What tech do you use to navigate?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

Am I the only one who thinks that sat navs should either be standard fitting in trucks, or if not at least supplied by the co.

I can not understand why some of you think it is normal and acceptable for co.s to just take for granted that drivers will buy their own sat navs, especially when many of you are forking out over 300 quid for one of those overpriced ■■■■ truck specific things without giving it a second thought. :open_mouth:

Ok, I am guilty myself of spending about 60 quid on a bog standard Tom Tom, but I got it back in ways and means.

A foreign firm I used to work for paid for all maps needed, UK, Euro, and any street maps, so why are other firms not willing to pay for equivalent up to date navigational aids today, if bought in bulk they would be cheaper anyway.
If none of you less experienced drivers had sat navs, and relied on maps and initiative (don’t be shocked, that is how it was once over :bulb: ) the firms would find their deliveries not getting there as efficiently so would find a hell of a difference, and have to do something.
Ok, it’s a hypothetical scenario, but I am sure you can all see my point.

22

Terry T:

FuzzyBhoy:

Albert1:
Hi lads ,Is there a low bridge or width, weight app to go with google maps ?

Google low bridges U.K. And it opens up map with all low bridges.

All ?

I doubt it, bound to be a few missing. Same as with every trucker map or sat-nav I’ve ever seen or used.

This new Ordnance Survey map should have them all on though.

I’ve just checked that Google low bridge thing and out of 5 low bridges I know well around my local area …3 of them are missing! Poor ratio!

23

Tried google maps and it seems to work well. So dusted down an old Mi Fi, a giff gaff sim and an aging tablet and hey presto an old man meets old tech!!!.

24

I fail to see why some drivers are so against the use of sat navs, now I’ve only been doing the job for a few months but in that time the truck sat nav & google maps have not let me down although a bit of common sense helps. I do have an atlas & did actually look at it once but I’m all for technology that can help make the job easier :smiley:

25

Garmin Dezl 770 lmt in my truck. It has been pretty faultless 99.9% of the time but I never rely on it. It’s just there to assist me with where I think I’m going.

I use google maps a hell of a lot too. As mentioned by others; great for a satellite image of where you’re going and to get a lay of the land before you arrive.

Also have a truckers atlas but rarely use it.

I also fail to understand why some folks are against technology. It makes life a whole lot easier, and at the end of the day they can’t be totally against technology, they’re using the internet to access this site!!!

26

Don’t anybody thinks that Sat Nav dumbs people down to no end■■?

You ask drivers who have been several times on the same address and cannot tell you how to get there?
When you find your own way, by using maps and asking you can find your way blindly without any aids.
Was last week in Italy at a customer, I haven’t seen for at least 20 years, and drove all the way without any aids, sat nav (which would be more hinder than help for this address) straight to his front door.
The first time I went there cost me a little more effort, and a little asking around.

Drivers have no initiative, no use of the brain cells, eyeballs etc, just relying on technology.
I personally think that is the main reason, that people bash bridges, drive in unsuitable roads, have all kind of straight accidents, as they don’t use their brain anymore.

It has become all to easy, boring and monotonous, your like a factory worker who packs 20 Mars bars in every layer, because the computer say so.

If you had no sat nav, and no mobile phone, you be so much more aware of your surroundings, so much more alert as you have to keep your eyes open to not miss that junction or turning.
You wouldn’t drive in that unsuitable road, as you already seen on the map that it is unsuitable.
You would have already stopped and asked the first farmer if that little village is big enough to squeeze your 60+ft combination through.

And next time you are there you could all remember it!

A good friend of mine recovers vehicles from the strangest places, more often than not, this are experienced drivers (10+ years is what we can call experienced, I guess)
They are any nationality, and they drive theirselves in so much trouble that only dragging them back for substantial distance, or a massive crane can save them.

Where are the brains■■?
A sat nav maybe handy for the last half a mile or so, maybe if you do multi drop, but for the rest use your brain before is dries out and shrinks.

And by the way try to use a sat nav for some of the farms in let say Mid Wales, Pembrokeshire, or the Lake District, you are in for some surprise, as the postcode area can be massive.
A good map and not to be shy to ask, can help you all the way.

27

The latest tech for truckers:

+

28

There’s a major supply problem and there’s a massive back order

29

had to go from old kent rd to brentford a4 the other day not done it before so put it in the sat nav looks at it does not seem right checked it against the collins map and then worked out a route from both of them using experience … not hard (still got on the wrong road at one point quick rethink extended to next roundabout and picked up an intersecting rd )

and all the time sat nav is trying to insist i go its way

30

Pierre, that is spot on :slight_smile:

I, like Robroy, have only a tom tom for use in a car. It is only there to find an individual street or postcode and to remind me of speed and other camera locations. I use my head to get to the town I want, a phillips bridge map to check the route just in case, and the satnav to clarify the exact location.

