GPS Systems
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It is designed for cars so it doesn't take into account clearances etc. and neither do any of the other Garmin or Magellan units. Read farther back and you'll find discussions of Copilot and Promiles which are truck specific.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
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Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA Life Member 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
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Believe you may check into the settings Mine has for trucks too mine is a c330 so since yours came after mine it should too. The 340 even gives you Notification of traffic delays is a c340 option that lets drivers see congested areas via a color-coded map. This feature lets users avoid traffic by simply pushing a button that will calculate a new route. This traffic awareness is made possible via the new Garmin GTM 10â„¢ FM TMC receiver that connects to selected Garmin street navigation production. I love my 330 and it is not as good as the 340
Chuck
Chuck
I'm not sure what the truck setting does but it isn't made to function like a truck specific system. I was told that by one of the Garmin engineers when I asked about a unit that would not guide to low clearances and would follow hazmat routing. Garmin said they have nothing that will do it and nothing planned in the near term. I wish they would and continue to hope for it but it doesn't seem too likely.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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The truck settings routes you on the most generally used routes that trucks use. Not the same thing as Truck Routes, though. One difference, if you have it set to route for cars, it might direct you through the tunnel to get from Detroit to Canada, but it will route you for trucks if you have it set for trucks.
If you're heading from Pittsburgh, PA to Richmond, VA and have it set for cars, it'll route you down hwy 522 to Winchester where you eventually pick up hwy 22 and then over to I-95 at Fredericksburg and then on down to Richmond. If you have it set to route for trucks, instead of dropping you down on 522 it'll keep you on I-70 all the way over through Hagerstown and on to I-270 and around the beltway around D.C. and then on down I-95.
The truck route is about 12 miles longer, and for trucks it's faster because you don't have to deal with 3 or 4 of the smaller towns, two lane roads and slower traffic that comes with it. The truck route is actually faster for cars, too, for the same reasons, but the Garmin (and most routing software) thinks that a car can do the shorter route about 2 minutes quicker, so it'll take you on the "quicker" route.
Then again, depending on the time of day, hwy 522 is quicker for both cars and trucks, cause the Beltway around Washington DC is a nightmare during rush hour.
I'll often run the routing with the car setting, take note of the miles and times, then reset it to truck and run it again. If there's a significant difference I'll take a closer look at the maps and directions to see what the differences are. Usually they aren't much different, but sometimes you're better off following the truck routing for some parts of the trip, and then doing the car routing on other parts.
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
If you're heading from Pittsburgh, PA to Richmond, VA and have it set for cars, it'll route you down hwy 522 to Winchester where you eventually pick up hwy 22 and then over to I-95 at Fredericksburg and then on down to Richmond. If you have it set to route for trucks, instead of dropping you down on 522 it'll keep you on I-70 all the way over through Hagerstown and on to I-270 and around the beltway around D.C. and then on down I-95.
The truck route is about 12 miles longer, and for trucks it's faster because you don't have to deal with 3 or 4 of the smaller towns, two lane roads and slower traffic that comes with it. The truck route is actually faster for cars, too, for the same reasons, but the Garmin (and most routing software) thinks that a car can do the shorter route about 2 minutes quicker, so it'll take you on the "quicker" route.
Then again, depending on the time of day, hwy 522 is quicker for both cars and trucks, cause the Beltway around Washington DC is a nightmare during rush hour.
I'll often run the routing with the car setting, take note of the miles and times, then reset it to truck and run it again. If there's a significant difference I'll take a closer look at the maps and directions to see what the differences are. Usually they aren't much different, but sometimes you're better off following the truck routing for some parts of the trip, and then doing the car routing on other parts.
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
Switching to the truck setting doesn't guarantee avoiding low clearances though does it? Their tech support told me they do not factor clearances into routing so that's what I based my reply on. I would love to get one and have it route me for clearances.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
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Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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riverrat2000
Seasoned Expediter
anyone tried out the garmin nuvi 660 yet, it sounds like a fantastic unit
Leo, no, it doesn't account for clearances at all. What is needed is to be able to plug in your truck type, and height, and then have it automatically route you based on that information. Truck height and trailer length can both be important, as there are some routes where a long trailer cannot go, but a straight truck or pup trailer can.
It's pretty good, for the most part, about not sending trucks over routes that are specifically "No-Trucks!" roads, but I honestly don't know how accurate that is.
