if youve got an iphone there is a truck specific satnav app for it. i think its called copilot truck, id guess its about £150. ive got the normal car version on my iphone and thats pretty good, was a lot cheaper than the tom tom app.
tigger1:
Well I got the call from the agency. ‘Our client wants a driver to deliver a truck from Cheshire to Romford in Essex’. So off I went, chuffed with myself that finally I’m going to be tested. Well did I get a surprise, nope its nothing like the Scania box I trained on. This white and black monster with eight legs is waiting for me to get in and be its master. I’d planned in my head the route that I was going to take. Had a satnav and well worn road map. Off I went down the M6 nice and clear no snaking lines of traffic but expecting problems at Birmingham, so pulled into the services just north of the city, call of nature, bought new road map book (just in case old one isn’t upto date). Back on the road and thought mmmmmm this is quite easy but then no need to change gear on the motorway, well unless your in heavy traffic. Concentrated on use of my mirrors for cars swopping lanes around me. Traffic going north looks alot worse than it does on my side. Surprising how many foreign trucks use our roads but I suppose thats a topic to discuss another time!!! M1 then M25 still all okay no hold ups to speak off then suddenly I became aware of an amber light marked T, what does that mean? Penny drops time for a break but just gone passed sign saying services 16 miles. So pull off and head into Pottersbar. MMMmmmmmm this does not look friendly for me and my truck to find a ■■■■■■■■■■■■ but eventually find a little transport cafe to park up and take my rest. Phone the company who are taking delivery of the vehicle just to let them know I’m about half an hour away or so I thought. Satnav has taken me off M25 and wants me to turn left but weight restriction after weight restriction means I keep trundling forward. I start to question the satnav and how reliable is it but it still wants me to turn left. Eventually I do (no weight restriction here). Stop to ask a local guy ’ Do ye know where this is mate?’ reply comes back. ‘You’ll have to turn around and go back up to the dual carriageway and when you get to the traffic lights do a U turn in the road and go back the other way’. Does this guy realise he wants me to do a U turn on a dual carriageway with the truck thats in front of him…‘Thanks mate I’ll have to go down here to see if I can turn around’ (polite, could have said something else but didn’t). Ah another local who might help. ’ Yep turn first left and its about 500 yards on your left’. ‘Cheers’. This guy is right and I make my delivery of the vehicle, intact and no issues.
My little uneventful story but I think I really need to invest in a proper HGV satnav…any suggestions of which oneTigger 1
Good to hear it went well…was it class 1 i take it? what model? so how did you get back if you were delivering the truck? or was the truck being delivered on your trailer?