GPS navigation

[bikerboy]

I bought a nextar gps system from canadian tire about 6 months ago for about 300 bucks.

I LOVED it!
I don't think i could even truck without it anymore, best thing i ever bought!

Just put in customer adress, and drive on, this thing got me right to the driveway about 98% percent of the time it was perfect.

I usally would still call and get directions just to be sure they matched the gps, just in case there was low bridge or something like that.

But overall i loved it, and i know there are alot of ppl who still refuse to even think about getting one, and would rather try to read a map and read directions at same time, But i found the gps was alot easier!

Sometimes i even used it to find places to park, i would call 411 and ask for walmarts adress and then put then into gps and it would take me right there.

Any new drivers out there, i think this should be your number one purchase, makes things alot less stressful in city driving.

[ROADHUGGER]

Should try it in the UNKNOWN areas like Eastern Quebec :) damn thing drives you nuts, WALMART warehouse in Cornwall Ontario has been EAST of Cornwall from the day it was thought of , GPS thought it was East of Cornwall until last month.

[buzzy]

I bought a nextar gps system from canadian tire about 6 months ago for about 300 bucks


I bought a Randy Macnally @ Wally World..........$9.95...............does the same thing. :harhar:

[bikerboy]

I have used a map, but i still prefer gps and i think gps is safer than trying to read directions while driving.

Works really good when street signs are missing, i still found the right roads to turn at.
Also all i had to do was look at the screen and i knew how many miles was left and how long it should take to get where i am going.
Also used the gps speedomter more than the truck speedo, cuz gps is dead on! truck was off a little.

I remember once heading into downtown toronto with only a mapbook and 53 ft trailer, i was so stressed out trying to figure out where to go trying to read road signs and read the map at same time, but the gps took away all that stress and made city driving not that bad.

I still think its the best money i ever spent.
I would rather give up my cellphone or satelite radio before the gps.

I just wish my gps had truck routing, then it would really be easy. I always had to watch for signs and sometimes modify my routing to make sure i stayed on truck routes.

Are some ppl just scared of new technology or whats the big deal. the world is constantly changing, might as well keep up.
I would still carry an atlas in case the gps broke, and to check out weight stations and stuff, but other than that the gps handles the rest.

[RodeoJoe]

I've been using MS Streets and Trips for locations and directions for all of my southbound deliveries and am seriously considering buying a laptop with S &T and the GPS option to take along. I have been using S & T for a couple of years and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I want to get a laptop as opposed to a Garmin type GPS because of the screen size, my old eyes don't like looking for something on those itty bitty screens.

[ROADHUGGER]

Its not that some people are afraid of NEW TECHNOLOGY that worries me its the CHAOS thats going to follow if and when the NEW TECHNOLOGY fails and they do not know how to do things the OLD FASHION WAY.

[buzzy]

oh, so now playing on a 'puter, talking on a phone or otherwise being distracted from driving is much safer than doing a proper pre-trip route plan the old fashioned way with a paper map?

I guess it's much easier to let someone else do the thinking for you.

There's nothing wrong with a GPS unit except to many people rely too heavily on electronics these days.

Remember the old days at the border? No ACE,FAST or faxes yet we travelled more efficiently then than now. The only slow down 10 years ago was when someone's pencil broke.

[bikerboy]

Even if you have a paper trip plan, you still have to look away from the road to read it , so you would be distracted. Unless you can memorize the whole trip.
I don't see how glancing at a 4 inch gps screen on the windsheild or listening to it talk is more distracting then trying to read your trip plan.

And what about if you come to a closed road,with a paper trip plan and there is no detour signs posted, if you don't have a good map of that state with county or township roads, you really have no idea where to go.

With the gps, as soon as i turned off the route it wanted me to take, it automatically calculated a new route in seconds.


I guess i just love new technology, and if it works good, and saves me time, why wouldn't i use it?

Eventually i think everything is going to be electronic, there will be no such thing as paper logbooks, and i bet every truck will have a built in gps unit and satelite tracking. So i might as well get used to it now.
That is my prediction!

