One of the biggest problems about GPS and computer mapping programs is they will show the shortest route which may not be the fastest.

As a example. Take a route from Kansas City to Chicago. Everyone I have used will route you through St. Louis. Yet the fastest route is through Des Moines.

As with any tool be it GPS, computer program or RR map you have to look at where you are and where you want to go. Use ALL these tools then apply some common sense.

AS I showed in my example if you draw a straight line between KC and Chicago you will see the closest interstate is I-35 and I-80. Plus knowing the traffic in St. Louis vs Des Moines plus the speed limit in Il. vs Iowa it all adds up to Des Moines being the better route. Thats were common sense comes into play.

And before someone say it. Sure you adjust the GPS and the computer program to force it to show a different route but before you can adjust the program you have to know which route to take.

One other problem comes into play for many drivers is fuel routing. Many companies say you must go by a certain route because of fuel stops. Most dispatchers will accept your new route if you explain to them the reason why you want to take the route you do.

One point about about calling shippers and/or receivers. Know who you are talking to. Make sure that they understand you are in a big truck.

kc0iv

 

Sadly I learned the hard way with that one.

As for GPS routing shortest, not fastest it's true. But you do have control over it. 9 times out of 10 I'll let it route where ever, then check against everything I have. Write down the directions, shut down the laptop, and go. But only after I've verified every hwy, route, road etc.

Like I said it not only has a map like an atlas(without road restrictions) I find it to be a little superior. Only in the way that I can see what hwy I need, then zooooooom way the hell in and look at the streets themselves. For the most part(read most times, not always) the streets are there, and are laid out the way they show on screen. So I know when making a left off of ROUTE 32 to Robbins ST. I might have to cut a lil wider, or see that its just a fork.

Again, Can not stress enough. Anyone using GPS be it garmin, or even CoPilot. Keep you map reading skills sharp, don't let the software become your crutch. Navigating the nation should be done professionally, and this means using your atlas, making calls. As kc0iv said, COMMON SENSE!!

One of the other features which is cool with T&S is you can create a trail of your travel. If your not using it to route you, you can still leave it on to leave a trail of what route you took, save it and use it later. This way you know that the route you'll travel is truck friendly.

Don't be afraid to use it. Just use it wisely.

 

Either use a notebook, o dry erase marker your directions/routing across the top of yur windshield... I do both just so that in the future I can look back at all the places I've been. I've also found that red dry erase marker shows up the best at night.

Just a lil advice

 

How true!! Rand McNally has alot of mistakes....misnumbered exits, and no exit on the map where there is one... and others as well.

Not necessarily. I have never used one in the truck, and don't use on in my personal vehicle. Maybe its the fact that I learned the hard way....with the atlas and company given directions...but I learned the geography and have stored away alot of that learning. I rarely need to think too hard about routing... I guess 1,300,000 miles of experience will bring that about. Personally, I see them as an expensive distraction. If I need better dirs.... I use my laptop with MS S&T and PC Miler, both with street level ability to get what I need.

I plug my coffee pot into the inverter 8) One of my biggest concerns about GPS's is that people will spend too much time looking at the thing and less time at the road....and in heavy traffic, that isn't good. I've seen people do it....and seen them do stupid things.

I still think while it can be used as a tool..... Its best to start out using your own brain and the non-computerized tools at hand.... But then, each to his own 8)

 

I never said not to learn to use your map. I am saying if there is a tool out there that makes your job easier, by all means use it. One of the main reasons I advocate a stand alone GPS unit is that it is small, it gives limited information at one time and you can place it just below your line of sight so your eyes never stray far the road. I say that as a driver approaching 30,000 miles of over the road experience!

 

Terry, if you notice above... I basically said they (GPS's) are ok as a tool, but they are not intended to be more than that.

My biggest fear is that a newer...or even more experienced driver :shock: might get too caught up in watching the GPS than watching the road and end up in an accident with another vehicle or running off the road.

Yesterday afternoon...about 1730 I was crossing out of OH on I-75 into KY and on the bridge....about halfway across....I had a young girl come up on my left side...yapping on her cellphone....who just whipped in front of me and hit her brakes so she wouldn't hit the car in front of me....but she forced in.... I had to hit the brakes pretty hard to keep from hitting her, and the surge of 45,000 lbs of liguid hitting the head of the tank is no fun.
I was doing about 45 at the time..... Now ask yourself this question.... if a less experienced driver was less observant and paying alittle too much attention to the GPS....what might or more likely would have happened?

