I went to a scrap yard to load the other day, The address was “Railway Sidings”, like they are going to be easy to find, on the paper map there were 5 or 6 roads that lead into the area, put the postcode into the PDA and it took me straight there with no messing around. I would think it saved me at least 35 minutes of messing around (still took 4 hrs to load though). I am a convert to GPS, but you still need the skills to map read.
spaceman:
It surprises me that some of you “hunter gatherer” paper map die hards are actually on Trucknet — thought that would be too much technology for you! And I guess you wash your clothes by hand, cut the lawn with a sythe etc etc.
Why do I use maps? Well, a few reasons really. Firstly, those satellites have been in space for a while now, and as with most technologies, they will one day fail or be knocked off line by something (meteroite etc). I can imagine the day that happens, and loads of people will park up on the hard shoulder because they only know how to get around the country with instructions from their GPS. They won’t know how to read a map. Think it’s a silly scenario, we already have kids who can’t write, can’t spell, can’t add up without a piece of technology.
Secondly, with a map, I can look at the area I am going to. There may be two ways into the delivery point, one slightly longer. If I have a 9am booking, and the short route means going past a series of schools which are clearly marked on the map, I can avoid them and avoid the hassle of the school run. Likewise with turnings that you know you wouldn’t make in an artic (say greater than 150degrees in a built up area where you know cars park on both sides of the road), you can decide to avoid them long before the GPS can think of routing you there.
Now I can see the benefits of GPS, but not in my job. We’re going on holiday to eastern France next year. Not been before, so we want to have a good drive around (visit Swiss and Italy etc). Now if we enter the location we are staying, should it get dark/late/co-pilot fall asleep, we could just let the GPS guide us back. But heading out the next day, it would always be planned with a map, that way we decide which way to go, what we will see etc.
Technologically challenged? I don’t think so, got my first computer in 1982, writing my own games by 1983. Been online (in the internet sense) for almost 10yrs, used BBS before that. Created websites for national charities etc, etc,etc. Don’t assume anything! I drive for a living because I enjoy driving.
its ok noones is saying gps is be all and end after its a driving aid and nothing more but do still have to be able to read a map to used to browse map facility as I’ve already saod its a driving aid I will admit I use gps almost exclusivly but do still carry a truckers atlas qnd a london a2z even if I know where I’m going ill still run the gps I use the traffic data and can get an almost accurate eta
WTF are them things in that blue box■■? 
Well, I’ve got £300 of maps of either the little ones or the big ones, and I’ve also got a Sat Nav device.
However, whereever I go out to with work I take a county map for that area, as I feel safer when the SN breaks or can’t find a street 
There are so many people who just don’t know how to navigate with maps, and if the SN broke for them they’d be stuffed!!! 
I cover all options (except for the notoriously unreliable ‘ask the village idiot’ one).
1 Memory
2 SatNav
3 Autoroute on a laptop if the address is incorrect (40% of the time, SatNav I have doesnt do FULL Post Code)
4 Maps (under the bunk just in case)
Reading a map on London Red Routes just isnt an option.
TM always wants you in ‘hurry up’ mode, he would get better results if he ensured office people gave or typed correct addresses. They seem to think you have clairvoyant capabilities.
While Im here, previously CB Radio was my best option for directions, always got talked right in and got to know some nice people all over the UK too (Eddie Fisherman in Sheffield comes to mind). Just raked my rig out of the cupboard, is it worth using these days anyone?
Phil
I use a Navman icn320 (£170) and a Truckers Atlas (when moving overhight loads).
Satnav was a Godsend in Milton Keynes last week, went around more roundabouts in 30mins, then we have in the whole of Cornwall
Satnav guided me to the front door with out having to look at a map once and therefore able to concentrate on dragging a 60’ trailer around.
John
I use SatNav, TomTom 5 on a Mio 168 and it only gets me into trouble if I am lazy and don’t review the route it plans. I do also have a Bham A-Z and Truckers Atlas which are rarely looked at.
Since I only started recently I looked at the price of maps and figured that the GPS route is a heck of a lot cheaper AND saves you going to buy a map every time you visit another town. Just as importantly - when you are in a different cab every day - it is a heck of a lot lighter.
G
Im going to stick with a few maps for the duration, I only have the basics, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds / Bradford but I enjoy reading maps.
I was taught navigation and learnt to read charts, I still prefer to study a maritime chart and know what the bouy is there for.
I am certainly one of the old thinkers, Maps suit me better, I have experience of navigation systems and would not want one as a sole means of finding my way about.
You can always find a new route on a map.
When my motorbike packed up at Leicester Forest, the AA man came and collected me and it, His Sat Nav sent us an extra 40 miles out of the way back to where I had just come from, Him ignoring my instructions to take a short cut
The story on the TV today is about thieves smashing windows and stealing laptops and sat nav equipment 
I cant see the same thing happening for my dog eared A to Z
Rob K:
If you are, then you won’t have one of those patronising voices telling you that “you have arrived at your destination” when-you’re-stuck-down-a-farm-track Satnav devices, you’ll have one of THESE :
Sorry Rob but if your a proper Driver you would not need one of those because you would know the UK like the back of your hand 
I remember back in 1980 listening to 2 Drivers in the Local Workingmans Club, who never gave place names but quoted drops by the “A” & “B” road numbers, Example:
Go Down the A 1 to the A141 hang a right over to the B1713 take a 2nd Left onto the A ■■ follow the road for about 12 miles till you come to the A ■■ cross the roundabout etc etc etc
Now that to me is a proper driver and both those guy’s, one Called Geordie Laws the second called Brian Backhouse never failed to give directions to almost anywhere in the country, And Yes, I was very envious of them
Dont know if Brians still Driving but I happened to Meet Geordie in the A1 24hr Cafe a couple of weeks back at Markham Moor as he’s still driving.
In my honest opinion though, a proper driver is someone who can go out in any weather and return to base having completed their deliveries without an accident or the need to brag about how many maps they need or the cost of their GPS system 
Davey Driver:
In my honest opinion though, a proper driver is someone who can go out in any weather and return to base having completed their deliveries without an accident or the need to brag about how many maps they need or the cost of their GPS system
Well said that man!