New toy
 

I recently invested in a GPS system for my truck. I bought this one on sale at Circuit City for $243 out the door.

I had it set up and navigating in ten minutes. Nine of those were waiting for it to orient itself. The unit is easy to use and intuitive, which is more than I can say for my digital camera. I fooled with it for two days, then set it up for truck navigation and put it to the real test: getting me through my next trip.

The trip went from El Paso, TX to Brownsburg, IN with an interim stop in Memphis, TN. I already had good directions from the customers at each stop and knew the Interstates in between by heart so I knew I could get there in time without it.

The unit got me there an hour earlier than I planned on and avoided the posted low bridge in Memphis properly. My arrival in Indiana was on time and exactly where I expected to be. The unit did get a bit confused when I hit a truck stop for a quick rest break. It wanted me to drive over a median to take an access road instead of taking the git-on-ramp to the right. Once I was settled on the highway again, It recalculated the route and I was back in business.

All in all, it seems reliable but I am going to continue to second guess it until I have more confidence in it's navigation abilities.

I am not sure I like the way it handles missed turns...all it does is try to get you back to the point that you goofed. What if that ramp is closed for construction and you must take another? This bears further testing, but I can't just take a wrong turn on purpose and go truckin' down an unfamiliar road in a semi...U-turns can be a bitch! I may save this portion of my evaluation for when I'm at home in my car.

Anyone know of a source for POI truck stops?

Brian

POI ???

GPS's are getting better and better ,
In a few years you are going to look back and Laugh at this new toy !!

Defently take the directions with a grain of salt !!

When you were going thru Memphis the Low bridge was on the South Loop( 240 insted of I40 ( the north loop ) ) wasn't it ??

BrianR - a little off topic, but what does it cost you per mile to drive your truck? It seems like the GPS could help to reduce total driving distance, and would eventually justify the purchase.

POI = Points Of Interest

I tried out a model from Mio and one from Garmin over the summer (both when staying with friends). The Garmin did the same thing about getting you back to the "correct" route. The Mio did a better job figuring out a new route on its own.

Maybe I missed something... what *this* one are you talking about....?

Fuel on average costs $3.07 and I get about 6 per gallon. I get .28/mile. The company charges an arm and a leg.

Figure about $5.00/mile end cost. Actual cost is much lower, about $1.00/mile.

My bad, I didn't do the link correctly. And now I can't edit. So, I meant to say THIS one.

Oooops.

Brian

Thank you.

I also want a Garmin, to replace my current Magellan. But I want this one.