One time there was an accident in the middle of the construction in Chicago, Joliet or Bolingbrook, somewhere around there. It happened right in front of me, couple of miles ahead, and the Interstate was shut down. I just pulled off the Interstate at the exit that I was right next to, and the Garmin routed me around down to the next exit.
Well, it first tried to route me to get right back on the Interstate at the same exit number, but I manually pushed the Detour button and it routed me around it all, down to the next exit 3 miles down the road. (The accident had just happened so the Nav Traffic didn't know about it yet).
I had it set on "Truck" and the routing was like 8 or 9 miles to go those 3 miles down to the next entrance ramp. I had me going waaaay out and around everything. I changed it to "Car" and it re-routed me on a route that took just 4 miles to get down to where I needed to go.
The difference was, the "Car" route took me through a residential subdivision, a winding little shortcut only a local could possibly know about, and one that had "No Trucks" signs all the way.
I did a delivery in downtown Boston, and with the Garmin set on "Truck," it would not take me on the roads that parallel the river through the Cambridge University area there downtown. On "Car" it would. There are overpasses on that road that are 9 feet and change, one maybe less (looked like I was about to smack my forehead). I think the Garmin just knew "No Trucks" more than the 9 feet thing.
I scraped my CB antenna pretty good on the underside of a couple of those overpasses, and on one of them, I was absolutely sure I'd pop out the other end with no QC bubble on this Sprinter. hehe
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
It's pretty good, for the most part, about not sending trucks over routes that are specifically "No-Trucks!" roads, but I honestly don't know how accurate that is.
One time there was an accident in the middle of the construction in Chicago, Joliet or Bolingbrook, somewhere around there. It happened right in front of me, couple of miles ahead, and the Interstate was shut down. I just pulled off the Interstate at the exit that I was right next to, and the Garmin routed me around down to the next exit.
Well, it first tried to route me to get right back on the Interstate at the same exit number, but I manually pushed the Detour button and it routed me around it all, down to the next exit 3 miles down the road. (The accident had just happened so the Nav Traffic didn't know about it yet).
I had it set on "Truck" and the routing was like 8 or 9 miles to go those 3 miles down to the next entrance ramp. I had me going waaaay out and around everything. I changed it to "Car" and it re-routed me on a route that took just 4 miles to get down to where I needed to go.
The difference was, the "Car" route took me through a residential subdivision, a winding little shortcut only a local could possibly know about, and one that had "No Trucks" signs all the way.
I did a delivery in downtown Boston, and with the Garmin set on "Truck," it would not take me on the roads that parallel the river through the Cambridge University area there downtown. On "Car" it would. There are overpasses on that road that are 9 feet and change, one maybe less (looked like I was about to smack my forehead). I think the Garmin just knew "No Trucks" more than the 9 feet thing.
I scraped my CB antenna pretty good on the underside of a couple of those overpasses, and on one of them, I was absolutely sure I'd pop out the other end with no QC bubble on this Sprinter. hehe
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
I'll probably buy a gps unit this week. I'm wondering if the newer units (600, 700, 800 series) will have this "truck" setting on them. It may not be perfect, but it's better than nothing at all?
Would you recommend the higher end units when really just a good routing unit is all I want/need?
Would you recommend the higher end units when really just a good routing unit is all I want/need?
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
Hi Rocketman...I would go with something a little more high end and this is why (bear with me):
We started with a Garmin Streetpilot 6 years ago. It was the mac-daddy at the time. Worked great for a little over a year and then started freezing up on us. It was still under warranty with Comp USA so we exchanged it for a Magellan Roadmate, had to add some change as this mac-daddy was a higher price yet.
We had used this Magellan for a while and then "someone" dropped it (he shall go unnamed). It still worked for the most part but on occasion would have an "incident". About this same time our good friends (you know who I mean) bought one and they named theirs, they called her Karen. Well...with ours having a few problems, we decided to call her Scarin' cause when she was "hormonal" she was scary. (maybe you would be too if someone dropped YOU on your head)
When we were home for Christmas, we decided we would get a new one. I was looking around the net at consumer reviews and not wanting to spend "serious money" this time, I decided on a Navigon, choosing the middle of the road model. We named her Hope because we were hoping she'd work better than Scarin'. Well forget that! Three weeks with her on the road and we go to NYC.........she quit.....I'm tellin' ya she had a nervous breakdown and quit!!! We don't need nobody named Hope that can't make it through NYC without falling apart on us!!
