It's a Team's Life
GPS Application Routing Choices
We all have to get somewhere and most likely where we are going, we have never been there before. So, we need help and one of the items that can help is a Global Positioning System (GPS) device. Or you can use your smart phone and a routing application. Then there is the old school using a printed map. But this options most of the time will not get you that “last mile” since printed maps do not have the detail needed.
We carry three GPS devices in the truck. Two we use all the time and one is a backup to the other two. The devices we currently have and use are a Garmin Dezi OTR 700, a Rand McNally TND 85 tablet. The backup device is a Rand McNally TND 750. We find that these three work well for us. The Garmin gives us the best truck routes over the Rand McNally that is no matter what freight we are carrying. Each brand had its pros and cons and we will most likely cover that in a later blog.
We currently do not use any smart phone applications at this time. But we thought we would provide a list of some of them we could find for you to consider.
Copilot Live - Smart route planning and offline navigation for a better life on and off the road. Avoid low bridges and truck restricted roads thanks to industry standard PC*MILER routing. Designed to be non-distracting in the cab, so you can concentrate on the road. Plan trips that are optimized for your vehicle, load, and amount of stops in your route. Save money avoiding fines and reduce fuel usage with less time wasted on out-of-route miles. Real-time traffic info helps you avoid potential delays, get a precise ETA and deliver on time. This a pay application with many options.
GPS Navigation Live - Travel with voice-guided real-time GPS navigation, directions, transit, and automatic best route suggestions. Trusted by many travelers for downloadable offline maps, directions, and Navigation powered by HERE maps. Reach destination faster with real-time traffic updates, driver assistance alerts, simple driving directions, and road incidents. Find a gas station nearby and eat around you and find uber to destination. Check the local weather forecast and plan your day. Helps you stay within the speed limit. Select your preferred language for easy Navigation and directions. Detailed maps of all countries from Mapbox. This application on Android has a 4.3/5.0-star rating and Apple has a 3.8/5.0-star rating.
GPS Navigation Live Map Road - Driving direction guide designed for tourists and trips with GPS map road to find accurate & shortest way. GPS route finder live maps are one the best powerful app for all android users over the world. GPS app trip planner-GPS navigation live map for car help you to find GPS map finder and improve driving direction. GPS route planner and route assistant offer you the easiest way and the GPS live location on the map view of the world street map. With GPSnavigation app-live GPS route finder find the shortest way easily and get live places with my live GPS location app. This application on Android has a 4.4/5.0-star rating and Apple could not find this application.
Karta GPS Navigation & Traffic - The most customizable GPS Navigation app in the world! Download any map in the world or individual US State, customize your GPS Navigation experience with a funny voice and navigate on screen using a sports car, a police vehicle or even a spaceship. Every road map is free and allows you to navigate offline without an internet connection with detailed turn-by-turn driving instructions. On this version you will also get speed and radar alerts with LIFETIME updates, live traffic alerts and a comprehensible on-screen speedometer. This application on Android has a 4.4/5.0-star rating and Apple has a 4.4/5.0-star rating.
Sygic Truck & RV Navigation - High-quality GPS navigation designed for professional drivers & their large vehicles. Trusted by 3 million drivers of Trucks, Camions, HGVs, RVs, Caravans, Campers, Vans, Buses, Cars & many of the world’s leading delivery fleets. Lots of smart features, beautiful 3D offline maps, and easy to use interface provide a productive and enjoyable navigation experience. This application on Android has a 3.9/5.0-star rating and Apple has a 4.5/5.0-star rating.
Trucker Path: Truck GPS & Maps - Get routes specifically for your truck height, width, weight and type. Avoid sharp turns, low overpasses, bridges, small roads, and more. Access turn-by-turn navigation, and night mode navigation. This application on Android has a 4.2/5.0-star rating and Apple has a 4.7/5.0-star rating.
Voice GPS Driving Route and Maps – Now get directions using Voice GPS Driving Route: GPS Navigation & Maps which is a phenomenal GPS application which helps in driving directions maps with speaking. Voice GPS Driving Route: GPS Navigation & Maps is a very essential app for any kind of travelers, suitable for those who depend on GPS for finding location and finding shortest driving route to the destination. The voice in the application giving you directions. This application on Android has a 4.5/5.0-star rating and Apple has a 4.0/5.0-star rating.
Waze Navigation & Live Traffic - Always know what’s happening on the road with Waze. Even if you know the way, Waze tells you instantly about traffic, construction, police, crashes, & more. If traffic is bad on your route, Waze will change it to save you time. This application on Android has a 4.4/5.0-star rating and Apple has a 4.9/5.0-star rating.
These we not all of the applications we found just the top-rated ones. We hope this helps you in some way finding an options in your trucking routing.
Sandy & Stephen
Pinch Hitting for TeamCaffee