An accident would have happened. And a bad day for all.

I'm not saying everyone who buys one is going to do something stupid, but lets face it....there are alot of people who get a little too wrapped up in new gadgets....and become the very people who can't see the forest because all of the trees are in the way. Cell phones are one of those gadgets.... I mean.. how many people do you see in cars that aren't yapping at someone or text messaging??? :?

I've got 1,300,000 miles in these things now.... zero accidents, zero tickets, zero DOT citations... and I'd like to keep it that way. Me, I minimize distractions....and to me, well.... the GPS is what I might consider an "attractive distraction". Newer drivers in particular need to spend the bulk of their time looking, listening and doing what they are supposed to be doing..... not futzing with a GPS.

Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll even break down and buy one :shock: There's been a time or two when I would have had good use for one.... Like telling "road service" exactly where I was, or to help me figure out how I got lost... Yes...I've done it a couple of times... But as a normal day to day usage item, no....it would be a distraction. But to each his own.

But I think I'll wait until the state of the art ones are about $100.00.

The first Garmin I bought for my boat back in 92 or so cost me $1400.00, its so obsolete its useless.... An excellent unit...hand held with base maps runs less than $100.00 nowadays.

But here's one I might buy.... 8) because it could be used in car, truck (as a tool) and then on my boat even if I want to motor over to the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico... since its for land and sea...... I could actually go for this one!

http://magellan.factoryoutletstore.c...lan_2500T.html

 

Kinda Hijacking but an interesting Story happen to me long time ago now. Leson in always read your bill when you pick up a Pre-Loaded Trailer..

Going to worng places and such, I done it once. But caused I listen to the dispatcher and not checked the bills.

I was told to go and pick up a certain trailer going to Ky then last Drop in Ind.

I hooked up to the trailer grab the bills and took off. Got to the City where the dispatcher told me, and styartto look for a number to get directions into the place. Name and address and city of receiver, City a town outside of Knoxville Tn, not Ky. So I got on the phone with my Dispatcher and asked him about the load. I asked him why he say Ky when it going to Tn. I'll be late but rolling south back to Tn to the location. Be 3 hours late for appointment, Got to the receiver, and they only laughed, saying I was not the first one, and took me right to the the door..

 

coastie Still OFF TOPIC.

I can do you one better. Couple of years ago I picked up a pre-loaded sealed trailer in Chicago going to Denver.. Checked trailer number matched dispatched number, bill-of-lading, and city and state. All agreed. Guard at gate checked the paperwork and signed me out. Made delivery to Denver for a live unload. Cracked the seal and backed in to the dock. Went up on the dock and dock manager said it was the wrong load. All the paperwork inside the trailer plus the product belonged in Tampa, FL.

Called dispatch and they said it couldn't happen. After spending almost an hour on the phone was dispatched to Tampa. Then later dispatcher complained about me taking it to the wrong place and didn't want to pay me for all the additional miles. Needless to say I got paid but took a few phone calls.


kc0iv

 

Heh, heh great stories.....

How many people have found out the hard way that North Lima, Ohio is over 200 miles from Lima, Ohio?

Then there's the story of the driver who took a load to Miami, FL that should have gone to Miami, Oh.

I don't use GPS. But I do have DeLorme Street Atlas running on my laptop....I can "see" any intersection in America. Sure helps, but if my route isn't numbered, ie State hwy # so-and-so, I go real slow and try to get there in broad daylight.

 

I still haven't taken a laptop out with me in a big truck, because I used to know all my stops by heart, and I rarely had any time to spare. As such, I have no idea how it works trying to get an internet connection from the road.

That aside, I can't get over how cool Google Maps is. I think I mentioned that on some long forgotten past thread here, and had people rip me a new one, but I stand by my opinion. You can not only see the roads on a map, but you can see them from a satellite, and if you're delivering in a large enough area that their satellite images go down that far, you can zoom in and see everything in amazing detail.

No, it doesn't show you what things look like from the ground, and yes, their images are a couple years out of date, but even so, I find it extremely useful and cool. With my current set of stops, I can see the loading docks and everything from space, and even see where I'm going to wind up if I try to get around a grade crossing that keeps messing up. (Alternate road looked tempting from the ground, but I can see from space I would be nuts to try it, because of what's around that next bend.)