Hi,
I have searched if this question was asked, I can’t see it, so I apologise if it has been posted. 
Just wanted some advise from drivers, do you use Satnav or own experience and Physical maps? 
My father inlaw doesn’t use Satnav as he has alot of road knowledge and says that Atlas’s are better (He has been driving for 30-40 Years though). Would it be better to have a satnav if you havn’t got the road knowledge?
Gareth
I look at the road were I’m going and most of the time know the best way to it with my own knowledge. However, once I get near it I may fine tune it with my sat nav. Basically I look at the sat nav to see where it is, then use my knowledge unless I need a bit of help. Once I’m within a kilometre or so of the place I may revert back to the sat nav. Sometimes if you look at the whole journey on a sat nav you end up thinking, why the hell is it sending me that way !!! Sat Navs don’t just take you down silly roads for a truck to be in, but they can also take you stupid ways to wherever you are going. Also if there are junctions within quick succession, they can be a bit of a pain to follow.
i use a tom tom 700, but never rely on it, always have a road atlas to hand, they wont lead you places where you dont want to go…or, you could be like this polish driver i seen on the m1 today, he had 3 sat navs all goin at once in his windscreen, to be sure to be sure to be sure 
Gazza7682:
My father inlaw doesn’t use Satnav as he has alot of road knowledge and says that Atlas’s are better
A sat-nav is just an atlas in electronic form.
As a young man of 26 I’ve grown up with all the modern conviniences such as microwaves, sat-navs, electrical lighting , running water and all that. I’ve used a basic TomTom since I started driving for a living and I haven’t got wedged down any country lanes or hit any bridges yet. I bought the AA Trucker’s Atlas at the same time but I’ve never used it. Lazy? Maybe, but why make your life more difficult than it needs to be?
For a sat-nav to be effective you need to add two tablespoons of distrust for sat-nav, a pinch of basic intelligence and a big dollop of common sense.
Been driving for over 30 years and out of all the crap I’ve bought for the different Trucks I’ve had the satnav is the best bit of kit EVER!!! Wish I had it when doing Europe in the 80s… Never or very rarely look at a map now…
Gazza7682:
Just wanted some advise from drivers, do you use Satnav or own experience and Physical maps?
I use both. Physical maps are much better for routing a hgv long distances from town to town (i find). Of course choosing the main/major roads. Sat Nav great for the final few miles. Some will say…a sat nav is a map, and of course it is. But with generally a small screen its hard to get a good overview of your route and a minds eye of your journey and where you might need to go if you come across something unsuitable and or closed off, diverted.
Mike-C:
Some will say…a sat nav is a map, and of course it is. But with generally a small screen its hard to get a good overview of your route and a minds eye of your journey and where you might need to go if you come across something unsuitable and or closed off, diverted.
As a young man of 26 I am able to switch to 2D map mode, zoom out a bit and do everything you just said on the five inch screen using my healthy, youthful eyes.
SmashedCrabFace:
Mike-C:
Some will say…a sat nav is a map, and of course it is. But with generally a small screen its hard to get a good overview of your route and a minds eye of your journey and where you might need to go if you come across something unsuitable and or closed off, diverted.As a young man of 26 I am able to switch to 2D map mode, zoom out a bit and do everything you just said on the five inch screen using my healthy, youthful eyes.
Yeah, i’m sure you would. Maybe going over cat and fiddle or woodhead (summat like that) and you come to a road closure, just zoom in on a sat nav and look for a route. Sounds simple to me, don’t know why i never thought of it.
SmashedCrabFace:
Mike-C:
Some will say…a sat nav is a map, and of course it is. But with generally a small screen its hard to get a good overview of your route and a minds eye of your journey and where you might need to go if you come across something unsuitable and or closed off, diverted.As a young man of 26 I am able to switch to 2D map mode, zoom out a bit and do everything you just said on the five inch screen using my healthy, youthful eyes.
Its each to there own really, having both available is just being prepared for any eventuality (Power problems/computer cliches etc) but as for zooming out etc, I would much rather look at a proper piece of paper/book rather than a 5" backlit screen. Same as I’d rather read a book than use one of them Kindles and the same as I’d rather read documents that are printed off onto paper than scroll through a document on a screen.
