Here's some "good reasons" to trust a GPS...???

[Skywalker]

Before you go out and spend money on a GPS navigational "tool" that you probably could use for many other good reasons....like pay "outstanding bills"....you might want to educate yourself to some realities surrounding those nifty little talking GPS units.....read the following article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1205...googlenews_wsj


Oh, I'm sure there will be posts made here...by those who embrace GPS's as the "Holy Grail"....and to them I say: So be it. Its YOUR life, and lets hope that your "overconfidence" doesn't cost you your life or the lives of others....

Understand his.... I am not "anti-GPS".... I own 3 of them...they are all on my cruising trawler....not in my pickup or in my tractor. I use marine charts for the majority of my navigating when moving the boat....and the GPS is a tool that I use to aid in the navigation. Its useful, but not the final word in where my boat is located. I use "MAPS" when navigating my pickup or when in the semi. Its as simple as that.

My position on this issue is simple....drivers should be more than just proficient in the use of MAPS (Motor Carriers Atlas) before they add a GPS to their "tools".

But what the heck...its your life and your money... just don't expect any sympathy from me or anyone else after you jam a 13'6" trailer under a 12' bridge or drive off a cliff....because your GPS told you to go that way! :shock: :? :x :P

[MadFox]

Great article!

I was following my GPS when all of a sudden I could see a dead end. I got out and found that the Road my GPS was following - picked up on the other side of the deep cavern! I guess in a way the GPS was correct - the road did continue but I didn't have wings to get over the obstacle!

=======| DEEP CAVERN |====Road continued...

[Rev.Vassago]

During a vacation in Northern Wisconsin, Hill Wright turned to "Jack" for directions. "Jack" is the name given to the disembodied voice of his satellite navigation device by the GPS maker. Jack sent Mr. Wright off the highway and onto a paved road. The road turned first into gravel and then into a dirt trail littered with boulders and covered with overhanging branches.

Mr. Wright, 48 years old, says he dutifully followed the directions, which turned into a three-hour detour. "When people buy these things," he says of his Global Positioning System device, "they think they are all-knowing boxes."

Any driver who isn't paying attention to his surroundings and is solely relying on his GPS to guide him is a fool. That being said, the MCA is limited in the scope of information it provides, and anyone who relies solely on his MCA is also a fool.

[Crash935]

"When people buy these things, they think they are all-knowing boxes."

I agree, READ a map and plan your trip BEFORE you rely on your little box to be 100% right.

[RottsATruckin]

I agree, some folks have died relying on gps exclusively (I did not read the article/link) gps should be used in addition to other methods, like CALLING THE CUSTOMER, my company q-com routed me over a river, the bridge was gone and it was now a boat launch :shock: , but the gps showed there was no longer a bridge, the customer told me an entirely different route, imagine if I took the company route (btw it was night time and raining, another great moment in trucking narrowly avoided)
My gps has saved me more times than it’s screwed me and the customer goes to their dock daily, if they say turn left and gps says turn right, well, I’m turning left.

[Double R]

the customer goes to their dock daily, if they say turn left and gps says turn right, well, I’m turning left.

That depends on WHO you talked to at the customer. If it was the girl behind the desk that answers phones all day, I would think twice. If it was the guy on the dock, then I would follow his directions. Had the girl behind the desk give me REALLY bad directions once, ONLY ONCE.

[RottsATruckin]

I always ask the shipping dept for directions and remind them I'm in a semi, I've seen the sidestreets/allys my wife drives her honda on to work, no way would I ask her for directions

[GTR SILVER]

i agree not to let the GPS be the final word..........but i came across this...

interesting......... http://www.teletype.com/Merchant2/me..._Code=WorldNav

[TGTLLC]

well i am a owner of a GPS. i use mine as my secondary backup. what i do is ALWAYS call the receiver first and get the directions and then compare them to the GPS. 9 times out of 10 the GPS will be wrong according to what the receiver has told me.

Everything i do is usually in the back woods of Pa in off the beaten path places. i deliver cord for Monsanto seed company and so being that most of the time here is ALWAYS load limits on the roads that i travel i will always use what the farmers says on how to get there. but this has also bit me in the butt before too. snow covered corner was hiding a really big rock and i got it taking out both outer wheels in 1 swift swoop.

so basically i have this unit that i use everyday but i only use to to help me see my upcoming roads.

i get to most of my delivery's late at night when it is dark out and i have found this device to be especially helpful in finding roads that are not marked until you actually get up on them and then its usually to late.

i do believe in the GPS but i don't believe in it enough to trust it to do all of my routing for me. i still pull out the ol Rand Mcnally every trip unless i have been there before.

but all in all what i have is a 300 dollar piece of electronic equipment that does nothing more than sits on my dash and is turned off 97% of the trip. i will usually turn it on about 10 miles before i am due to get off the interstate to go and play on the back roads.

to me it isn't worth it but also in the same it has definitely saved my butt before. this is because a farmers 5 miles and my 5 miles seems to always be about 2 miles off for some reason LOL. so it has definitely come in handy when looking for that hard to find road that you know is supposed to be intersecting with the road your on but just seems to be you cant find it and boom there it is before you know it.

