So I’ve recently passed. And have found a job with a reputable company, the vehicles don’t have a sat nav built in, I’m not far off being let loose on my own and need a sat nav, now is there an IOS app Tom Tom or whatever suitable to use until I can shell out a few hundred £££ for a proper one or is there no such thing?
If there is such an app, you’d better make sure you can show its HGV compatible, ie put in heights etc, and check with the company.
play.google.com/store/apps/deta … ygic.truck
Is available, and a proper truck sat nav, but I haven’t used it.
I use Road Lords which is an app for Androids only and I would recommend it.
But it’s not available on the app store so you have to
Please note that the ROAD LORDS application is currently available in closed beta testing. To install the application, please provide us with the e-mail address you use in your Play Store account. We will add it to the user’s list and send you the access link.
Email them at help@roadlords.com
Both are free
Edit I see you mentioned iOS, so ignore road lords,
Try Sygic GPS Truck & Caravan by Sygic a. s. apps.apple.com/gb/app/sygic-gps … d992127700
Or you can buy Tomtom as an app
Ive heard Road Lords mentioned lots, but doesnt help being Android only.
I have iOS, one app I was recommended by a friend who’s been using it for years is CoPilot HGV GPS, there’s a free trial but its essentially useless as it doesn’t let you use any “premium features” such as entering a destination which makes it fairly useless as a trial 
but its £8.99 a month or £80 for a year subscription, I figured for £8.99 Id give it a try and if its rubbish I haven’t lost too much vs buying a few hundred quid satnav unit.
I must say I’m very impressed and would recommend it! It lets you set up multiple vehicle height/weight/width/length profiles, so if you’re using different trucks every day you can quickly swap to the one you’re using and so far after about two weeks daily use it hasnt let me down. Compared to google maps & Waze it’s much better for HGVs, it picks much more sensible routes for trucks than the other two, it knows the shortest route may not be the fastest or best for trucks and taking an extra 15 miles to go around a town is much faster than going straight through it like google maps would. Doesnt tell you to do silly U turns if you miss your turning, or use roundabouts too small to turn around. So far its gotten all the weight limit roads correct too. Not many bridges around here so cant say how good the height function is but from everything else so far I reckon itll be good.
The only thing I wish it had, that it doesnt, is the ability to mark hazards/mobile speed cameras! It does live traffic updates and has fixed cameras marked, so youd think it would be able to that.
Second recommendation for Co-pilot from me. Been using it for about 6 months now, and it works very well. As a newbie, my main concern was making sure I avoid weight and height limits, and it does that really well.
Martin.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Things to consider >
New rules and cameras in some cabs, mean NO TOUCHING anything mobile/tablet/satnav… or lost job or fines etc if the plod…
My place has lost two drivers last year,both newbies, who had someone hit them, no fault of their own, then through the cameras being checked as accident, given choice resign or fired… they were not touching anything at the time, but during the journey at some point they had, and this was picked up, one had simply cancelled the text off the screen apparently, dont know for certain, but that was what they claimed to others…
If your using a phone, can you tell it to reroute, or adjust the view by voice command… because you need to do this from time to time, and unless you already know the route, your going to have to pull over, rather than just say “directions to XYZ” and be rerouted whilst continuing to drive, or risk the consequences above.
What device … Amazon it, buy on installments minimum outlay, use it for a week or two, then send it back, and choose another, I did this with TomTom & Garmin devices, a few times too lol… tested Garmin, then different TomTom sizes until found right sized screen to do the job, and it was the 6inch version as just as good as the 7 for my needs at the time, but cheaper.
Software based Satnavs… TomTom HGV if multidrop in towns etc, on seperate tablet that doubles as a 10" portable TV, google Street view also with total ease to see, rather than squinting looking at a mobile, Google streetviews best advantage with this solution, as once knew striaght away that palletnetwork delivery wasnt possible, a residental with a class 2, needing a van… thankfully dont do class 2 much anymore, as class 1 RDC’s is sooooo much easier.
Once you get comfortable, you will just want to know traffic, so think ahead, your not going to be needing the thing much later on, as you get used to the UK road network, look into how motorways devloped, as from london their numbered in a sequence, so without a map from knowing this, already know M6 direction and just basic geography, tells me if its the route for a drop located with a certain postcode, same as A roads sequencing when need to divert for a night closure, its mostly logical, and easier to absorbe once you reailse how they lablled them, and then in no time youll be in the general area, and maybe then need a bit of help getting in close,
but again, most major industrial estates are signed from the motorway these days, and with the route they want you to take, not the satnavs choice that may be different, Hatfield is like this, there is a new junction to get in through, but satnav still routing to the next junction down, and the new junction route in is much simpler to get to the industrial estate.
Good luck, you’ll get used to routes, and places the more often you visit, the same places again and again over time, or places close to exiting known places, and you dont need a satnav for anything but traffic delays.
I would recommend Sygic for use with a phone with decent GPS positioning. If you find you are always going to the same places and don’t need it you can always cancel.
If you buy an all singing all dancing truck sat nav, it could end up filling space in a drawer at some point.
Noremac:
I would recommend Sygic for use with a phone with decent GPS positioning. If you find you are always going to the same places and don’t need it you can always cancel.If you buy an all singing all dancing truck sat nav, it could end up filling space in a drawer at some point.
I thought sygic was free? Do they try to get you to upgrade for premium features?
TonkaBoy:
Things to consider >New rules and cameras in some cabs, mean NO TOUCHING anything mobile/tablet/satnav… or lost job or fines etc if the plod…
.
I can’t say anything about company rules, they could be anything. But the law…once a phone or tablet is in a holder you can touch it as much as you like (subject to not being distracted)
.
Using devices hands-free
You can use devices with hands-free access, as long as you do not hold them at any time during usage. Hands-free access means using, for example:a Bluetooth headset
voice command
a dashboard holder or mat
a windscreen mount
a built-in sat nav
The device must not block your view of the road and traffic ahead.
.
stu675:
TonkaBoy:
Things to consider >New rules and cameras in some cabs, mean NO TOUCHING anything mobile/tablet/satnav… or lost job or fines etc if the plod…
.I can’t say anything about company rules, they could be anything. But the law…once a phone or tablet is in a holder you can touch it as much as you like (subject to not being distracted)
.Using devices hands-free
You can use devices with hands-free access, as long as you do not hold them at any time during usage. Hands-free access means using, for example:a Bluetooth headset
voice command
a dashboard holder or mat
a windscreen mount
a built-in sat nav
The device must not block your view of the road and traffic ahead.
.
Cheers Stu, appologies stand corrected, must be just a company thing where I am at moment, did say whilst a few were stood around was a bit stupid as we change radio channels etc, but a guy that does the training said no not to be touched once set off… gave me the impression was the actual law…