Who knows, maybe someday paper maps will become obsolete, just like payphones and typewriters almost have. Every vehicle built will have a gps, so why would anyone need to buy a map?
Thats just my thoughts.

Its just nuts have much things have changed in the last 50-100 years, i am kinda excited to see what the next 50 years brings! Probably will be things we have never even thought of yet.

[bikerboy]

I just thought of something else.
Even our snowplows at work have gps tracking on them that records speed, and even how much salt or sand is being spread.

Pretty amazing when you think about that, i bet no one ever thought a snowplow would need gps tracking.

But because of idiots suing the county, the county needs all these records, to prove they maintained the roads properly.

A simple job like clearing snow off a road, has gotten this complicated these days, that we need logbooks, pre trip inspections and gps tracking, just to keep out of trouble. Sure alot different than the old days when they used graders and even bulldozers sometimes to clear roads. and any type of paperwork would be unheard of. probably having a heater and lights was pretty hightech back then. LOL

[ROADHUGGER]

They still use GRADERS in many regions of Ontario for road plowing.

Had a few trucks on in the 70's / 80's with DHO now MTO with their SALTERS mounted on them , there were RECORDS kept, mileage , when / where , how much SALt or SAND or MIXED was used.

You actually had to give some thought to the job back then , no computer setting the spread rate or GPS to tell you ( or the HIGHER ups ) that you were where you were suppose to be.

[bikerboy]

We still have to mix the salt and sand with the payloader.
And the gps tells us nothing.
All the gps does is track the truck and tracks speed and sander settings

And the patrol guys at the county can see where we are and make sure drivers aren't stopping for breaks all the time, for no reason.

They still use graders on gravel roads to plow around here.
But why would you use a grader on a paved road?? Your still gonna need a sander, so why not do it all in one pass?

The county here runs 16 plow trucks in four sheds for all county roads.
and a couple graders for if the banks get too big for a truck.

Soon the county is talking about switching all trucks to liquid salt brine, then we can spray the roads before a storm, and the roads shouldn't ice as bad.
The only bad thing is the liquid rusts equipment even worse than salt and gets into wiring and all that bad stuff!

[Hawkeye]

Hey Bikerboy, how long so the batteries stay charged for on the Nextar? I bought a Mapart bundle with every city and town in Ontario which is great for my new job which involves driving anywhere from Windsor to Ottawa but when I drive downtown Toronto(or anywhere for that matter) it would be helpful to have a GPS and use the books as a backup. I just want to make sure before I spend the cash on one that it won't end up dying everytime I use it.

[bikerboy]

batteries don;t last long, but it does have a cigarete lighter plug in, so i use that all the time, i do have problems with the nextar sometimes, it freezes up and have to turn off and on again.

I wouldn;t buy another nextar for that reason, its annoying when it freezes in the city! takes a couple minutes to reset!


And gps don;t work in tunnels, so if your going somewhere like boston, you better know ahead of time where your going.

But i still love my gps and wouldn't think of trucking without it

[Hawkeye]

I did a bit of research and picked up a Garmin Nuvi 260W. It has already helped me out a lot and dfinately takes away from some of the stress of inner city driving. I got it for $139 off too which made it even better. Thanks for the quick reply Bikerboy.

[bikerboy]

i love how in one quick look, i know how many miles are left to get where iam going, how many hours it should take, what time i should be there, and my speed.

Its amazing how much info that little thing knows!

theres been lots of times, where street signs are missing, and i would have missed the corner without gps.

I also have internet in the truck anywhere, and usually will look up adresses and phones number, i use google maps satelite imaging alot, to see where i am going ahead of time, i love it, usually i can pinpoint the buildings and see the parking lots and everything!

most of the time i never call for directions unless i can't find the place. or if its right downtown in the city.

[Mr Gizmo]

My wife bought me a GPS last Christmas. She spent $350 on one that plays mp3 and movies and so on. I love it, but the other features are wasted on me. Was a little upset later when I found a Gps built for Truck drivers for the same money. It routes you buy height, Load and even Hazmat. Looks great.

