Car Tech forum: Truck driver in need of GPS navigation

well i heard the gamin is the better one. but i just retired from driving, but i did not go over the road. i think it would be better if he had a laptop or something similar. the other problem he will have is that it will give tyou the directions but in a truck your not allowed to travel on certain roads plus you have to watch out for low bridges. and in certain states if he is hauling hazardous materials he has to follow certain roads. but i think the garmin would be the best or if they have one suted for truck drivers, like here in illinois they have a book with all the bridge heights in chicago. hope this helps you

To me for the last 5 years Gamin street pilot 2720 is the best of all!
WHY? Because I live in Chicago and Chicago, New Jersey or New York they have the lower bridges in the whole USA. I drive for 8 years now and I never been happier seem I got my best friend Gamin 2720. Another alternative is Gamin nuvi 680 but some times I had problems with that like wrong street or poor signal or NO warranty what so ever for LOWER BRIDGES! I give it to my wife and kept my 2720.Still the best for TRUCK DRIVERS! ATTENTION YOU NEED TO UPDATE FR NEW VERSION IF OLDER THEN 2007(MAPS)

Try Maptuit - They have truck specific directions. Your dad could get a subscription to FleetNav Express - that's what the system is called. www.fleetnavexpress.com

I purchased a simple GPS on sale for $149 that helps me a lot BUT it always trys to send me down the no truck roads! I have been searching for Truck GPS units for a while and have not found one yet. The CoPilot Truck sounds great but it is not a unit just a program

I found this truck navigation device that is now available for $399.00. I know it's a bit pricy, but it does allow for weight, height, and truck size limits. Here's the link.

http://www.teletype.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=310060&Category_Code=WorldNav&gclid=CMbJypzH7ZECFQMKPAodewEeyQ

I have 7 inch device for Truckers from WorldNav. I got couple updates from them. First it was a little bumpy but with the latest update I am finally happy.
I drive Hazmat 3 and it so far gives me right directions and with external antenna I never loose signal.

I do like their tech support. I called them twice and they been very cortius and I do appreciate them sending me last update free.

The only problem I had is on a very long routes (2850 Miles). I had about every other day a lockup on my system. Once the SD card got replaced the problem is not there any longer. I think we need to give this guys a break. They do refund full amount if you do not like the product and they seems working hard to get it better. I just got another email from them that next week new sd card will be shipped to me. It is a free service. I do not have to pay a dollar for it.

Don't waste your money on WorldNav products.

Check out this website:

http://WorldNav3300gps.blogspot.com

It appears to be that mass produced, zero support type model.

Steal, borrow any unit you find reviewed favorably by Cnet or David Pogue. See http://reviews.cnet.com/gps-systems/?sort=edRating7+desc

Or http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=69c27e9791208256d719c33cd2d8887f933a1745

Bob

Go to:



http://WorldNav3300gps.blogspot.com

i have looked for a gps unit for trucks. the one i found is called (streetpilot 7200 or 7500) it has a 7" touchscreen, Xm Radio, traffic and weather radar from Xm Radio, and a lot of other options, but does cost extra. the price for the gps does cost around $700-$800 you can get the best price on shopzilla.com. i have heard a lot of good things about it and the one problem is the mounting is weak

Tellitype truck has 3.5" & 7" GPS

Hi
Which rear view cam did you get? How wide is the view? I think that would be killer for docking. I was looking at the 7" gps, now i think i will look harder. Thank You.
Kevin

The best solution is go with is a laptop because with a laptop not only do you get a panoramic view that you cant get with a stand alone GPS navigation unit, but you also can multitask and use the laptop to do several different jobs simultaneously besides just navigation, which makes you more efficient and your job much easier. Plus its a much more flexible option since with a laptop you can also cruise the Internet, send and receive emails, download music, watch movies, etc. Try multitasking or sending and receiving emails with a stand alone GPS unit, you just cant do it, but you can with a laptop!

The next question is what solution to use with a laptop and while there are several solutions out there on the market, the best solution Ive found by far is a combination of Microsoft Streets & Trips coupled together with the innovative new Truck Stops Plus 08 template, which transforms Microsoft Streets & Trips into trucking software.

Microsoft Streets & Trips is the best solution on the market because it simply is the most accurate and by far the easiest to learn and use. Not to mention it cost a small fraction of what some of the other high priced solutions cost like Co-Pilot, which comes into play big time since you have to update every year to keep your maps as current as possible.

Add the Truck Stops Plus 08 (www.truckstopsplus.com) add on template and together with Microsoft Streets & Trips it not only gives you the ability to verify and confirm your routes are truck legal quickly, but at the same time the template also contains thousands of trucking specific points of interests like truck stops, Wal-Mart Supercenters, rest areas, turnpike service plazas, parking areas, weigh stations, etc., and all of the points of interests like truck stops are catalogued, so you can easily check the name of truck stops, its location information, whether it is a small, medium, or large truck stop, whether the truck stop has a truck scale or not, whether the truck stop does major repairs, minor repairs, or no repairs, etc. Youll never use a truck stop guide again!

One of the excellent features you can use with the Truck Stops Plus 08 template is the Find Nearby Places feature, which will list in alphabetical order every category of trucking specific points of interest within a 50-mile radius, and inside each category, the individual points of interests are further listed from closest to farthest while at the same time they display exactly how far away they are located from the present location. When you expand the categories and click the individual points of interest, a text box with a full description displays next to the points of interests on the map so you can see its exact location. Then to choose to route to any one of them, you simply right click it and choose add as stop, and you are good to go. Its far easier and much faster than the six steps I used to have to go through in Co-Pilot when I use to use that over priced junk!

In any event, there are a lot of solutions on the market, but dont necessarily believe that more expensive always equates into better. Sometimes the cheapest and simplest solutions are the best solutions! Ive tried and used most of the solutions out there on the market to do my job, and the solution I just described above is by far the best and easiest Ive used so far, and, by the way, it is also by far the cheapest! I wish I had found out much sooner because I would have saved myself a lot of money and a lot of frustration.

there is an article in Open Air Magazine that might help break down a few of the GPS models...here is the link to the reader, just find the article titled "All the right moves". I hope that helps!

http://www.bnqt.com/OpenAir/magReader.php