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10-22-2009, 02:24 PM
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#1
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New Member
Hendersonville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 4
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GPS for truck routes..
Hi..
Had a friend lose a front a/c unit to a low bridge. She is looking for a competent GPS that would direct her along trucking routes or at least alert her to low bridges.
Any advice about these units? Also, what would be a good price for this equipment?
Thank you,
kristin
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10-22-2009, 04:38 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1991 34' Excella
Princeton
, New Jersey
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,070
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The first place I would look is at any sizable truck stop. If anyone markets them they will be on sale there.
Most of the commonly marketed GPS have "fastest, shortest, and off road" routes there has got to be one for truck routes
__________________
WBCCI 12156 AIR 3144 WACHUNG TAC NJ6
2004 Excursion 4x4
1991 34 ft. Excella +220,000 miles, new laminated flooring, new upholstery, new 3200 lbs axles
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10-22-2009, 05:33 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
1989 34.5' Airstream 345
Cleveland
, Tennessee
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 787
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I don't know of any truck specific GPS units. There are computer programs out there that will route you on truck safe routes. These programs will keep you on truck routes & not let you enjoy the scenic routes. These programs can cost up to $250. None of the trucking companies I drove for would pay for this. They figured it was the driver's responsibility to be safe even though they wanted to route you.
Ricky
__________________
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." Mark Twain
AIR 22749 WBCCI 2349 NOVA TAC TN-6
1989 345 LE Classic Motorhome
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10-22-2009, 06:01 PM
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#4
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1 Rivet Member
2008 30' Classic
Palukaville
, Delaware
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 9
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Quack (duck!) low bridge...
Quote:
Originally Posted by khlear
Hi..
Had a friend lose a front a/c unit to a low bridge. She is looking for a competent GPS that would direct her along trucking routes or at least alert her to low bridges.
Any advice about these units? Also, what would be a good price for this equipment?
Thank you,
kristin
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Kristin,
No offense intended to you and/or your friend.
BUT, if your friend is not capable of using her eyes to determine that a bridge is so low that is MIGHT (or not) rip the AC unit off of the top of a 10 foot tall Airstream, I do not think that a GPS unit is going to do any good at all.
Reading your post reminds me of the chap who purchased a GPS when they first came out some years ago in Europe. He followed the road on the GPS and proceeded to drive his car into a river. Seems the map on the GPS did not reflect there was no bridge at the river and he failed to note that minor detail.
This particular driver was on the news reports blaming the GPS manufacturer for his predicament; in the background the divers were attaching a cable to his vehicle so it could be winched out of the river.
Sorry but technology is in no way going to be able to save your friend from ripping the AC off the top of an Airstream until such time as driving is completely automated.
If your friend is not capable of seeing a bridge over the road and being aware that s/he has a 10 foot tall trailer behind their vehicle at the same time I sure hope this person is NEVER on any road anywhere near our location.
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10-22-2009, 06:31 PM
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#5
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3 Rivet Member
2008 25' Safari
Jasper
, Georgia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 107
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Lighten up there Buckaroo! If you google that question you will find lots of others have asked it. The consensus answer is to download a POI file (Point of Interest) of all the low bridges to your GPS. A couple of places that have them are www.poi-factory.com has a Garmin file and www.tomtomfree.com says it has one for TomTom GPS. They said you can set the Garmin up go give a warning when you are approaching a low bridge.
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10-22-2009, 07:32 PM
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#6
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New Member
Hendersonville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 4
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Thanks!
Thanks, Paul or Dee!
This might be exactly what she is looking for. She is a GREAT and experienced rv driver; the freak incident happened late at night on a hilly, curvy road.
Thanks for your time and help!
kristin
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10-22-2009, 08:13 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1978 28' Ambassador
Morada
, California
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,584
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Clearance heights don't seem to be much of a problem with our AS...however, with our suspension-lifted truck camper, it was a different story...
We have a roll-up garage door at work, so I parked the TC underneath, then rolled the door down onto the highest point (the AC, of course!), then was able to take an accurate height measurement for clearance purposes...
I attached a large lettered sign onto the sun visor above the steering wheel with the clearance measurement (rounded UP to the nearest 1/2 foot) so I wouldn't forget...There were many times I jumped out when approaching gas stations to make sure we'd fit beneath!
Most bridges and overpasses are labeled with clearance measurements...so it's indeed the responsibility of the one behind the wheel to act accordingly, IMHO...
Technology is great, and GPS is a boon for us when in unfamiliar territory...but even with POI data onboard one's GPS, I still think it's one's own responsibility to look out the windshield for possible conflicts and be prepared...
__________________
Ray & Pat; Morada, CA
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10-22-2009, 08:30 PM
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#8
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More than one rivet loose
Currently Looking...
Los Alamos
, New Mexico
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,756
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Quote:
Originally Posted by khlear
Hi..
Had a friend lose a front a/c unit to a low bridge. She is looking for a competent GPS that would direct her along trucking routes or at least alert her to low bridges.
Any advice about these units? Also, what would be a good price for this equipment?
Thank you,
kristin
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Go to a truck stop. Buy a truckers (motor carriers) atlas. It shows all the truck routes and lists all the low clearence bridges by state then road.
__________________
Michelle TAC MT-0
Sarah, Snowball
Looking for a 1962 Flying Cloud
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10-22-2009, 08:58 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
2005 19' Safari
1968 24' Tradewind
Rural
, Delaware
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,476
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mexray
Technology is great, and GPS is a boon for us when in unfamiliar territory...but even with POI data onboard one's GPS, I still think it's one's own responsibility to look out the windshield for possible conflicts and be prepared...
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Indeed:
GPS Causing Truckers to Crash Into Bridges - Auto - FOXNews.com
From the article: "Most trucking companies rely on GPS services that are specifically for trucks and route them away from restricted roads,..."
Apparently, there is some type of truck route specific GPS available, but some truckers are using standard GPS to find the shortest route, which doesn't always work out for the best.
__________________
2005 Bambi
1968 Trade Wind
2007 Ford F250 4x4 Crew
WDCU
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10-22-2009, 11:06 PM
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#10
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3 Rivet Member
2006 28' Safari SE
Columbus
, Ohio
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 130
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Garmin - Truck
We have an older Garmin C340. You can designate the type of vehicle you are driving as "Truck". But, I have no idea whether it would route you around low bridges.
Corky
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10-23-2009, 06:41 AM
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#11
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1 Rivet Member
1976 31' Sovereign
Ore City
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 10
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10-23-2009, 07:27 AM
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#12
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3 Rivet Member
1965 26' Overlander
1962 24' Tradewind
Vincennes
, Indiana
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 145
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PC Miler has been an industry standard for truck routing for years. They now make a GPS with that same truck routing.
BTW, I have discovered that there have been times when a PC Miler route was 100 miles shorter than a standard GPS route.
Godspeed,
Trent
__________________
TV1: Black Sheep, 2001 Dodge 3500, 800,xxx miles, a few non-stock parts here and there...
TV2: Brownie, 1989 Dodge W250, only 256,000 miles!
TV3: 2004.5 Dodge 3500, 415,000 miles, 6 spd
TV4: 2005 Dodge 3500, 478,000 miles, 4spd auto
"Too much of what I once knew I now know not" Me
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10-23-2009, 07:10 PM
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#13
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New Member
Hendersonville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 4
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Thank you for your generous and experienced advice!
kristin
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10-23-2009, 09:24 PM
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#14
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Rivet Master
1959 26' Overlander
Western
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,468
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Try this site
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