Soooooo...back she went, out comes Scarin' again. While on the road we ordered a TomTom so it would be here waiting on us. I can't tell you a thing about it yet however it did have some additional downloads available off the web site and a couple that I got was for low bridges and rv parking. I've got high hopes for that low bridges thing but will keep our eyes peeled just in case!
I told you all of that to say this........I would get the best that I could afford as I'm thinking maybe some of the "lesser" models might not be able to take the constant use and abuse that we drivers put them through. JMO
Good Luck to ya Brudder!!
We started with a Garmin Streetpilot 6 years ago. It was the mac-daddy at the time. Worked great for a little over a year and then started freezing up on us. It was still under warranty with Comp USA so we exchanged it for a Magellan Roadmate, had to add some change as this mac-daddy was a higher price yet.
We had used this Magellan for a while and then "someone" dropped it (he shall go unnamed). It still worked for the most part but on occasion would have an "incident". About this same time our good friends (you know who I mean) bought one and they named theirs, they called her Karen. Well...with ours having a few problems, we decided to call her Scarin' cause when she was "hormonal" she was scary. (maybe you would be too if someone dropped YOU on your head)
When we were home for Christmas, we decided we would get a new one. I was looking around the net at consumer reviews and not wanting to spend "serious money" this time, I decided on a Navigon, choosing the middle of the road model. We named her Hope because we were hoping she'd work better than Scarin'. Well forget that! Three weeks with her on the road and we go to NYC.........she quit.....I'm tellin' ya she had a nervous breakdown and quit!!! We don't need nobody named Hope that can't make it through NYC without falling apart on us!!
Soooooo...back she went, out comes Scarin' again. While on the road we ordered a TomTom so it would be here waiting on us. I can't tell you a thing about it yet however it did have some additional downloads available off the web site and a couple that I got was for low bridges and rv parking. I've got high hopes for that low bridges thing but will keep our eyes peeled just in case!
I told you all of that to say this........I would get the best that I could afford as I'm thinking maybe some of the "lesser" models might not be able to take the constant use and abuse that we drivers put them through. JMO
Good Luck to ya Brudder!!
All Garmin units have the "truck" setting. All units with the same software have the same routing and maps, as well. There are settings for car, truck, taxi, motorcycle, ambulance (which will take you down the wrong way on one-way streets). Higher end units are more bells and whistles. I think one important bell is the Traffic thing, but that's up to you. Some units are not compatible with the traffic thing, some are compatible with an antenna addon, some have it built in.
But for getting you there from here, if good routing is all you need, then all you need is a unit that has the complete maps of North America, City Navigator NT for North America (some of the very low end units, generally less then $250 List Price, have continental US maps only, no Canada or Alaska detail, and the US routing and mapping is different for those units). Some displays may say the maps are pre-loaded for US, Canada and Puerto Rico. If the display just says preloaded with "City Navigator NT" and doesn't mention Canada, you don't want that unit (even if you never go to Canada).
The Nuvi 600 series (the ones for the US, that is, as some are European only), like the Nuvi 650, have the North America maps. Wal Mart really does have the best prices on these things, as much as I hate to shop there. Next best pricing is generally Circuit City, but in many cases Wal Mart is cheaper by $100 or more. Circuit City's Nuvi 650 is $539, while the one at Wal Mart is like $420.
Just compare units at the Garmin site, then check out the various reviews around the net of each unit to make sure the features you want/need are there.
But for getting you there from here, if good routing is all you need, then all you need is a unit that has the complete maps of North America, City Navigator NT for North America (some of the very low end units, generally less then $250 List Price, have continental US maps only, no Canada or Alaska detail, and the US routing and mapping is different for those units). Some displays may say the maps are pre-loaded for US, Canada and Puerto Rico. If the display just says preloaded with "City Navigator NT" and doesn't mention Canada, you don't want that unit (even if you never go to Canada).
The Nuvi 600 series (the ones for the US, that is, as some are European only), like the Nuvi 650, have the North America maps. Wal Mart really does have the best prices on these things, as much as I hate to shop there. Next best pricing is generally Circuit City, but in many cases Wal Mart is cheaper by $100 or more. Circuit City's Nuvi 650 is $539, while the one at Wal Mart is like $420.
