Truck Topics

Putting Technology to Work For You

When asking someone for directions, have you ever been told, "You can't get there from here."

Well, with GPS you can!

In the 1800s freighting trips were routed by dead reckoning. My dictionary defines dead reckoning as, well, guesswork. Till now, I've resisted the purchase of a digital telephone, but my employer sends directions to both shipper and receiver directly to my truck's Qualcomm screen. Since directions given by other humans are often worse than no directions, quite often I, too, must rely on guesswork (left or right, heads or tails?).

And I ain't no Daniel Boone.

A portable computer coupled with map software is a useful alternative, but by no means foolproof. I mean, if a portion of a route I've planned is under construction, I'll have to park, crank up the computer, then the map software, and look for an alternative street.

Technology to the rescue

You've heard of GPS, haven't you? The Global Positioning System is a ring of satellites that orbit the earth, transmitting precise time and position (latitude, longitude and even altitude) twenty-four hours per day. With a GPS receiver in your hand or mounted on your truck dash, a push of a button will show your exact location.

Precise geographical positioning is vital to a broad range of activities, including: hiking; hunting; camping; boating; surveying; aviation; national defense; air, land and sea navigation; and even the tracking of endangered species out in the wilds of Africa.

The complete system consists of twenty-four orbiting satellites and five ground stations to monitor and manage the satellite constellation. These satellites provide continuous coverage for both two-and three- dimensional positioning anywhere on Earth.

Development of the $10 billion GPS navigation system was begun in the 1970s by the US Department of Defense, which continues to manage the system. In addition to its obvious worth to the military, GPS has an even broader range of civilian applications.

To meet these needs, GPS offers two levels of service, one for civilian access and the second, encrypted access, for U.S. military use. GPS signals simultaneously "reach out and touch" every operating GPS receiver on Earth. And, guess what, the government doesn't collect a dime for providing this service to the world. Qualcomm and other commercial systems charge handsomely for their satellite tracking services, however.

How Does GPS Work?

The basis of GPS technology is precise time and position information. Using complex algorithms controlled by atomic clocks, each satellite continuously broadcasts Greenwich meantime and the satellite's magnetic position in relation to the magnetic poles of Mother Earth.

A GPS receiver triangulates broadcast signals from three or more satellites simultaneously, then displays the individual GPS unit's precise geographical position. Incoming radio signals must be received from a minimum of three satellites to "fix" latitude and longitude, and from four or more satellites to establish all three guideposts (latitude, longitude and altitude).

Under normal conditions, the GPS signal provides civilian users with an accuracy of better than ten meters. However, civilian GPS receivers are subject to Selective Availability (SA) interference by the United States Government . When engaged, SA inserts minute, random errors into the satellites' data stream. As a result, in times of declared civilian or military emergency, signal accuracy can be reduced to 100 meters.

GPS receivers are an invaluable aid to commercial fishing, maritime freighting, recreational boating of all kinds, and, of course, to the naval forces of every nation on Earth, friend and foe alike.

Land-based occupations that would benefit from satellite tracking include--heck, since everyone leaves the sanctity of their home once in awhile, I can't think of a single solitary person for whom the purchase of a GPS receiver would be a waste of money.

Consider the Global Positioning System's potential benefit to the American trucking industry. To you, individually. With a quality GPS receiver mounted on your dash, a single press of a button will bring up a map of your immediate vicinity, and pinpoint your exact location within it.

A few more presses on the keypad will lock in your destination; from that moment on, you merely follow the GPS receiver's directional beeps and/or flashing lights. If a street is closed? or traffic is at a standstill? The moment you pass up a turn, for whatever reason, the GPS receiver will automatically route you to your destination via another set of streets.

GPS receivers are not prohibitively expensive. Prices range from $99 up to $500 or so. Keep in mind that you generally get what you pay for. Since you're reading this article, you're web-search capable, obviously. So conduct a search, visit the manufacturers' pages, and make your own choices.

I think you'll be glad you did.