GPS - I

GPS is the most important utility in the cab which makes life easier on the road. I can not imagine driving without my GPS.

Way back I have started driving without GPS unit and lost directions many times. In those days I was driving in team and we used to decide the route from the map book in advance and write it down in a peace of paper and keep it handy while driving. But that piece of paper was lacking much vital information which is on the GPS screen now. For e.g. exit no., truck stops’ falling on the route, whether the exit is on left or right, or far is the exit from now, any constructions on the route etc.

In those days I still remember, when I wake up from sleeper birth and take a passenger seat with map and check how far my team driver is? Is he making more stops while I am sleeping? I also tell him in advance when he takes over driving that we need to be at this place in next 11 hours. And to find out that you check those miles tables between cities located on the back of map book. It is very time consuming and painful.

I still see many drivers sitting on the driving seat and checking the map book when I park my truck at the truck stop at the end of day. I can imagine how difficult it would be for LTL drivers to see the map book and find routes.

There are many options when it comes to buying GPS for truckers. You can go for either handheld units or laptop with GPS chip and routing software. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

With Handheld units, it’s very tiny and compact compared to laptop, easy to carry and much cheaper. It also comes with FM tuner and mp3 player as added functionality in many handheld GPS units. It does not take more space in the cab and very easy to power up and always on. With touch screen bit easy to operate and having voice commands makes it more comfortable while driving.

Well, having above advantages it might be good for city driver or for small cars but not good for 18 wheelers. It does not give you truck route directions, many handheld units do not have street level routings, hard to update new routes and many of them does not give you multiple route choice with more additional stops in-between.

I strongly recommend laptop with GPS chip and routing software. It cost you more but has more advantages and wider functionality. You also have to buy power inverter which converts 12v DC to 120v AC for laptops which has least 100 Watt capacity and a laptop stand. You can save on laptop stand by either making your own, putting laptop on passenger seat if your cab is small or using your portable cooler as laptop stand which I use it in my truck.

Since I use laptop with GPS chip and routing software, I will provide more insights into what to look for buying in GPS chip and which are the best routing software available in the market. What are the problems with this routing software and how to deal with it. Stay tuned for next post in this GPS series.