I know some people dont really agree with sat navs ,but as a new driver starting out i would feel a lot better haveing one not just for directions but also so i dont sound stupid when someone rings up asking how long im going to be.But my problem being i dont have a clue which one to go for ive got a budget of £150 roughly so any advise chuck it my way please ta in advance.
personally i use tomtom. never had a problem with it or been in any well boss moments (yet), the best feature i have found is the fact you can create yor own poi’s (i use it for all the theatres and parking places that are safe plus any out of town places we go to) in it and have as many as you like.
as long as you keep your witts about you and use the mark one satnav god gave you (your eyes and brain) you wont go wrong.
the tomtom one is about £100 and you can put the speed cameras on it for under £50 quid that will update them all for a year so you know when you are near an accident black spot and keep points off yor licence if you are hoofing it along!
I think it’s worth having a Satnav and it will make your life easier. I also agree that the TOMTOM is the best bet, not least of all because they will work on a 24v power source (some trucks only have 24v where as cars are 12v), other makes don’t. I bought the TOMTOM One Classic for £120ish (includes safety camera warnings) and although it’s not a truckers version (doesn’t avoid weight / height limits) it does the job. The only thing I’d say is don’t rely on it solely or you could end up trying to take the truck in places you shouldn’t / wouldn’t want to. I plan my routes with maps and use the satnav at the end point to get to the final address and I’ll ignore it if I think it’s trying to take me an inappropriate way.