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About copilot Truck-route GPS

K

kangar0085

Seasoned Expediter
Does anyone out there know much about this software/handheld device?? Does it really work well or will it take you to low bridges sometimes, also is it worth it for 300 dollars?
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
You need to hit the search function. There have been a number of threads about gps with detailed critiques of Copilot. It's good about clearances. It's fair about properly identifying north/south etc. and it SUCKS for recognizing any given address. That means if you need to go to 1150 widget road it will probably have no clue where 1150 is and suggest to you that it knows where 617 widget road is. Use the search function to get all the prior stuff.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The bigger issue is it should recognize whatever you put into it. Microsoft Streets and Trips will get 99.44% of any addresses you put in. Copilot is lucky to get 2/3 of them. I use it because it will avoid low bridges almost all the time and it knows hazmat routing. If there was an alternative I'd switch because I don't believe Copilot deserves any money until they upgrade the maps and address recognition. I always map trips through MS S/T first before putting it into Copilot. That way when it fails, as it almost assuredly will, I can put in a nearby address from S/T to get close to the right place. I don't want to fall back on an address a mile away that is the closest to where I need to go that Copilot knows. They also need to make it easier to notify them of errors. They need a phone number with voice mail to accept corrections in real time. They have what could be a good product and score an 8.5-9 if they corrected some things. The way it is now it's a 4 but it's the only option there is for clearances so it's either accept a 4 or have nothing.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 
banditt11

banditt11

Seasoned Expediter
Don't get it. That is my thought. I have been using it for quite a while actually from 2003 thru 2005 and used it extensively. It worked pretty good thru Chicago. It brought up restricted roads pretty good but over all I do not trust it. I bought a Garmin C330 unit and ran them side by side for months and the 330 did way better for recognizing roads and addresses. There are times when Copilot wanted me to take a certain road you shouldn't go down and the 330 did not. Although the 330 has a truck setting it is really for 12' RV.I knew ahead of time as to the roads in question. I run the 330 10 plus hours a day 5 days a week. Good thing to do is use it even if you know where you are going and get an idea of how the gps reacts. I removed copilot off of my computer quite a while ago. Just my thoughts folks.;-)
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The Garmin is an excellent unit but it doesn't know clearance height issues or hazmat routing. That's the problem with any of the general usage gps systems. It is rumored that Cobra will have a truck specific unit out later this year however only part of the people at Cobra will confirm while other deny. As soon as Garmin or Cobra or Magellan have a truck specific unit I'll be deleting Copilot and recommending against it, provided Copilot doesn't get it's act together ahead of the other guys.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 
R

rollnthunder

Expert Expediter
Well let me add to this topic.I have been using Copilot for some time now.Matter of fact i started with copilot 4 and now i have 9.I have notice once in a great while there is a address it cant find.But i also have seen the same thing in Streets and trips.The copilot 9 is alot better then 4.Copilot 9 just came out last june so if you have 4 yours is way out dated.I will be honest you have to use some commin sense when using GPS the software is only as good as the person who enters it.I have seen direction errors.But if you have some sense of direction this wont effect you but i have only seen this a couple of times(it says to go east but you want west).I have been very happy with 9 version 4 i wasnt.I run a D unit and have my laptop mounted on a Ram mount and works great.I just cant see spending the money on a GPS only when a laptop you can use for records.I have a spreadsheet setup for Fuel,tolls,repairs,misc.I enter my info and with in a few seconds it will total all the categories up and tell me my #s for my tax guy.GPS cant do that.Not to mention i have a sprint wireless card so i got internet every where i go.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
We use CoPilot Truck laptop version and Delorme Street Atlas USA. Both will miss an address every now and then. CoPilot seems to get it right more often. For example, in Ontario, CA, the road by the TA truck stop is Millikan Ave. CoPilot shows it is a through street going north to Foothill Blvd, Delorme shows it is not a through street. On the ground, it is a through street. A year or more ago, new construction extended Millikan north. We have the current versions of both programs.

We use Delorme most of the time, finding it to be more user-friendly and easier to read. We use CoPilot in areas where bridge heights, HAZMAT routing and truck routes may be a concern; or when Delorme does not find an address.

