Straight to the point ! I’m Looking to start working artics but was curious to know from those with experience. Please can anyone tell me what is the optimal way to planning routes ■■ As currently I’m thinking to use the most recent ‘Truckers A to z’ to write down the key roads/junctions etc and also a truckers satnav just for traffic updates…
Currently been driving a 10.5 metre flat bed, 26t hiab lorry predominantly in the city of London with the occasional trip outside the M25 and have been using Google maps… obviously wouldn’t be audacious and try to drive a artic using Google maps…
Be better asking that question in the Pro Driver Forum maybe? They’ll have more experience of driving in London and know more pitfalls.
I use maps and Sat nav, but haven’t done much London for years, so won’t comment on how it is now.
Being honest I got brought up with maps and a to z (I’ve still got loads of now out if date random a to z maps lol) and there is no perfect answer.
I used to do a lot of London, sites especially crossrail stuff, so for that I used a Tom Tom truck satnav, but I never relied on it. I’d look at where it was taking me, check against Google and amend if I wanted a different route, forever setting way points so I get the satnav telling me the way I want to go if you get me?
As I say there’s no perfect answer. I’ve got a bridge height atlas of the UK but there’s bridges missing off it that I know off, likewise a satnav isn’t foolproof.
I tend to use the atlas to mark down any points of interest, parking etc because I can see in a wider scale places if interest to me, but mostly I use satnav and Google these days.
Try and obtain both atlas, Philips and AA Truckers (not sure when the latter updated cos i haven’t used a map for ages), use these to plan routes.
I also suggest buy normal car satnav (i find Garmin easier to use than TT, but you may find opposite) but with as large screen as you can find.
Sat nav should not be used as a route planner, that way lies dependence on the thing, it’s brilliance is that its a pocket sized street map of the country, so once you’ve planned your route by bridge height map enter it into the satnav and hopefully it will come up with the same route, it might even cause you to alter your initial route plan when you find your destination is the other side of a town or that low bridge than you expected and planned for isn’t where you hoped for now you know where the destination building is (google maps unbeatable for this)…even if it doesn’t agree with your chosen route chances are it will divert to your route early in the journey.
Let it run during the journey but only use it for advisory stuff, ie confirm current speed limit, early warning of approaching junctions, confirmation of side road names where there may be no sign plate or its covered by undergrowth, confirm which exit at roundabouts some of which in urban areas have no direction signs, and a big help knowing where revenue raising cameras are usually encountered, the satnav really comes into its own on the last leg of your journey.
I would not advise spending the best part of a gross week’s wages on some overpriced trucknav nor would i want to buy otherwise cheap tat that happened to have bridge heights in, but that’s me, others might have found differently.
Franglais:
Be better asking that question in the Pro Driver Forum maybe? They’ll have more experience of driving in London and know more pitfalls.
I use maps and Sat nav, but haven’t done much London for years, so won’t comment on how it is now.
I thought this was the Pro Driver page, despite a certain non-professional know-it-all continually butting in.
Franglais:
Be better asking that question in the Pro Driver Forum maybe? They’ll have more experience of driving in London and know more pitfalls.
I use maps and Sat nav, but haven’t done much London for years, so won’t comment on how it is now.
I thought this was the Pro Driver page, despite a certain non-professional know-it-all continually butting in.
This is Pro, but it first appeared on Newbie section. Our ever efficient Mods have seamlessly shifted it across.
Franglais:
Be better asking that question in the Pro Driver Forum maybe? They’ll have more experience of driving in London and know more pitfalls.
I use maps and Sat nav, but haven’t done much London for years, so won’t comment on how it is now.
I thought this was the Pro Driver page, despite a certain non-professional know-it-all continually butting in.
This is Pro, but it first appeared on Newbie section. Our ever efficient Mods have seamlessly shifted it across.
I use a tomtom truck nav.
Been faultless over the last 3 years.
I use Google Street View to look at the destination address if I haven’t been before.
Street View helps with discovering access, also to help with landmarks as I get close. For example, if its next door to a KFC… etc etc
@ o/p…
Sat navs are great, I managed just great for 20 or so years without one, but I would not be without it today.
Thing is the problems start when you become totally reliant on it, you just type in a postcode, but you never actually ‘‘learn’’ routes…imo.
I’m with Juddian, I would’nt dream if buying one of those overpriced trucker things, I just use a basic Tom Tom, with the feature on it where you can view the route on a list,.and change it if you want to after consulting my map.
It went a bit moody last year,.I could not find a modern model with this feature, they concentrate now on …‘‘playing through your phone’’ and such dog crap as selling features that you don’t really NEED, so I ended up buying the same older model which is out of date, but it suits me fine.
The roads I use on SW farm deliveries leave a lot to be desired far as artics go, so one of those ■■■■ bells and whistles jobbies would ‘‘not let’’ me use half of them.
I bought a new AA Truckers bridge map just last week, and copied all my little notes on there to myself such as ''Do not use under any curcunstances/passable/tight as arse holes/bad bend halfway down on a hill…and stuff like that.
