I’m due to start a new driving job next month after having been on Domestic Hours regs for the last 10 years. I am getting myself back up to speed with the EU regs but as a back up I have just purchased the Trucker Timer app. I am not planning on relying on it totally but just as a quick visual aid in addition to keeping track of my hours in a diary etc.
Can anyone recommend any settings regarding GPS configuration and driving alarms?
My gps switches to other work when stopped.
Driving speed threshold = 3mph.
Drive time delay = Instant.
Stop speed threshold = At rest.
Stop time delay = 1 minute.
Those settings work well for me. They’re not exact but near as ■■■■ it.
I appreciate what you are saying but it’s just something to have as a back-up. I want to make a good impression at my new job and if it saves me from getting just one infringement then it’s got to be worth it.
I’m sure after a few weeks into the job I’ll prob need to use it less and less.
I used mine quite a lot to keep track of driving time, albeit mostly with a paper tacho.
IMHO, it’s still useful with digital tachos as it has a better user interface, so it’s easier to see how much time left etc. whilst driving.
Some points:
Get a hands-free mount. Using it hand-held will still count as “using a mobile phone whilst driving”. That way, you just need a quick glance down to see how much driving/duty time left.
Use GPS mode. It’s really easy to forget to switch mode, and if you do, then it’s pretty useless as you have to compensate for the errors in your head. You can go back in and correct the records if you wish, but it’s a hassle.
My experience was that the default settings were correct. However, I was doing almost 100% motorway driving.
Keep it plugged in. The GPS drains the battery very quickly - my phone had about a 4-hour battery life with GPS enabled and the screen constantly on (which is necessary for it to be properly useful).
Turn off GPS overnight, and remember to re-enable it the following morning.
If you use SatNav, you might want to buy a separate SatNav unit, as constantly switching between TruckerTimer and a SatNav app on a single phone is a PITA.
Thanks for the reply Mr Flibble. Yeah, it’s the visual aspect that appeals to me.
I’ll be using a separate sat nav but have heard that the GPS hammers the battery on the phone so I’ll make sure it’s always plugged in.
One last thing- what do you set your driving time alarms to? It seems to be set to one minute as default but this seems far too short. I was thinking more like 15-20 mins.
Just a word or warning if you are going to leave TT showing on screen all the time. There is a reasonable possibility that your phone will suffer from screen burn.
My S4 has suffered and there is a ghost image imprinted permanently on the screen.
hughgeorghan:
Thanks for the reply Mr Flibble. Yeah, it’s the visual aspect that appeals to me.
I’ll be using a separate sat nav but have heard that the GPS hammers the battery on the phone so I’ll make sure it’s always plugged in.
One last thing- what do you set your driving time alarms to? It seems to be set to one minute as default but this seems far too short. I was thinking more like 15-20 mins.
Sure it’s 1 minute rather than 1 hour?
Mine is set to 1 hour. That said, I was using it for driving on aid convoys across Europe, so we were basically doing long-distance motorway driving all day - a 1-hour alarm allowed enough time to work out the most appropriate MSA to stop in. We tried to avoid coming off the motorway network if possible due to the difficulty of finding parking (relatively simple if you’re on your own, but if you’re in a convoy of 10 trucks, you can’t just dive off at the next exit and find a layby).
If you’re doing UK driving with a number of drops during the day, then a shorter alarm time would probably be better, especially as I’d probably forget about having had the alarm if I were thinking about the next drop…
Pwyll:
Just a word or warning if you are going to leave TT showing on screen all the time. There is a reasonable possibility that your phone will suffer from screen burn.
My S4 has suffered and there is a ghost image imprinted permanently on the screen.
Good point. I didn’t have that problem, as I haven’t used it that much. Might be a good idea to buy a cheap, second hand smartphone on eBay just for running TruckerTimer. Doesn’t need to be high-spec (just make sure it has a GPS), and shouldn’t need a SIM, as I don’t think it needs a data connection.
SEDriver:
Do we not all have those magic things above our heads that works out the time driven for us?
digi is boss no one else/ traffic planners or anyone else who shouts/ rings up every ten mins to see where you are, whilst being tracked/ spied upon with cctv in and out of cab, members of the public giving you your 15 mins of fame on ■■■■■■■■ or ■■■■■■■ for doing a Ronny Pickering ( WHO! )
Many thanks for all the helpful replies. I’ve had a play around and it seems like a useful little tool. Didn’t think about the screen burn aspect but my phone is only a cheapy so not the end of the world if it does.
no one else/ traffic planners or anyone else who shouts/ rings up every ten mins to see where you are, whilst being tracked/ spied upon with cctv in and out of cab, members of the public giving you your 15 mins of fame on ■■■■■■■■ or ■■■■■■■ for doing a Ronny Pickering ( WHO! ) 