If I need assistance in London then I would ask Ovlov Jay by PM prior to the journey!

31

If i follow amy truck satnav in West Sussex when going west to east on A272 it tries to take me through the centre of Petworth :open_mouth:
not fun in this day and age in a 18t truck but I do go through in a puddle jumper as you can 7.5t limit

32

caledoniandream:
Don’t anybody thinks that Sat Nav dumbs people down to no end■■?

+1

I’ve never used,nor would even know how to use,a sat nav in almost 40 years of driving here and including Europe/Scandinavia and North America.

33

caledoniandream:
Don’t anybody thinks that Sat Nav dumbs people down to no end■■?

You ask drivers who have been several times on the same address and cannot tell you how to get there?

Drivers have no initiative, no use of the brain cells, eyeballs etc, just relying on technology.
I personally think that is the main reason, that people bash bridges, drive in unsuitable roads, have all kind of straight accidents, as they don’t use their brain anymore.

A sat nav maybe handy for the last half a mile or so, maybe if you do multi drop, but for the rest use your brain before is dries out and shrinks.

I’ve edited your post to the bits that I agree 100% with, …nail on head mate.
Some on here would not go out of their yards after ■■■■ ing themselves without a sat nav, most of which travel only within a hundred mile radius, so how will they ever learn long distance UK, or even Euro.

Sat navs are a wonderful invention, I fully admit I would not be without mine. I actually was for about a couple of months or so a while back when my old one died, and yeh, I definitely missed it.

Sat navs specifically are not THE problem.
The potential problems arise in how much some totally rely on it.
If used in conjunction with a bit of common sense, and a bit of initiative, job done, if you blindly follow it, blindly rely on it, that is how all the problems that you mention arise.
One of those overpriced truck things would be no good to me personally, even if I wanted one, as it would not ‘‘let’’ me go to most premises (remote farms) I deliver to in the South West, mostly on truck unsuitable roads.
If my guvnor bought me one (more chance of me supporting Sunderland btw :smiley: ) fair do.s, but 300 quid? :open_mouth: …not a chance, as I said in my last post on this.

34

35

Evil8Beezle:

Cheers Evil :smiley: .
I know I promised you never to start sat nav threads again, but you never said anything about agreeing with somebody. :smiley:

You know me, … can never resist a knock or a wind up…and at least I’m consistent if nothing else. :wink: :laughing:

36

Well I also like to be consistent! :smiley:

Not that we disagree about Sat-Nav’s, as it comes down to whether your stupid enough to follow it…
And as I think we both agreed, Newbies on a time pressured daily multi-drop should get a bit of slack! :wink:

So carry on, I’ve said my bit! :sunglasses:

37

blue estate:
If i follow amy truck satnav in West Sussex when going west to east on A272 it tries to take me through the centre of Petworth :open_mouth:
not fun in this day and age in a 18t truck but I do go through in a puddle jumper as you can 7.5t limit

TomTom 6000 routes South on A285 then North onto Kingspit lane, picking up the A272 again to the East of Petworth.

Wanna buy one? Lifetime updates and Lifetime Traffic service…?

38

Roymondo:

blue estate:
If i follow amy truck satnav in West Sussex when going west to east on A272 it tries to take me through the centre of Petworth :open_mouth:
not fun in this day and age in a 18t truck but I do go through in a puddle jumper as you can 7.5t limit

TomTom 6000 routes South on A285 then North onto Kingspit lane, picking up the A272 again to the East of Petworth.

Wanna buy one? Lifetime updates and Lifetime Traffic service…?

I know but for some reason my tomtom has the short bit of the A285 from dawtrey road to Haslingbourne road as a unpaved road ?
but I know around there like back of my hand as I did 3 years on TNT parcel delivering there :wink:

39

Now in my second month of palletline work, and I pretty much use a combination of my trucktables sat nav, a local a to z and google/Google maps.

Generally get my manifest in the morning, and I sit checking out the drops on Google and hardly need the sat nav.

Google comes in handy when we are empty and have to phone in for any collections, the planner tells you the name of the company and sometimes a postcode, so because I am still finding my feet, Google fairly helps

40

blue estate:

Roymondo:
TomTom 6000 routes South on A285 then North onto Kingspit lane, picking up the A272 again to the East of Petworth.

Wanna buy one? Lifetime updates and Lifetime Traffic service…?

I know but for some reason my tomtom has the short bit of the A285 from dawtrey road to Haslingbourne road as a unpaved road ?
but I know around there like back of my hand as I did 3 years on TNT parcel delivering there :wink:

That doesn’t sound right. Which TomTom have you got (and what version is the map on it)?