To GPS or not to GPS....

[BigWheels]

At some point in my trucking career, I will most likely get a portable GPS unit (yes Virginia, I don't have one as of yet).

When I was OTR, I did have a computer version (CoPilot Truck - Laptop 3). However, since I didn't want the computer on while being bumped and tossed around in my 500,000+ mile freightshaker, I used the GPS software for trip planning along with the tried and tested method of regular maps.

Now I'm local and LTL. Every now and then, a GPS unit would greatly assist me in finding a location faster than talking to the customer ("Hi, I'm the receptionist. Our shipping/receiving department is currently unable to answer the phone but I think I can help you get here. Where exactly are you? Where's that?). Or for that matter, getting directions from central dispatch 2-states away via 5-pages of text messages.

Are you using a GPS? Which one are you using? What do you like about it and what don't you like about it?

Here's some initial possibilities (Amazon links may be outdated by the time you read this) I'm researching in no particular order:

1. Garmin nuvi 465/465T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Truck GPS Navigator
- Note: TruckersPOI has POI's made especially for Garmin truckers.

2. Garmin StreetPilot 7200 7-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
- Note: Discontinued model. Not primarily for truckers.

3. Cobra GPSM 7700 Pro 7-Inch Widescreen Portable Truck GPS Navigator

4. PC Miler NAV540 All-In-One GPS for Truck Drivers

5. TeleType 710060 WorldNav Truck Routing 7 Inch Portable GPS Unit

6. Rand McNally Intelliroute TND 500 5-Inch Portable Truck GPS Navigator

7. Teletype 720060 7-Inch Worldnav Truck Portable GPS Navigator

8. PC Miler PCM430 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Truck Navigator

9. PC Miler NAV540 All-In-One GPS for Truck Drivers


Edit: Hmm...I set this up with a poll. What happened to my poll? I'm poll-less. Who has the magic that can make my poll happen? It was a good poll...a very good poll!

[Malaki86]

Myself, I use my laptop with Garmin Mobile PC. It's not truck specific, but even the so-called truck version of CoPilot was a joke. The main reason I prefer to use that over a standalone gps unit is that it's much easier for me to make my route match exactly what I need to drive to avoid issues such as low-clearance and weight limits. I did get gps coordinates for all truckstops and have it programmed in, so it's ultra easy to find a place to park.

As far as the standalone's, I really can't help there. I have a Garmin nuvi 205w in my car and it does the basics for getting around, but I tried it in the truck and absolutely hated it.

[GMAN]

Sprint has a GPS built in to some of their phones. They sell it as part of a package. I spoke with a guy the other day and he loves his phone and service. If you don't get it with a service I think that it costs about $5/month. I would think that the other phone services would offer something similar. At that price it is much less costly than buying a new GPS system for $500.

[BigWheels]

...As far as the standalone's, I really can't help there. I have a Garmin nuvi 205w in my car and it does the basics for getting around, but I tried it in the truck and absolutely hated it.

Yeah, a guy at work uses a Tom-Tom (not for trucks) and he loves it. Of course he has to be really careful with it (weight limits, bridges, etc.).

[Malaki86]

Also, I *think* that the PCMiler units actually use CoPilot.

[BigWheels]

Sprint has a GPS built in to some of their phones. They sell it as part of a package. I spoke with a guy the other day and he loves his phone and service. If you don't get it with a service I think that it costs about $5/month. I would think that the other phone services would offer something similar. At that price it is much less costly than buying a new GPS system for $500.

That's a possibility. My current Sprint cell phone screen size is 1 1/8 x 1 1/2. I'm not sure I want to be squinting at a phone that size while winding my way through traffic!

[BanditsCousin]

$5 a month, adds up to $60/yr. I Paid $180 for my garmin (210W). Not sure what the ticket is for a handheld device is in a CMV though....

Plus, viewing the directions before putting the truck in gear is a nice feature.

You don't need a high dollar GPS to enjoy the features. I may do the Garmin 465T when mine breaks, but 180 bucks and common sense seemed to be the most bang for the buck.

[BigWheels]

...Not sure what the ticket is for a handheld device is in a CMV though....

Hmm...interesting. I wonder if a trucker has received a ticket for fiddling with the GPS buttons while moving.