Just compare units at the Garmin site, then check out the various reviews around the net of each unit to make sure the features you want/need are there.
The low bridges, and lots of other Points of Interest (POI's) can be downloaded at The POI Factory
dieseldiva
Veteran Expediter
Thanks for the link Turtle. The download that I spoke of is for TomTom AFTER you buy the product so it's useless to anyone but TomTom owners.
Wow, there sure is a lot of options to sort through! LOL
What I've come up with is that the the Garmin Nuvi 260 has the basic features I need with the 4.3" screen. The only thing it doesn't have that I "think" might be beneficial in the truck is the FM transmitter. As I understand it, this is what allows you to recieve the spoken directions through your radio speakers? If so, is that something that is needed? Are the speakers on the GPS units loud enough to be able to hear them without the FM transmitter?
Next up for me is the Garmin Nuvi 660. It has all the features I need, but quite a bit pricier than the 260.
Of course, I would love to have the 7500 or something like that, but the budget don't say I can spend a cool grand on a GPS! LOL
Do I need the FM transmitter option?
Thanks all,
Rocketman
What I've come up with is that the the Garmin Nuvi 260 has the basic features I need with the 4.3" screen. The only thing it doesn't have that I "think" might be beneficial in the truck is the FM transmitter. As I understand it, this is what allows you to recieve the spoken directions through your radio speakers? If so, is that something that is needed? Are the speakers on the GPS units loud enough to be able to hear them without the FM transmitter?
Next up for me is the Garmin Nuvi 660. It has all the features I need, but quite a bit pricier than the 260.
Of course, I would love to have the 7500 or something like that, but the budget don't say I can spend a cool grand on a GPS! LOL
Do I need the FM transmitter option?
Thanks all,
Rocketman
The speakers on the Garmins are all plenty loud. Hearing voice prompts through the vehicle's stereo speakers is a nifty addition, though, but the FM transmitter also lets you hear audio books and MP3's through the speakers, as well.
But the FM transmitter is not why you'd want the 660 over the 260. While useful, that's a really minor bell and whistle. The 660 is next generation advanced technology, the 260 is older hat. The 660 uses WAAS and the newest SiRF chip, which in combination uses a system of satellite and ground system for amazing accuracy, and can distinguished between a direct satellite signal and a signal that gets bounced off the side of a building, or hill. It keeps ahold of the satellite signal even in the canyons of large city downtowns. If you've ever tried to deliver in midtown Manhattan, you can truly appreciate that. It also locates the satellite signal dramatically faster than non-WAAS and SiRF units. The 660 also has built-in Traffic, a major plus. It's also Bluetooth for hands free calling.
Bluetooth is a bell and whistle you can easily live without, as Bluetooth headsets handle that better in some cases (the Garmin picks up a lot of vehicle noise and to the listener it can sound like you're calling from the open cockpit of a bi-plane). The Traffic is a bell and whistle, but an important one. The other stuff is more than bells and whistles, it's important for quick and accurate routing and locations. Fast and accurate is very important when it comes to having to route around an unexpected detour or when the FM Traffic receiver has to recalculate the routing, or even when you take a wrong turn and it needs to recalculate to get you back on route. Fast and accurate, very important. Money well spent.
But the FM transmitter is not why you'd want the 660 over the 260. While useful, that's a really minor bell and whistle. The 660 is next generation advanced technology, the 260 is older hat. The 660 uses WAAS and the newest SiRF chip, which in combination uses a system of satellite and ground system for amazing accuracy, and can distinguished between a direct satellite signal and a signal that gets bounced off the side of a building, or hill. It keeps ahold of the satellite signal even in the canyons of large city downtowns. If you've ever tried to deliver in midtown Manhattan, you can truly appreciate that. It also locates the satellite signal dramatically faster than non-WAAS and SiRF units. The 660 also has built-in Traffic, a major plus. It's also Bluetooth for hands free calling.
Bluetooth is a bell and whistle you can easily live without, as Bluetooth headsets handle that better in some cases (the Garmin picks up a lot of vehicle noise and to the listener it can sound like you're calling from the open cockpit of a bi-plane). The Traffic is a bell and whistle, but an important one. The other stuff is more than bells and whistles, it's important for quick and accurate routing and locations. Fast and accurate is very important when it comes to having to route around an unexpected detour or when the FM Traffic receiver has to recalculate the routing, or even when you take a wrong turn and it needs to recalculate to get you back on route. Fast and accurate, very important. Money well spent.