[rvrjr7]

I also have a gps I use truck Co Pilot 9 but I also call the shipper or receiver to double check my directions or they might know an easier way for me to get to the location i always ask about low bridges and weigh restricted roads

[trux]

There really isn't anything that you can rely on 100% except your own eyes. I've had the MCA be wrong or not be detailed enough. I've had my company and the receiver both give me the wrong directions, I've had law enforcement give me the wrong directions.

That being said, I use Delorme Street Atlas all the time. I let it chart the route then I go over it highway by highway, city by city and street by street, inserting "vias" and making necessary adjustments until I'm sure it's the way I want to go. This process includes calling the shipper or receiver, consulting the MCA, and getting directions from my company.

So far this system has worked fairly well for me.

[BanditsCousin]

The only way to jami a 13'6" under a 12 is to not watching the road signs.

I use mine as a primary tool, but I route myself when I look where I'm going. I noticed the article showed people doing stupid things. It takes a minute to pull over and enlarge the map or make it more detailed. To go down a one way street because a gps or person told you to is just stupidty.

[Jumbo]

I always ask the shipping dept for directions and remind them I'm in a semi, I've seen the sidestreets/allys my wife drives her honda on to work, no way would I ask her for directions

I delivered a load of mulch to Minneapolis one time and after getting the same directions to the place from two different at the company I turned on the street they told me to. After crossing (4) 4 ton bridegs I got to the reciever. I walked in and asked them where they wanted mulch. They didn't know I was coming with a truck that big (48 foot live floor). I said"you ordered 100 cubic yards of mulch did you think I would bring it in a pickup?"

[mbadriver]

I use the GPS strictly for a double check against the local directions provided. The GPS is particularly handy at night. Like when your local directions say take I??? to exit XYZ, to Route Z N L on Old Yeller Road, Plant on L. U never quite know the distance to L on Old Yeller Road Plant on L.

It's nice to know your getting warm!

[Skywalker]

Any driver who isn't paying attention to his surroundings and is solely relying on his GPS to guide him is a fool. That being said, the MCA is limited in the scope of information it provides, and anyone who relies solely on his MCA is also a fool.

I really like your "avatar"!! I got an email from someone that had a thing almost as whacked as that.....if you want me to forward it to you...send me an email address.

The MCA is just one little tool....but it will get you started in the right direction....and get you most of the way there. But the single greatest tool at our disposal is our "brains". And it helps to have some "commonsense" to go along with it.

(Are you low on "happy-pills? Just wondering...... 8) )

[bigtimba]

. . DeLorme Street Atlas. I would say it's foolish to rely on it exclusively and it's equally foolish not to have it (or one like it) at all. It's just too good not to have. On the rare occasion something isn't right, it's easy to see the solution and get back on track. You get detail you couldn't imagine with any map or atlas. You get access to virtually any kind of service you might need.

I actually feel bad for the dinosaurs who never learned how to use a computer and don't have access to programs like these. They have no idea what they're missing.

[Skywalker]

. . DeLorme Street Atlas. I would say it's foolish to rely on it exclusively and it's equally foolish not to have it (or one like it) at all. It's just too good not to have. On the rare occasion something isn't right, it's easy to see the solution and get back on track. You get detail you couldn't imagine with any map or atlas. You get access to virtually any kind of service you might need.

I tend to agree with you there.... I have both MS S&T as well as PC Miler on my laptop....and tend to use them a bit now and then. Biggest problem you can sometimes run into with the computer programs....is when the city name isn't quite right for the area....and the program thinks its somewhere else. I've had that happen. Also...when I was running vans, I would occasionally get a delivery into an area where the construction was "new"....and the programs base maps didn't have the streets in it....that could be a problem. But for the most part...the programs are more of a help than a hinderance.

I actually feel bad for the dinosaurs who never learned how to use a computer and don't have access to programs like these. They have no idea what they're missing.

Though I am older than a lot of drivers....I use my laptop a lot. And yes there are "dinosaurs" out there who don't or won't.....but some of those drivers....have so much experience that they can give you directions to tons of places right off the top of their heads. I've been at this for 15 years now....and I rarely have to think about how to get from one city to the other...regardless of where it is in the country. I use the laptop to find the weird little towns in that are "WTFO"....because some of our pickups and deliveries go into and out of places like that.

In any event...the more tools, if used wisely...will make life easier, and better in the long run.