Here is the link if anyone is interested. I will wait till mine doesn't work anymore before I spend that sort of money.


http://site.gps-planet.com/compareworldnav.html

[torx]

anyone try the rand mcnally tnd5
00 you would think that the maps would be right on seeing the do the maps

[Blue Dodger]

i love how in one quick look, i know how many miles are left to get where iam going, how many hours it should take, what time i should be there, and my speed.

Its amazing how much info that little thing knows!

theres been lots of times, where street signs are missing, and i would have missed the corner without gps.

I also have internet in the truck anywhere, and usually will look up adresses and phones number, i use google maps satelite imaging alot, to see where i am going ahead of time, i love it, usually i can pinpoint the buildings and see the parking lots and everything!

most of the time i never call for directions unless i can't find the place. or if its right downtown in the city.
BB.. I know that this is an old thread but I was wondering what you use for the internet. Is it one of the sticks that they have now? How is it for price and reception? Just curious..

[bikerboy]

i have a bell air card, it was expensive as h*ll for canada and usa, around 100 a month. i think it would be much cheaper to get canada only from bell and another air card or usb stick from verizon for usa.

i am no longer using it, since i am home every night and don't need it, and don;t even use my gps anymore either, since i know my way around.

[Manitoba Trucker]

BEFORE I got my job, after I had my license though, I went out and got a GPS unit. I saw a Visions flyer with a TomTom GPS advertised at $78.99, so I went in to check it out. The salesman told me that I shouldn't buy that one because "TomTom makes crappy GPS and they are all being returned!" I told him about the flyer and he looked at me with his pimply face and said "So!" ... He then told me I should buy a Garmin because they are much better, and they had one on sale for $199.99! I told him that was "Bait and Switch" and again he got a blank look on his face...so I asked for the manager. I told the manager that I was going to report them for false advertising and "bait and switch" ... and the manager said "just hold on, lets see what I can do"... I walked out of there with the $199.99 Garmin for less than $100.00! It works great on the Interstate, gives great warning about upcoming turns, so you know which lane to grab, and you don't really even have to look at it. I also like the speedometer on it, because the speedo on my truck is in KM and I set the GPS to miles when I am in the USA, and therefore I have my speed easily accessible in MPH.

As a newbie driver, the GPS was my best investment so far ...yes I can read a map, and yes I do trip planning using an atlas, computer, and plain old pen and paper ... but then I program it into my GPS as a gentle reminder of the directions. Occasionally she steers me wrong and says "turn right" when there is no way my 53' trailer is going to fit ... but for the most part, she is dead on!

[Gummiente]

Ok, so I bought the Garmin 255W (on sale at CDN Tire for $179), registered it online at the Garmin site, downloaded all the map updates and plugged in the addresses of all the customers I've been to so far. I'm ready to use it on my next training run, which is later this aft or tomorrow, but I have one question about it that I can't find the answer to anywhere on this or other forums - in the "Navigation" setting under "Tools" menu, do I set it for "faster time" or "shorter distance"? What is the difference between those settings? And, yes, I am still planning the whole route using the Road Atlas, the GPS is just going to be used as a reminder for upcoming turns and ETA info.

[maan]

Guessing it would come up with 2 routes, one gives you less time but a longer distance, the other a shorter distance but more time.

Something like that..

[Manitoba Trucker]

I have mine set for Fastest time. That setting seems to keep you on the major roads...if you set it for shortest distance, it takes you on back roads.

[Gummiente]

I have mine set for Fastest time. That setting seems to keep you on the major roads...if you set it for shortest distance, it takes you on back roads.
Thanks! I kinda figured that was how it would work, based on my experiences with MapQuest online, but I wasn't 100% certain.

[canuck in da truck]

some times you really have to compare the map to the gps some places will route you a ways away --also have to keep in mind hazmat routing or truck only routes --but gps is the only way to go--it is a great time saver---if you have the right address from dispatch--always a good idea to call customer and check out address--but then dispatch would never make a mistake --would they ?

