New Class 1 Drive with Nights Out

Hi Team,

Finally got a seat with a local firm, having passed my C+E last October, which I’m really excited about.

I’m going straight from multidrop LWB to this so I know I need some gear. The firm have recommended Truck Nav but need to wait for a call from someone… I won’t be doing European work. Are the Amazon Chinese specials any good?

Turning to mattress toppers - any good sites anyone know of? I’ve seen one for £15, however postage is same again which seems a bit daft.

Are there any tips for items in the cab that you’d not be without?

Thanks…

Tekno:
Hi Team,

Finally got a seat with a local firm, having passed my C+E last October, which I’m really excited about.

I’m going straight from multidrop LWB to this so I know I need some gear. The firm have recommended Truck Nav but need to wait for a call from someone… I won’t be doing European work. Are the Amazon Chinese specials any good?

Turning to mattress toppers - any good sites anyone know of? I’ve seen one for £15, however postage is same again which seems a bit daft.

Are there any tips for items in the cab that you’d not be without?

Thanks…

Welcome to trucking!

If you do a search there are comprehensive lists on here regarding what kit to take for different types of work from tramping to day work for agency. Loads of information already on here. I’m sure folk will be along with other details shortly.

Regarding navs. I use a Chinese one and I’ve found it spot on. It was bought in 2011 and it’s not been updated. I use it with a dollop of common sense. I paid 69 quid for it and love it.

I’d probably spend a bit more though as I only drive part time/ad hoc nowadays and only tend to do trunk runs so aren’t trying to find a remote farm somewhere. Garmin and Tom Tom are the usual options along with Snooper. I’ve had all three and prefer Garmin. Everyone will tell you the one they have is the best. I’ve owned all the makes and still prefer Garmin (and I’ve had motorcycle navs and prefer Garmin for that too). The cheap Chinese one I have (Pro Drive) has equalled the premium brands in 95% of situations though!

All the best and enjoy. Take your time and don’t be rushed. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

Trucknav is safest option for a cheap one, I bought an xgody supposed be a truck one, but there was something wrong with the software and it wasnt running as a truck one, i tried updates different settings etc, Trucknav uses same software but the guy knows what he is doing and will provide you with support if needed and for around £70 it is an really good cheap option for a truck sat nav.

The chinese ones might do a job, but they seem to run on something akin to windows 98 (ok maybe slight exaggeration) and with about 256mb ram, which goes some way to explain how they can be sold for £25 and run quite slowly and also seemingly have a strange section with clothes sizes (■■?). Also, the maps are knocked off and hard to update usually.

Your phone probably has higher spec than the unit, so that is why I now recommend a subscription truck navigation app. I use Sygic, but others are available.