Excellent advice, SixString. If the gps doesnt match up with the route suggestion and customer provided directions then i only use it as an onscreen road map. And because things malfunction, i also write down the route and directions just in case.
I'm not intending to invest the hundreds of dollars up front for a GPS unit. My experience with them in 4-wheelers alone is enough to convince me that their main utility is to alert me of upcoming turns on the highway where sheer travelling distance might have made me complacent, and at worst, they're a distraction/confusion in close quarters when I need really need the most help.
For my money it seems to me that using an atlas, calling receivers, writing my directions, and if need be, a satellite view of urban areas, is all that is needed. GPSs just end-up making me second-guess myself, and i'm not sure it's worth 300-some dollars out of my pocket for that 'convenience'.
Our QC gps updated one day and shut down in every truck. I didn't notice cause i had my written directions and kept trucking along. My friend shut down for the entire TWO HOURS then whined that he couldn't make the load on time. Smdh.
I will say that I have found it handy in KS. The road signs just day "400 <--->". No direction indicated. Now a normal person might say " but you can tell your direction by the suns position" "or you knew which way you were traveling"/.... But on a cloudy day... With no sun... But what if two or three roads combine and you are on a " south" and "east" combo?
I hate KS lol
Well done 6-String! Words to live by. *LIKE
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Based on a recent thread, I was reminded how some drivers solely rely on navigation via GPS. I knew going into trucking that a GPS (even a "trucker" version) should not be fully trusted. This was only confirmed by my own experience once I started my trucking career. I used the most recent Rand McNally at the time, and it had its share of glitches (viz. in the manner of poor or incorrect directions).
Nothing replaces trip planning in the form of using a proper Road Atlas and Google Maps / Earth (or some other satellite imaging). Even just a proper Atlas would suffice. These GPS devices are just one tool in the toolbox, and in my opinion, not one to be made exclusive. If a driver was looking for one tool, that would be a trucking atlas.
I run mainly dedicated linehaul now, but if I'm stuck with an unforeseen event (accident / construction) that requires a detour, you best believe I'm pulling over and checking my Rand Atlas first for maps, restrictions, and low bridges. Next I'll take a peek with Google Maps. And last, I'll plug in my Rand GPS for a head's up / turn-by-turn aid while navigating my pre-planned route.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.