[FLHT Ron]

Heard on the radio today that people were putting their home addresses into the GPS and then people were stealing them and robbing the houses when they weren't home!!!


Ron

[Gummiente]

Well, so far I'm really liking the GPS. It's a great tool for keeping an eye on your ETA to the customer, as well as a handy reference along the way for upcoming turns and highway interchanges. I can see my Garmin becoming a permanent fixture in my truck.

First thing I do when I get the trip profile over the satellite is to plan the route using the Road Atlas to the destination city. Then I send a macro to get the final directions to the customer, after which I write down the route in point form in my notebook. I keep the notebook handy during the whole trip so I have written directions at my fingertips whenever I need them.

Once the route has been written down, I program the customer's address into the GPS and save it under the company ID name. Then I plug it in as the destination and away we go.

A couple of times the GPS has tried to route me down a prohibited route, which is why I keep the written directions handy and go by them when we get close to the destination. Usually after the first or second "missed" turn, it will re-route me along the streets I wanted to take in the first place. While the trailer is being unloaded or after the drop and hook, I check the notepad first for directions to the next customer and then program it into the GPS. I'm getting enough locations stored in there now that I'm able to quickly enter the next destination from the "Favourites" file and then verify the directions from my notes.

Where the GPS really shines is its ability to let you know how far away your next major turn is - that SO comes in handy when traveling through two or three States where you usually have to switch highways a few times along the way. When the display tells me I'm within a couple km's of the next turn, I hang out in the appropriate lane so I'm positioned well ahead of time and don't have to do a frantic lane change to the exit at the last minute. Also, as I discovered last night at the terminal, if I want to bugger off somewhere for supper once the truck is parked, all I have to do is consult the GPS and pick where I want to eat at and get the directions to and from there.

Yep, you can call me a convert. :D

[bikerboy]

yup a GPS is great for all those reasons.

another thing i always used it for was the speedometer, just set the GPS to MPH and then you have an exact digital speedometer, which is nice, since some trucks are not real easy to see exactly how fast in mph you are going.

if you have all the updated routes loaded onto it, hopefully u won't come across any roads that don't exist, that used to happen to me every now and then, there is a new interstate 99 near state college PA, that would never show on my gps, and there is a new highway in OHIO, and also the new bypass road around hamilton which connects to the LINC, was not on my gps, and i could not find updates for it.

and the border at detroit has all been changed around, so maybe even those roads will all be updated in your gps.

[ralph]

Also, as I discovered last night at the terminal, if I want to bugger off somewhere for supper once the truck is parked, all I have to do is consult the GPS and pick where I want to eat at and get the directions to and from there.

Yep, you can call me a convert. :D

Before I was given mine it was loaded/programmed with all the "Timmies" and "Beer Store" locations.

[buzzy]

:map: :36_1_51[1]: :shades:

[Paul]

Ive been using Microsoft Streets and Trips for 5 years now. I strap it in the passenger seat and it rides along with me everywhere i go. In 5 years time, there wasnt a single address i wasnt able to find.

[ralph]

Streets and Trips is better than any GPS you will buy but, it is less handy because you need a laptop as opposed to a smaller GPS unit. Rural address' are especially easier as Garmin doesn't suggest counties, Streets and Trips does. I'll have my dispatcher pull up the address on S&T and give me the county and the PROPER address, it's a breeze after that.

[bikerboy]

sometime you need to know the township as well to find the address on the gps, for where i used to live, that was the only way to find the address.

I used streets and trips on a trip to florida once, and i hated it! it was constantly losing gps signal, and i always had to manually tell it to recalculate the routing.

[Franx]

Good old fashioned paper maps, a truckers atlas and a phone call haven't failed me. I have a Garmin GPS and it's not the most reliable thing for trucks.

[elmo]

i used to . say the same thing.... "i can read a map etc etc ." then....... i bought a rand mcnally gps....wow.. would not give that up for nothing.... there aint no truck stop restaurant wal mart .. tou name it it can find it....plus it.s made for trucks....
just the cats ass as far as im concerned and i.ve been doing this for 30+ years

[ralph]

I used streets and trips on a trip to florida once, and i hated it! it was constantly losing gps signal, and i always had to manually tell it to recalculate the routing.

