A New Tool For A Trucker

A must have for your truck.....

trucker tablet

A must have for your truck.....

trucker tablet

That looks nice! I sure wish Rand would update their maps though. That being said...I will probably buy one after the initial run...let it get tested a bit before I jump...I like leading edge but not bleeding edge stuff. :)

A must have for your truck.....

trucker tablet

That looks nice! I sure wish Rand would update their maps though. That being said...I will probably buy one after the initial run...let it get tested a bit before I jump...I like leading edge but not bleeding edge stuff. :)

That goes with all electronics give it a year for them to work out the bugs....

I have seen that tablet advertised. It looks really good. The price is way out of my range at this point.

However (here is the "BUT" that people always look for).

With a GPS, that is all it does. GPS mapping. With a tablet, it is like a minicomputer. There are many things you can do with it. And many ways you can get distracted by it. Like texting on a cell phone.

It would all depend on who you got inspected by. What kind of mood they were in. ETC.

My very first level 1 DOT inspection happened last year in Canada. Since it was my first I asked tons of questions. I want to be as legal as possible. That money comes out of my pocket.

At that time the "Trucker's Tablet" was something new. But I did ask the DOT agent about it. Flat out, in no mixed information I was told they were illegal in Canada. If found in a truck, they would be removed and the driver would be fined.

As was told to me by this agent (which I knew ahead of time), the tablet is not a simple GPS. If hooked to the internet it becomes a fully operational computer. Which is illegal to have in the cab of a truck.

Now, it saying that, I will repeat what I said above.

I would all depend on who you get inspected by. What kind of mood they were in. If the last trucker they inspected really got them going. ETC.

It is like any other issue. For example. Using a bluetooth that covers both ears or having ear buds in both ears at the same time is suppose to be illegal. But I see drivers get by with them all the time.

I was behind a car hauler at a weigh station the other day that was empty. It was a day cab so I could see inside his cab. I could tell he had both buds in. And his head was just rocking back and forth to what he was listening too. I was sure they would pull him around back. I mean it was as plain as the nose on your face, he was not fully concentrating on his driving. He was jamming down on his tunes.

Nope. Went right on thru the weigh station. I was totally surprised.

Just my two cents.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own. Joe S (The Blue Angel)

As was told to me by this agent (which I knew ahead of time), the tablet is not a simple GPS. If hooked to the internet it becomes a fully operational computer. Which is illegal to have in the cab of a truck.

Why is it illegal????

I'm not seeing anything in FMCSA Regs - that state a "computing device" (tablet, PDA, laptop) is illegal in the cab of a CMV.

Most states have regs relating to the "use of electronic devices while driving" - which apply to cell phones, etc. - but nothing prohibiting them in CMV's.

I would also think that Rand McNalley - would not offer this device for sale to CMV's (nor would they have put the R&D $$ into bringing it to market), if it were not LEGAL to have operating and in view of the driver - though probably with the disclaimer that it may only be legal while moving - IN GPS MODE.

Pretty much all "smartphones" today are "min-computers", and they are all connected to the internet. If you had one on a phone mount in your cab (as pretty much EVERYONE DOES) - there'd be a lot of confiscated phones & fined drivers.

For that matter - Qualcomms are multi-function devices that are internet connected too.

I can't speak to Canada - don't really care (at this point). A vast majority of drivers will never go into Canada..

I run ALK's Co-Pilot on my iPad - much less distracting on a larger screen - than trying to squint at a smaller one.

Rick

You could just shut it off and toss it in the berth when you go across the border or through a weighstation.

I don't really understand how a tablet based e log and gps system can be illegal. Several of the new systems are tablet based. Tele Trac, J.J. Kellar and I think People Net is also tablet based as well. Unless Canada has different regulations regarding tablets being used with e log and gps apps.