Trucker GPS
Trucker GPS |
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| Johnontheroad 04 October 2010 06:09 AM |
There have been several forum threads in the past about trucker GPS. These are GPS systems designed for truckers, adjusting the route for low clearances, weight restrictions, etc. I was wondering if there is any new info on these units, are you using one, and how well does it work?
I'm thinking of replacing my car GPS in my MH with a trucker one, hoping it will help keep me off of roads where a big coach shouldn't go... |
| Barncats 04 October 2010 07:41 AM |
John I use a Garmin Nuvi truckers GPS. leaves a bit to be desired, but did save my butt one time from going down a highway with a low overpass. Just that one time makes it worth it to me. |
| Teton Bruce 04 October 2010 08:20 AM |
We have the Garmin 465T, designed for truckers, and have been using it for a year. Although it is not perfect, it is correct 95% of the time. It has two modes, car and truck, and the difference is noticeable in routing. As stated above, you can input all the particulars of your traveling, and reasonably know it will get you there. Rand McNally has one designed for truckers, but I don't know anything about them. I don't always trust them, but ours is right more times than I am. Bruce |
| AprilWhine 04 October 2010 08:24 AM |
We also use the Garmin 465T. It's good for routing, but the squawking about weigh stations can be annoying. The lane assist feature has been handy a few times too. If you already are using a GPS, you can get low clearance alerts as a POI file: POI Factory |
| richfaa 04 October 2010 08:38 AM |
None of them are perfect. The 465T can be a useful tool for the RVer. We do not have one yet but have seen it in action and it has enough added features for ME to purchase. |
| Kirk 04 October 2010 08:50 AM |
We have now used a Garmin, Nuvi, 765T last Christmas. I love the new, improved graphics, but I liked the routing better on my old Garmin Quest. You also need to learn to follow the voice directions and always check what you hear against the visual display.
I recently downloaded some software from Garmin to allow me to develop and check routes on the laptop as I did with the Quest and I do think that once I learn how to use it, that will help a lot. I have been quite disappointed with the quality of the routes chosen by my present Nuvi. |
| Jack Mayer 04 October 2010 08:56 AM |
I have a Nuvi 85x. If I'm developing any "serious" route I always do it in MapSource. Doing it on the Nuvi is a maddening experience.
We generally navigate with Street Atlas running on my 17" notebook screen when moving locations in the RV. I use the Nuvi in front of me for backup, speed indication, and time to that days stop. Danielle uses the laptop with its bigger screen for general navigation. She also uses a paper map. NO GPS is going to be "faultless". |
| George Stoltz 04 October 2010 09:06 AM |
John, As you can see, most of us use a GPS to augment our route planning. As several have pointed out -- none are perfect. In addition to our Nuvi, we consult without fail our Motor Carriers' Road Atlas from Rand McNally. Out thinking is that if a truck can do the route, so can we. It has not let us down yet. Safe travels. |
| grumpydoc 04 October 2010 09:14 AM |
Johnathan We also have the Garmin Nuvi unit for truckers. I look at it as two units in one, there is the satellite positioning system which works very well, if it says we are "here" then you can bet we are within a few feet of "here." The second component is a mapping program and it suffers from many shortcomings in it's ability to know what I might desire in a route from point A to point B. Although as Teton Bruce pointed out it is right a lot of the time, we find that the only way to insure we will follow the route we want is to preview the rout and modify it as necessary the night before we leave. Two things that we find most helpful in doing so is a Truckers or Motor carriers atlas and one of the Sat maps such as Goggle Maps or Live Maps. As you probably already know the Motor Carriers Atlas will show you all the designated roads and lists all the low clearances and weight restricted routes. The Sat maps now are so good you can zoom in and look at turns and intersections and see if there might be any issues. For us there is some peace of mind going down the road knowing that we are less likely to encounter any difficult/dangerous situations. Best wishes Jay and Kathy |
| marnindale 04 October 2010 10:14 AM |
Our Garmin Nuvi kept sending us to wrong addresses, etc. and every time we got near a destination it would start trying to re-route us!
So, we sold that one and now have a COBRA trucker's GPS which has TomTom maps. It has saved us from disaster. We program both GPS units and if the Cobra shows a much longer route - we follow Cobra. Last time it saved us from going on a route that had a low overpass. So far, it has not sent us to a wrong address and does not try to re-route us as we approach our destination. We also refer to one of the online mapping systems and use Google to double check campgrounds. We are very pleased with the Cobra. It has a very large screen and is easily seen. It's overall map has more details on it and on the right side, it has a small split screen so you can see what turns are coming up and which direction you'll have to turn. |
| Johnontheroad 04 October 2010 10:25 AM |
Thanks, all. Amazon had the Nuvi 465T on sale ($300 off!!!!!) so that is what I ordered.
My existing GPS (Garmin Nuvi 855) has helped a lot, but also has given bad info. So, like others, I always look ahead, usually on Google maps, to find where we're going. I'm hoping that by inputting weight, size, and clearance I can reduce the wrong headings. The Nuvi 855 is going in the car. |
| Johnontheroad 04 October 2010 10:29 AM |
One note regarding maps... two years ago we followed a Louisiana State provided map to go from Marksville to Livingston. We decided to take the short route, clearly marked as "Truck friendly." What we didn't know until almost too late was that on the TX side of the river -- not shown on the map -- there is a 12'3" RR overpass! Saw the sign just in time or I would have had to back up a LOOOONG way. So now we make sure we check all our maps! John |
| AC7880 04 October 2010 01:57 PM |
I would have purchased the truckers 465T if it had the external antenna port that the other Garmins have. Why they left the external ant port off this model is strange. |