I was referring to S&T only not the GPS version.

[Franx]

....... i bought a rand mcnally gps....

What was the cost of it??

[canuck in da truck]

i used trips and streets -- worked good--but the freightshaker shook the power port and the usb ports loose in the laptop--but it was pretty accurate---used garmin and it was very good--but as with any of the older gps models --always a good idea to cross referance with map--but gps cant be beat for ltl when every pick is last minute and more money--as for the rand mcnally--glad to hear people like them--saw them on ebay for about 354.00 us--not sure if that is a good price or not--but even then at that price it pays for itself in no time when you are downtown philly:36_1_51[1]:

[elmo]

rand macnally intelliroute gps 399.00 us
this thing is incredible... you can even keep track of your daily logs.
it even logs miles per state per month..
just about brews coffee lollll

[SEBOAM]

I am with Buzzy on this one. After following a car in the town I live in , almost turn inta a line of new parked cars at a ford dealership because the GPS told him to turn right...I stopped to help him change his tire .He had it in his windshield , and at night I could see it from my car.These are also going on the banned to use while driving list. If it works, Great! For me, I still like paper maps.

[buzzy]

Buy a good road atlas and a $20 walmart phone card...Their both more accurate than a GPS.

[bikerboy]

Buy a good road atlas and a $20 walmart phone card...Their both more accurate than a GPS.
A gps is still great to have when the person giving directions is stupid and gives the wrong street names, or the street signs are missing or hard to see.

at least with a gps, the driver has lots of warning a turn is coming up, but an atlas and calling for directions is also required.

why are people so resistant to this great tool? do you guys still use payphones as well? since a cell phone is just unneeded as well.

[ralph]

Buzzy, your drivers must be more successful in speaking with real people as opposed to leaving voice mails that are never returned or dealing with the dummy that couldn't tell you how to get there from direction X because he/she comes in from a different direction! I prefer "Street and Trips" when speaking with people because you can look @ the complete neighbourhood and speak intelligently to the person in regards to street names.

[SEBOAM]

I can't see spending alot of cash on something that a 1-800 call will do. Now I run local and have no need for such things. I am so weird that I still only use my cell phone for making calls! This site is on of the more up to date thing I do on this machine other than Email my hours every sunday.

[Peacerider]

Heard on the radio today that people were putting their home addresses into the GPS and then people were stealing them and robbing the houses when they weren't home!!!



Ron

You really have to wonder why anyone would need a GPS to find their way home. Shouldn't you know that, lol.

[ralph]

You really have to wonder why anyone would need a GPS to find their way home. Shouldn't you know that, lol.

Peacerider, you will come to find that people don't know much anymore. If they can't tell you how to get to their place of employment how would they know how to get home?

[BlackIce]

Peacerider, you will come to find that people don't know much anymore. If they can't tell you how to get to their place of employment how would they know how to get home? :D

A sad but very true observation.

[Pipeman]

:D

A sad but very true observation.And some cops can't even find their own butt with both hands on the flashlight. lol

[BlueRaven]

I mainly use my Garmin GPS as a map and an accurate speedometer. I do my homework first on my maps and Google map and drag the orange guy on the area where i'm going to see what the surroundings look like and nearby landmarks and also some intersections nearby. The GPS tell me what street is coming up next which i find is a godsend cause i find some street signs to small to read and don't have to need to slow down to read them. I never depend on the "go to" button unless i'm sure that the directions it gives me are on truck routes first. I can't see myself driving without it now.

[Manitoba Trucker]

Peacerider, you will come to find that people don't know much anymore. If they can't tell you how to get to their place of employment how would they know how to get home?

LOL ... you've called the same places I have!!! :) Amazing how when you ask for directions they tell you "I don't know, I take the bus!" These people need a real wake up call!

[aaronfisher]

does anyone have the Garmin Nuvi 465T? And mapsource can the two work together? Its kinda fun seeing on a map where i have been