what website is best for planning multi drops? or a program?
scanny77:
what website is best for planning multi drops? or a program?
An A-Z is best.
thats what i always use mate. one of my former colleagues asked me about it on msn.
do you really think a Scotsman would fork out over £400 on maps and then not use them? not this one 
I personally rate TNT travelmaster. It was built for the job.
It applies more common sense to planning that Tomtom for example, which will run you miles and miles further if it thinks it can shave a minute off.
Travelmaster takes account of distance as well as time and usually comes up with the routes someone with local knowledge would take.
At my age I tend to rely on my memory 
- a lot cheaper. If I do get stuck, I usually find a local on the cb to get me where I`m going
Regards
Trev
One to avoid is Paragon.
We use it at work,and it’s DREADFUL.
When I’m planning,I refuse to use it,preferring to use the good old grey matter instead,and it’s more appreciated by the drivers,as they know when they get their runs as to who/what’s planned it.
Ken.
When i worked at FM a couple off us got together 1 christmas and bought the traffic monkey a uk atlas, but highlighted our regular drops before handing it over. I’m not sure that the spirit in which it was given, was appreceated
Myself i’m like “scanny” use them A to Z’s, and an aquiered knowledge of the land backed up by the atlas, though i’m going to get 1 of those bridge height atlas’s soon, the company we do a bit of traction for runs a lot of 15’ + trailers, so that can save a lot miles and embarasment 
When I did multi drop steel I used autoroute to give me the general drop order then adjustments on the day for more suitable roads to travel on near delivery points.
OS county maps plus the Trucker’s Atlas for me. Thought about satnav quite a few times but they all have their niggles and the annoying computerised voice telling me where to go would really hack me off in no time at all.
My mate Keith has got some form of Satnav in his motor - it was already in when he got it, and he find it absolutely useless.
A few examples being :
Southampton to Tamworth : logical route you’d go is M27, M3, A34, M40, M42. His Satnav says M27, M3, M25, M1, M6
Another example is when it gives out local directions. It tells you ‘you have arrived’ when you haven’t at all, which is no good when you’re relying on it to find a particular road somewhere.
Complete waste of time and money. Real McCoy map books for me any time thanks.
My ■■■■ sat nav keeps trying to send me down country lanes and into farmyards.
I did a drop in Trento, Italy few weeks ago, and according to silly tart on sat nav, I had to take next left up ahead.
Only problem was, it was a bridge over another road with no way off!
Driver rang me a few hours before that.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Turning round in a farmyard.”
“What you doing there?”
“Silly cow on this sat nav told me to turn here!”
After my experience in Trento, I had to reload at the exhibition center in Milan.
I thought about the sat nav getting me there in one piece, then purchased a large map of the area from a garage.
Modern technology isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Also on the motorway at Besancon, she keeps saying “go to nearest road!!” I’m on a motorway!!
By the way Rob - I didn’t know they’d brought out a range of “Janet and John” road maps!
ianyng:
By the way Rob - I didn’t know they’d brought out a range of “Janet and John” road maps!
Rob K:
OS county maps plus the Trucker’s Atlas for me. Thought about satnav quite a few times but they all have their niggles and the annoying computerised voice telling me where to go would really hack me off in no time at all.My mate Keith has got some form of Satnav in his motor - it was already in when he got it, and he find it absolutely useless.
A few examples being :
Southampton to Tamworth : logical route you’d go is M27, M3, A34, M40, M42. His Satnav says M27, M3, M25, M1, M6
Another example is when it gives out local directions. It tells you ‘you have arrived’ when you haven’t at all, which is no good when you’re relying on it to find a particular road somewhere.
Complete waste of time and money. Real McCoy map books for me any time thanks.
i agree. you cant go wrong with maps. my back up tool is my mobile. it can access normal websites so i use yell.com and call the customer for directions. there are ways and means and we have been using them for years so why bother forking out a few hundred nicker for something that is not as reliable?
Quinny:
One to avoid is Paragon.
We use it at work,and it’s DREADFUL.
Ken.
Ken when i work for mastercare doing white goods a few years ago they used to plan our routes using paragon at 1st i hated it because i didnt like it telling which way to do the jobs but they got a new guy in to do the planning and he used to route us that good it was a joy to use eventually i therefore think its down to the planners how good the thing is if you know what im saying
simon
Oh and now im back on general freight its back to the good old philips county maps
Memory, Map and a bit of Autoroute for finding post code locations.
you cannot beat experience!
The most experienced bloke I knew was a guy called Mick Booth at United Carriers, he used to come to work on the bus, never driven a yard in his life. He planned the routes for 50 plus trucks and never ever got it wrong.
Each truck went out with between 30 and 130 deliveries per day. you just didnt need a map 
it really depends on what sortware your using ie vdo dayton we have it in one motor its useless at routeing the pioneer system isnt to bad but still gets some wierd routes
the stuff i use is usually spot on
tomtom nav 3 set the speeds for different roads. get the set up right itll take the way would go
hp nav pack similar but you may have toplay around setting aoid roads
copilot 5 live brilliiant bit of kit let down really rubbish routing ( just done upgrade so ill see how it goes)
aa navigator exellent routing but map is really slow when moveing round and zooming in and out plus full uk postcodes
navman smartst v1 ok not keen on the routing to car orientated v3 is better im told
tomtom v5 yet to be released should have full postcodes havent a clue will have to see but should be the same as tomtom go 300 which i beleive is good
alln of the above are pocket pc applications execpt go,vdo and pioneer hope that answers any questions
Try getting a GPS to get you to this address in South Merstham - corner of
Nutfield rd and Chilberton rd. 18 tonne at 13’ 9’’ high.
Free air guitar to whoever plans correct route. answer next Friday
nothing at the moment does bridge heights nothing every will do weight restrictions as noone will take resposibility for the data
but here what tomtom gave me blank
vdo bluw up
as did pioneer
I think I have been to the sand and gravel place there.
I reckon, off m25 at J6, then off onto A25 westbound, Then about the second right turn after you go over the M23 (cormongers road). I went sailing past it, as it don’t look like a real road. Go along there for a bit, and the sand works comes up on your left. The road should have become Nutfield road by now, chilberton road comes up on your right.
No height limits as far as I know. And weight limits get ignored if they are only there to annoy me. but don’t think there is a weight limit until you get past the sand and gravel place.