A Satnav is an excellent aid, but that is all it is, an aid. A back up is always recommended.
Hay1908:
A back up is always recommended.
SmashedCrabFace:
I bought the AA Trucker’s Atlas at the same time but I’ve never used it.
…and Kindle beats book everytime. It is a book, it is thousands of books in a space no bigger than a book.
We live in modern times Mr 1908.
SmashedCrabFace:
Gazza7682:
My father inlaw doesn’t use Satnav as he has alot of road knowledge and says that Atlas’s are betterA sat-nav is just an atlas in electronic form.
As a young man of 26 I’ve grown up with all the modern conviniences such as microwaves, sat-navs, electrical lighting , running water and all that. I’ve used a basic TomTom since I started driving for a living and I haven’t got wedged down any country lanes or hit any bridges yet. I bought the AA Trucker’s Atlas at the same time but I’ve never used it. Lazy? Maybe, but why make your life more difficult than it needs to be?
For a sat-nav to be effective you need to add two tablespoons of distrust for sat-nav, a pinch of basic intelligence and a big dollop of common sense.
I’ve grown up with the same, just wondered how other drivers felt about the technology, I have a Truckers atlas, and a standard Satnav (which the missus is having) and was thinking if to get a tomtom 7000 for HGV or similar, as you can enter vehicle height etc. incase of low bridges etc…
I haven’t used a paper map for at least 10 years. I haven’t used a SatNav for about 5 years. I have a quick check on Google maps and streetview if I am going somewhere new and that usually gets me there.
I used to say" I’ll never get a sat nav"…Until I went double manning and the other guy had one.
That was me sold…I have been all over Europe East and West, and only new road construction, that the sat nav didn’t have threw me. But only for a few mins. Highly recommend getting one.
(Just use common sense too!)
I’ve always used a Sat Nav (TomTom 920T with Trucking Algorithms) mine has a 16GB SD Card of Music and I have it transmitting through the Stereo. The TMC is handy, informs you of any accidents or diversions, you don’t get that with the old fashioned paper maps. I do have those as well, but I’ve not really had to use them.
Big heavy box full of maps in my garage reminds me why I like satnavs. I had a tom tom that decided to stop working last week so I bought an RAC 5" sat nav for £50 in tesco which will be finding its way back to their customer service desk over the weekend, what a pile of c rap! Get what you pay for I suppose but just thought I would give it a try.
Gazza7682:
Hi,I have searched if this question was asked, I can’t see it, so I apologise if it has been posted.
Just wanted some advise from drivers, do you use Satnav or own experience and Physical maps?
My father inlaw doesn’t use Satnav as he has alot of road knowledge and says that Atlas’s are better (He has been driving for 30-40 Years though). Would it be better to have a satnav if you havn’t got the road knowledge?
Gareth
just do a-b everyday so dont really need anything,think the truck could find its own way to be honest as its done that route that many times,if its anything different i just palm the job off on the keen young kid/ newbie these days,and just do my a-b
skids:
Big heavy box full of maps in my garage reminds me why I like satnavs. I had a tom tom that decided to stop working last week so I bought an RAC 5" sat nav for £50 in tesco which will be finding its way back to their customer service desk over the weekend, what a pile of c rap! Get what you pay for I suppose but just thought I would give it a try.
You could have bought my Tom Tom…Been on sale here for over a week. Full Euro, brand new maps. Saved yourself all that ■■■■■■■■!!! 
bigvern1:
You could have bought my Tom Tom…Been on sale here for over a week. Full Euro, brand new maps. Saved yourself all that ■■■■■■■■!!!
Putting a price and the Map version might of helped.
Not for me, I think the 920 is the best model for Truckers. Leaves the SD slot free for 16GB of ‘stuff’.
got a tomtom 7100 truckpro used along with a bit of common sense it hasn’t let me down yet and I’ve been sent to some pretty strange places
I’ve grown up with all the modern conviniences such as microwaves, sat-navs, electrical lighting , running water and all that.
Bloody Hell! Running water■■? Only when it rains - otherwise it’s a trip to the well for me. Dunno about all these microwossnames and electrickery nonsense; what was good enough for my ole dad is good enough for me. They’l be making trucks that change gear by themselves next (ha ha).
BRB - got to shovel another load of acronyms into the stove.