I have used most roads down there for last 7 or so years, so I have actually ''learned ‘’ my way around., but if I was just typing postcodes I every week,.I reckon I’d be forgetting them soon after, so basically I use both map and sat nav in conjunction…hey, it works for me.
lancpudn:
I had a clear out of my old tattered & well worn A-Z’s from the 1970’s recently, Dear me! I could barely read the small print nowadays
I had a collection…
Of the major towns London, Manchester and Birmingham. Like many other drivers I remember at MSAs, with less popular towns which I’d probably never visit again, I’d get the A to Z for it off the shelf and memorise the way in. I was pretty good at it too.
A to Z eventually sold their maps with cellophane around them.
lancpudn:
I had a clear out of my old tattered & well worn A-Z’s from the 1970’s recently, Dear me! I could barely read the small print nowadays
I had a collection…
Of the major towns London, Manchester and Birmingham. Like many other drivers I remember at MSAs, with less popular towns which I’d probably never visit again, I’d get the A to Z for it off the shelf and memorise the way in. I was pretty good at it too.
A to Z eventually sold their maps with cellophane around them.
Last century version of Intellectual Theft or Piracy!
.
You were not alone.
lancpudn:
I had a clear out of my old tattered & well worn A-Z’s from the 1970’s recently, Dear me! I could barely read the small print nowadays
I had a collection…
Of the major towns London, Manchester and Birmingham. Like many other drivers I remember at MSAs, with less popular towns which I’d probably never visit again, I’d get the A to Z for it off the shelf and memorise the way in. I was pretty good at it too.
A to Z eventually sold their maps with cellophane around them.
LOL Yes Me too, MSa’s & newsagents had well thumbed books on the shelf I got quite good at memorising a certain area where I needed to be too, I bet there were around 25 A-Z’s & a lot of the foldable map types as well I threw out, All of them would be well outdated with the amount of new roads built since the 70’s.
However you plan your route always Look Out The Windscreen!
It sounds obvious, but we tend to see what we expect, and want, to see.
No matter what youre expecting, always look at road signs etc. and with a wee bit of luck you wont end up reversing.
You`ll be fine. Good luck.
Not carried a paper map in over a decade. Almost never used truck satnav either, just car ones, across 20 different countries. Not yet any memorable problems. Just remember, satnavs are maps. Nothing more nothing less, just street level maps of the country or countries in a small box. Don’t think I’d even buy a satnav now, used phone last few years
I really do respect all of your opinions and I thank you kindly for taking the time to reply.
I guess It’s best try a few of methods and seeing what works best…
Only, the idea of reaching a bridge having missed a sign and not being able to turn around is the nightmare or 'one of them"
Hope you All remain in good health for as long as possible and enjoy the road ahead…
Yasin
If you do reach a bridge and notice it, and then try and turn around,.at least it proves you have a brain, not like those clowns who reach a bridge and DON’T notice it,.destroying their trailers in the process.
Best to check for bridges BEFORE hand though.
I was teaching a mate a few years ago on like a refresher who had only pulled flats but had been out of the game a while.
Everytime we went under a bridge I would say…‘‘What tf was the height of that bridge we’ve just got under’’ by a couple of days he was noticing them the same time as me, and he tells me to this day he always recalls me giving him a bollocking in those days when he approaches bridges today.
If you are doing the same route all the time then crack on, but I usually plan my route the night before if I’m going somewhere new, even sometimes write the road numbers and directions down on a bit of paper and follow them.
Hey…at least you are showing the correct responsible driver type attitude, and that you intend to do the job properly, instead of just blagging it like some do…you’ll be fine mate. trust me.
switchlogic:
Not carried a paper map in over a decade. Almost never used truck satnav either, just car ones, across 20 different countries. Not yet any memorable problems. Just remember, satnavs are maps. Nothing more nothing less, just street level maps of the country or countries in a small box. Don’t think I’d even buy a satnav now, used phone last few years
Same and I’m always in London.
I just use Google maps.
The trick is to look at the map on google maps before pressing navigate lol. For example From Thurrock to Trafalgar square.
I’ve included a picture.
That google maps route may try to take me down the A11 but I know that a 18t weight restriction exists also a bridge that is like 15ft something I believe.
I’m not gonna take blackwall tunnel route as north bound the tunnel is like 13ft height limit.
But the route it suggests A13, A1203, embankment then up Northumberland Avenue is perfectly fine so I will just stick to that and if it tries to take me anywhere else I’ll ignore it. I could also use the A501 then come down to Trafalgar square.
So, it’s kinda a mix of knowing the roads you can take and just going from there.
I think I made it sound more complicated then it is but generally speaking if you are unsure you stick to the Yellow A roads on Gmaps. You try to remember what are the main roads you take to get to your destination. So if Gmaps decides to take you down ‘Old goats footpath’ you know not to listen lol.
Also you could add way points on google maps if you have to follow a set route.
For example Thurrock to Croydon on a weekend. I’m not allowed to use the A21 or A2/A205 because I gotta follow a specific route due to the weekend lorry control crap. I have to take the A23 which Gmaps will obviously not suggest so I just drop a pin on the A23 as a waypoint.
Big disclaimer. I do retail store deliveries so I often get told what routes to take in London lol. If your just having to make your own route up then it might be worth investing in a truckers atlas if your not knowledgeable on what roads your allowed down.