[cdswans]

Myself, I use my laptop with Garmin Mobile PC. It's not truck specific, but even the so-called truck version of CoPilot was a joke. The main reason I prefer to use that over a standalone gps unit is that it's much easier for me to make my route match exactly what I need to drive to avoid issues such as low-clearance and weight limits. I did get gps coordinates for all truckstops and have it programmed in, so it's ultra easy to find a place to park.

As far as the standalone's, I really can't help there. I have a Garmin nuvi 205w in my car and it does the basics for getting around, but I tried it in the truck and absolutely hated it.

I've been running a similar configuration for 6 years. A laptop for it's screen size and 2.3 zillion more good reasons to run a laptop, with an (Sprint or similar) air card, Delorme's receiver and DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2010, Plus.

A phone GPS will work for you if you like solving Narraganset bottle cap puzzles while driving the 710 to Long Beach. A stand alone is an upgrade to reading matchbooks on the Cross Bronx Expy. If you need a GPS so you can have something stuck to your windshield like the other cool guys have, go for the stand alone. If you need a reliable navigation tool, try your laptop with a proven GPS receiver and software. Top dollar for the program and receiver is $120 +/- and a lot less if you find them on sale.

[VPIDarkAngel]

Chalk up another vote for the Garmin, mostly for the NavTeq maps (TomTom uses a different map set that I've found to be less accurate), free firmware updates, and helpful product support. I've run a Garmin GPSMAP 378 (It's a marine unit with road maps) for quite a while. Even without a truck-specific GPS, you can get it to concoct a decent set of directions. MOST of the time, my Garmin is dead on the money with the final location if I give it a street address. Since 95% of my stops are at retail stores, I can usually find them in the POI database (except for the new stores).
As with any GPS, don't let it override what your eyes tell you. Keep us updated on what you end up getting.

[Double R]

I use a Garmin Nuvi 350. Has a truck option(basically, it keeps you on main roads). I checked it against my current routes and for the most part is accuarte. Doing multi-stop foodservice it comes in handy to find new customers. BUT I WILL NOT DEPEND ON IT 100%! A combination of common sense and a GPS works

[Glad Hand]

I use Streets & Trips with the Truck Stops Plus add on template and I use it for the same reason that Malaki uses the Garmin, because you can easily manipulate your routes in any kind of way you desire, which is something you can’t do with most stand alone GPS devices. I also use it because I have been using it since the fall of 2005 when the 2006 version first came out or for almost 5 years now. Hence, I know every trick in the book and would consider myself a power user.

I also use the same truck stop database Malaki uses as well, which is the Truck Stops Plus add on template for Streets & Trips, which makes searching and routing to truck stops a breeze. Incidentally, with the 2010 version of Streets & Trips you can also easily extract that database and upload it into a stand-alone GPS device if you have one of those too, which I do and did also.

Another thing I have been doing for the past three years is adding all my shippers and consignees to Streets & Trips as I go to them. Hence, today it is very seldom that I go to a shipper or consignee that is not already on my template database. Hence, I can also plan and route a trip in a small fraction of the time it would take to do it otherwise.

Finally, the bing map feature in Streets & Trips where you can center the map, click the bing button and get an aerial view in a browser window is a very handy feature to have and I use it all the time and also every time I’m going to a Wal-Mart Supercenter I haven’t been to before in order to see what is the best way to approach and where to park.

As for as truck specific goes, none of the truck specific GPS devices are nearly reliable enough to be relied upon and all of them are also plagued with tons of other issues as well. My friends that bought them also all stopped using them after they realized the routes they generated were always quite a bit longer anyway. In any event, the company I work for supplies us with legal truck specific routes. Hence, I simply sync that company supplied legal truck route into Streets & Trips and I’m good to go.

Oh yeah another reason I prefer Streets & Trips to my standalone GPS device is I can multitask since I can open up several instances of Streets & Trips simultaneously, leave them minimize, then use them for different chores without disturbing the current trip I’m on, and you can’t do that with a standalone GPS device. Hence, if I get a preplan I can quickly plug it in and make a decision to accept or decline it or if I want to see how far a particular truck stop, drop lot, shipper, or consignee is from my present location, I can do it in a flash.