRA! That?s why it?s better to have as many tools at your disposal as possible.

Now all I use is the much cheaper Microsoft Streets and Trips with the GPS receiver product, which cost a small fraction of what the CoPilot product designed specifically for trucks cost. However, I have several friends who have and use both products and they tell me that they much prefer to use the much cheaper Microsoft product. Go figure?

For one they tell me that even though the CoPilot product is designed specifically for trucks that it isn?t all that reliable and they tell me the Microsoft product is much easier and simpler for them to use for some reason. So when I was deciding what to get they recommended to me that I get the Microsoft product, which I did and it does a fabulous job.

As for as routing is concerned, the Microsoft Product does a damn good job if you experiment and set the internal parameters from within the software correctly. However, routing isn?t really an issue for most drivers since most companies today send you the routing when they send you your fuel stop.

Simply designate your current position by right clicking the map and selecting add to route as the start, enter the shipper?s address, your fuel stop location, and the consignee and any stops addresses you may have, then click get directions and instantly you are routed and have your driving directions generated.

Look the route over and if it deviates in any respect with the routing you received from your company, simply drag the route from the point where it deviates back to where you want it to be and then drop it, and in an instant you will be all set to go.

Now you can save the trip however you prefer. I use the trip number to name it and save it according to the month, which makes it easier for me to reference in the future if I need to for any reason such as a payroll discrepancy.

Anytime there is new technology that comes out, there is always a little resistance at first, especially by people who over time have become very accustomed to doing things their own particular way, but eventually even that resistance will give way to progress and the vast majority of people will become accustomed to using the software and will also find it to be indispensable.

Didn?t they use to plow fields a long time ago using mules and oxen and harvest them by hand? You don?t see it done that way anymore too often do you, as the old ways of doing things have given way to progress. Eventually, it will be the same way with regard to the use of navigation software and those that resisted at first will wish they had jumped on the bandwagon sooner.

[saddlebum]

But Steve,do you know where you've been after plugging it in? Could you get there the next time? What happens if the thing breaksdown? Can you read a map?
I'm not anti progress,i'm anti-lazy. Those gps and computer programs don't always know the best or shortest routes.They don't always know about construction zones.
If you know your trusty maps,you can get from a to b to c and most times faster than that young pup listening to the i-pod,talking on the phone,waiting for Tom-Tom to tell him where the heck to go!!!!!!!