sat nav from tom tom for trucks???

[gadjo]

Hi All

 

Just been browsing the net and found this www.tomtomwork.com/landingpages/trucknavigation (can never the link to work damn it) from tom tom. Looks like it was launched earlier in October.

 

I for one would be interested as I use a tom tom one Europe which is good but does not take the vehicles size etc in consideration as you know.

 

I have emailed them so will let you know what the reply is, if it is any good it would be the answer for me, a tom tom that knows how big you are brill!!!

 

cheers

 

ps just done goolge search lots of info the device is called Go 7000 Truck all looks positive cost about £450 including vat a bit pricy but bound to come down in time, has all the usual map share features and other stuff you get with the tom toms!!

 

Hmmmm me crissy pressie is looking good

(lol)

[colin]

On a similar theme, latest screwfix cat has Garmin Nuvi 465T for £399.99, which has routes based on truck type, no idea if it's any good but worth investigating if you have a large MH I would think.

[Brian Kirby]

In response the above, before you buy, do check exactly what the mapping information contains for the countries you propose visiting.  Last time I asked, TomTom told me that they were not contemplating releasing the "truck" software to the public as they were still developing it with large transport companies who use their "tracking" service.

My reason for sounding this caution is that, as I understand it, none of the currently available mapping contains carriageway width information, although it does contain some information on legal restrictions as to weight and width, plus low bridges.  That means these units will still send you down a narrow lane if there is no actual width restriction in force, but they should not send you under low bridges, or into areas where your vehicle exceeds the legal weight limit.  However, the coverage of these restrictions is incomplete across Europe, with UK the best covered but some other countries barely covered, possibly not covered at all.

Whether they warrant the extra cost at present, therefore, depends a lot on the present state of the mapping - which both firms update regularly and, if you buy the right model/subscription you can download up to four times per year - and how/where you tend to use the units.  To reiterate, it is the state of the mapping that governs what the unit can do, and not the unit spec itself.  It is this that should be checked before buying.

Whatever the answer, in my opinion it will still pay to check the proposed route on a decent map before setting out, and then mark up the map in areas where you don't like the look of the sat nav selected roads.  The human brain, aided by a decent map, is still a far better, and subtler, intuitive route tuning tool, than any sat nav.