A Regular GPS Or A Tablet?

Witch is better in your opinion a regular GPS like Harman or Rand Mcnally or Just buy a Tablet & download a GPS app for trucking???

I prefer Rand Mcnally because it seems it would better match up with their road atlas

I use both, Rand McNally and I have a mini iPad on a mount that I use for birds eye view in addition to the GPS. I first started with the GPS and added the tablet later on.

A dedicated unit is the way to go. A tablet has a lot more applications running in the background that can create memory management issues, lags or even cause your navigation app to crash. Rand McNally's top of the line Intelliroute 8" TND Tablet earned only 3 stars on Amazon reviews with many users remarking that it's not ready for prime-time. Multiple users reported that their units froze, crashed or otherwise became unusable in less than a year. Nearly half (47%) of those reviews were one star! They make quality products and most of their other products earn 4 stars or more.

A random navigation app on the Google play store probably won't have map updates as often as the market leaders (Garmin & Rand McNally) and probably won't be as truck safe - warning you about truck prohibited roads, low bridges, etc. Bite the bullet and get a separate gps instead of trying save a buck and ending up with a piece of junk that doesn't work well as a tablet or a gps.

Witch is better in your opinion a regular GPS like Harman or Rand Mcnally or Just buy a Tablet & download a GPS app for trucking???

Think of regular GPS.

To start out with, I will be running my tablet, with google maps, and a Rand Mcnally atlas. My tablet has been wiped, and a very "light" linux system (chrome os) installed. Google maps will really be my only app, minus the necessary ones to run the tablet. Once I can afford it, I will get a garmin, or rand gps unit. I figure that This will also help me hone my trip planning skills, instead of relying solely on a dedicated gps unit. I have a tendency to put too much trust in "modern technology," and anything that will help me learn without that crutch, will only make me a better trip planner.

I've gotta ask how often do you need a separate GPS?

I've had very few issues with using Qualcomm , RM Atlas for planning and alternate routing. Google maps for customer satellite view.

Initially it was high on my list, but after a couple of months way down on my priority list. Good cooler. (After 2 Colemans died) Good mattress CB... Grr, was fine in the Intl, now more stuff needed.. stoopid freightliner. XM radio TV, Blu-ray player.

Not in that order, but ya.. Still no pressing need to drop 400 on a GPS other than maybe Bling factor

Dedicated, TRUCK SPECIFIC GPS, is going to be better than an App on a Tab.

Like everything else - they are a TOOL in your toolbox. More a convenience than a necessity - but right up there in the list.

They're a little easier to work with (at times) than a QC, for exits, etc. They allow you to "search ahead" for rest stops, meal & fuel stops on your route, etc.

They are not a substitute for COMMON SENSE, and certainly you want to check for truck restricted routes on your secondary roads with your Rand McNally Motor Carrier Atlas (which should be purchased way before a GPS).

Rick

I've gotta ask how often do you need a separate GPS?

I've had very few issues with using Qualcomm , RM Atlas for planning and alternate routing. Google maps for customer satellite view.

Initially it was high on my list, but after a couple of months way down on my priority list. Good cooler. (After 2 Colemans died) Good mattress CB... Grr, was fine in the Intl, now more stuff needed.. stoopid freightliner. XM radio TV, Blu-ray player.

Not in that order, but ya.. Still no pressing need to drop 400 on a GPS other than maybe Bling factor

The Rand McNally has a lot more truck stops and hotels with truck parking listed, as well as Walmart. The Qualcomm we use seems to be limited to the big chains and many great parking spots can be missed.

I usually set the QC to my destination and the McNally to my various stops/parking. This way I can immediately see if I'm running behind and more easily find parking. If I need to drive further or less than planned, its not a big deal cause I put several parking options in and can decide without stress.

That's too bad about the 8" RM tablet. I was saving to purchase one of them. Guess I'll go with the 7" RM. I wanted the 8" version because it has trip planning and the RM atlas built in to the GPS unit, this way, I could reference roads and routes right on the unit, plus, I'm assuming that the atlas on the GPS unit would be updated more frequently, rather than buying a new atlas every year, i would always have the most recent atlas.

Plus, I'm sure the electronic version has more detail than the printed version.

Currently have the garmin 770 dezl GPS and am ready to throw it out the window. It's frustrating. It reboots on it's own, takes forever to do a map update, slow at calculating directions, and when you want to use the route shaping feature, it tries to keep you in the calculated route, and often, once you get all the route changed entered, parts of the route at the beginning that you changed, will revert back to the original route that garmin calculated.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good GPS, and can get you there, but I find I just have a lot issues with mine.