There have been times when neither program finds an address. Then, we have found Google maps to be excellent. Google maps has never failed to find an address the other two resources could not. The downside of Google maps is you need an Internet signal or connection to use it.
 
J

JohnO

Veteran Expediter
Not familiar with handheld unit have used laptop version 4 & now 9 for the past few years and have been happy with results for the most part.

Can't give a percentage of errors but it occurs from time to time? When in doubt I call the shipper or consignee to confirm route then again they don't always guide you correctly.

Lately I've been predispatched giving me the luxury of using multiple resources to locate best route. Been using Google maps and found them to be accurate but not specific for truck.
 
M

maybe_driving

Seasoned Expediter
flying j sells co pillot for a little over 300 but you can get off ebay for 75-100 less also go to there web site and get the up date I think it is 9.080?? click on laptop truck 9 and top right is update and patches

WWW.Packing.org
ooida#811397
 
K

kangar0085

Seasoned Expediter
Yeah I already ordered the Pocket PC 6 with the securement device for about $379. Thanks everyone for their imput.
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I have version 9 and had 4 before that. I don't know why they jumped to 9 instead of going to 5 unless they were trying to make people think it's a major improvement. Those of you reporting such good results are getting dispatched to just the right spots a lot. It is quite often that I need 1300 Terrace (or whatever) and it isn't in there but it has 1301 Terrace or 366 Terrace or 2411 Terrace that I can choose from. The fact is I can put 1300 in S/T and maybe once a year it won't recognize the exact street address I enter. With Copilot it fails on the exact street address on a monthly basis, often multiple times. Now, if I need 1300 and it knows 1301 I'll say go to 1301 and figure it's across the street from where I need to be. If I need 1300 and it only knows 366 or 2411 that can be a problem because there may be split blocks or other things that mean you can't readily get to 1300 from either of those others. I'm sorry, but Copilot is a product that isn't completed to the level it should be based on the price they charge for it. It sells because there is no alternative.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 
K

kangar0085

Seasoned Expediter
LDB I'm not saying you are wrong but my Garmin Street Pilot 330 was doing the same thing that you just mentioned. It sometimes couldnt find whole cities. Then I gave Garmin people a call and they sent me a free update in the mail. Since then there hasn't been a single street or city it can't find. Maybe you should call the Copilot people and ask them for some updates.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
It might be fun and informative to readers if some of us got togther with our current versions of our mapping software and ran a real-world test through them......humm.......I sense an ExpeditersOnline and/or Expedite NOW article rising out of this.

Hummmmmm. Yep. This is a good idea. It's offical.

This is a call for volunteers to help create the piece. I'm looking for owners of current versions of Streets and Trips, Street Atlas USA, CoPilot Truck and other such programs; owners who use these products every day in their expediting work.

With input from people here in the Open Forum, I will develop a number of real-world address-finding and trip-planning scenerios. The volunteers will run each scenerio through their software and use a standardized scoring system to report the results.

If you own a current version of a popular computer mapping or GPS program, and if you are willing to help, please send me a private message. Include your telephone number, name the product you use and its version number (most current version required). Volunteer comments about the results will be included in the article. Volunteers must be willing to be publicly named (real names, city and state) and to defend the results you found and what you say. Comments will be solicited from the software companies about the results you find.

Open Forum members, I'm open to suggestions as to what the test scenerios should include. Please make the tests as close as you can to the way you use these products on the road.

Starting a new thread about this. Please respond there. See the topic, "Computer Mapping Volunteers Needed."

http://www.expeditersonline.com/dcforum/DCForumID1/5679.html
 
LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I've already installed the latest update available. I believe it fixed some mapping issues as well as bringing back the hundreds of truckstops etc. that were in ver 4 and vanished in the original release of ver 9. Now it can guide you to most of the big chain truckstops that have been in operation for a few to many many years at the same location. I realize it can't be up to the minute and include each location that opened in only the last few months but why doesn't it know about places that have been open for years? Why doesn't it have every automotive factory in the country that's driving cars off the end of the line? Those should be readily available from the parent company and easily enough input by someone at Copilot. I'm not bashing it because unfortunately I'm just stating facts about it.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 
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