Gps is a GREAT supstitute for maps. Always use the paper map? Thats whacky. I use the red section of the large sized laminated spiral bound atlas that honorably sits in its near permanent position in my sleeper.
Nearly every driver ive ever met who uses GPS uses Delorme. It doesnt have Bridge info. It doesnt have restricted road info. But guess what, neither does Rand Mcnally. Not ACCURATE info. There are roads in NC and PA that will give yo ua BIG wakeup call if you trust rand mcnally. I especially love the bridges that are 12 feet on one side.. and 14 in the other lane. Fun stuff!
I use delorme to plan my trips. I type in shipper address, reciever address and let fly. I have set it up to avoid small roads, etc etc. You do have to use your brain it isnt idiotproof.... Then i look over the route a bit. If it takes a route i dont like i take 2 seconds to set a waypoint that fixes it. When i get to the shipper/reciever and they arent answering the phone/the qc doesnt have directions its rarely a problem. Maybe twice out of the last hundred runs ive made S&T hasnt directed me perfectly. And when i make a wrong turn etc? I can see EVERY road around me and exactly where i am now, my speed, my direction etc etc. One of the Biggest advantages is i can tell you Exactly how many miles to my next stop, next rest area, next scale, next truck stop. I can zoom in and find a walmart rght off the interstate. I can zoom and check out the next offramp to see if its one of the kind you can park on or turn around easily.
I can tell WHERE the truck stop is rather than "its somewhere off the exit ramp". I can tell you the second i start EXACTLY how long it will take me to get where im going. And >im never out of route<.
Have two buddies who use paper. One used to snicker at my techiemobile. Now he calls me for directions. The other was telling me how he was taking a certain route from Ill down souteast. I checked his route and gave him a route that took 150 miles off his. On the paper map they LOOK the same distance (the projection they use on paper maps is Intensely inaccurate). Not even close.
I'll stick with my gps and the red section thanks. Eventually they'll include that and i can frame my map as a decoration. Meanwhile you guys go on exploring the residential section of city X that the map SWORE this little road didnt take you too