As I only have a car sat nav, what I do is pump in the postcode and then let it work out the route, then check the route against my truckers map. If the sat nav route looks like it’s gonna send me down country lanes or under low bridges etc, then I’ll modify the route to suit. If my destination looks a bit dodgy then I’ll check it on street view on Google maps. Once I’ve found the place I’ll then mark it on my map along with any special instructions.
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Thanks everyone I really do appreciate it.
Well I did it and it went rather well (reversing aside)
I had a map drawn out for me.
As said my reversing needs tidying up but I got told it comes with time so I shouldn’t beat myself up over it.
Again Thankyou everyone this is a great place to be.
montytom:
Thanks everyone I really do appreciate it.
Well I did it and it went rather well (reversing aside)
I had a map drawn out for me.
As said my reversing needs tidying up but I got told it comes with time so I shouldn’t beat myself up over it.Again Thankyou everyone this is a great place to be.
I think its human nature to build up worries about a new things in our mind, but they seldom turn out as bad as we think it will be. And the advice about the reversing is correct, takes practice.
Sounds like you work for a good bunch who are looking out for you. 
When I first started I swore by asking other drivers. This worked well all but once, where he told me to come off a flyover in Nottingham 1 junction early. A phonecall to the office had me put right.
Since then, I bought a satnav. Now, if it’s somewhere I haven’t been before (which is still 2 or 3 places each week), I put the address into my Satnav and before I hit “go”, I zoom in to various parts of the route it proposes for me, and cross reference these with a map book just so I’m clear on where I’m going. The main point here is time - it’s worth doing this type of planning for a good 5 or even 10 minutes before each destination. Also, zooming in to the proposed route also gives you a chance to ‘feel’ if it’s right. Yesterday I was given a post code and street name for somewhere in Aylesford. I put the post code in, and it showed up down some country lane with a 6ft 6in width restriction and a 7.5ton weight limit. To me, that didn’t feel right considering it was a major depot of a major company. So I tried the street name and cross referenced it with a map book, and sure enough it came up on an industrial estate just off junction 4 of the M20, which felt right. Before I set out though, I double checked by asking another driver, and it was only then I felt confident I’d got the correct destination, which it was. Basically, use several planning tools: satnav, map, google maps, word of mouth - and use them all together. But even more fundamental than that: KNOW YOUR TRAILER HEIGHT before any route planning. I can’t stress this enough. And don’t take for granted your 5th wheel is 1.25 metres high. It could be 1.32, so make allowances for it if it is. Use a tape measure for the 5th wheel height if you’re in doubt.
In time you’ll realise there’s little to worry about. You’ll get so good with all the major trunk roads that you’ll find most new drops can probably be done without much route planning at all. One glance at the map and you’ll think “oh yeah, I know where that is, it’s round the corner from such and such” and you’ll already be familiar with 98% of the route, so will drive straight to it. It happens to me a lot. Some drops I get with some companies are bang opposite other drops I’ve done for other companies over the years.
Good luck mate. Just don’t rush your route planning - double check and cross reference things.