Thanks Turtle. The FM transmitter is just something that sounded like it might be useful to me (someone who has never used a gps device at all). The only other thing that I saw in the spec that looked to be useful is the feature where it speaks the actual name of the street instead of "400' turn right". I like that it gives the street name. The 260 speaks the street names, which is the reason it was on my list. The 660 speaks the street names and has the FM transmitter...plus it has all the other bells and whistles you mention. The only substantial (to me) thing I see missing is dead reckoning and it looks like you have to get into some pretty pricey units to get that.
Ok...it looks like i'll be in the market for the 660. I've been looking at the tomtom's also, but I just can't seem to find what I'm looking for there. No doubt they have a unit as good as the Garmin, but I'm having trouble comparing one tomtom unit to the other, much less comparing it to a Garmin. Garmin's website has the side-by-side comparison table that really helps.
Thanks for the help. I'll probably sleep on it and try to get one bought tomorrow. Looks like the 660 is going for $325-$350 depending on where you look. I'll look some more later.
Ok...it looks like i'll be in the market for the 660. I've been looking at the tomtom's also, but I just can't seem to find what I'm looking for there. No doubt they have a unit as good as the Garmin, but I'm having trouble comparing one tomtom unit to the other, much less comparing it to a Garmin. Garmin's website has the side-by-side comparison table that really helps.
Thanks for the help. I'll probably sleep on it and try to get one bought tomorrow. Looks like the 660 is going for $325-$350 depending on where you look. I'll look some more later
.
With the new WAAS and SiRF chips, dead reckoning is pretty much obsolete. The way dead reckoning works is, the GPS unit is also hooked into the vehicle's steering and speedometer (or in some cases the vehicle's computer), and when the unit loses the satellite signal the GPS unit can figure out where and how far you've traveled based on the information it receives from the vehicle. Unless you plan on doing a lot of driving through tunnels, and need precise navigation while in them, dead reckoning is no longer an issue.
Cool, I didn't realize the unit would have to be tied to the vehicle in any way for the dead reckoning to work. Other than that, my understanding of the operation was somewhat accurate. It is good to know that it's basicly obsolete.
Thanks Turtle for the technical help. You've helped me sort through a lot of options and I think the 660 is probably the best bang for the buck for what "I" need. In time, I wouldn't mind upgrading to one of the higher-end units, but not until they have actual truck routing on them. Of course when they put that on there, $1,000 may seem cheap! LOL
Thanks again,
Rocketman
Thanks Turtle for the technical help. You've helped me sort through a lot of options and I think the 660 is probably the best bang for the buck for what "I" need. In time, I wouldn't mind upgrading to one of the higher-end units, but not until they have actual truck routing on them. Of course when they put that on there, $1,000 may seem cheap! LOL
Thanks again,
Rocketman
Well, I did it
Although I did change my mind at the last minute! I looked over the units on ebay and realized that I could get the Garmin 750 for about the same price as the 660. The 750 has some features I thought I would like that 660 doesn't have. The 750 also comes with a DC power cord which the 660 doesn't, that makes the cost of the units pretty much equal.
From reading some of the reviews at Amazon, the 750 had some problems with satellite aquisition, but they have an update patch that apprently solved those problems. As I understand it, the 750 also requires the purchase of an antenna to operate the traffic function? One of the reviews said that the 750 has a much better windshield mount also.
Turtle, whatcha think? Did I mess up by going with the 750?
Edit: Almost forgot. Paid $372 with S&H and ins. included.
Although I did change my mind at the last minute! I looked over the units on ebay and realized that I could get the Garmin 750 for about the same price as the 660. The 750 has some features I thought I would like that 660 doesn't have. The 750 also comes with a DC power cord which the 660 doesn't, that makes the cost of the units pretty much equal.
From reading some of the reviews at Amazon, the 750 had some problems with satellite aquisition, but they have an update patch that apprently solved those problems. As I understand it, the 750 also requires the purchase of an antenna to operate the traffic function? One of the reviews said that the 750 has a much better windshield mount also.
Turtle, whatcha think? Did I mess up by going with the 750?
Edit: Almost forgot. Paid $372 with S&H and ins. included.
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