One of the non-obvious problems of novice truckers is that they don’t understand how important GPS is for them. More precisely, they don’t know that they need a special kind of navigators and not ordinary car ones.
A trucker meets many obstacles and problems on his way every day: you need to know which roads you can drive on, where the dead spots are, where there are special parking lots, hotels, gas stations, whether you can drive under this bridge, where to find a loading dock.
Thus, choosing a good GPS is directly related to your work and successful flights. There are a lot of models of GPS navigators on the market, and not every one of them will suit you. Yes, even if it says on it that it is specifically for drivers. Some companies, even truck driver accounting services can make life easier for you, as on this site, where they recommend certain navigators to their drivers.
But, this doesn’t always happen, so we have prepared a list of the best navigators for you. You can safely buy and use any of them right now — their quality has been proven by many truckers.
What should truckers pay attention to when choosing navigators?
Source: smartmotorist.com
There are several fundamentally important points that you should pay attention to. If you decide to choose navigators yourself, these will be the selection criteria. If you follow the advice from this article, you will know which of the criteria is most important to you. So you will choose the navigator of your dreams.
Large screen
The screen of the GPS navigator for trucks should be large (more than 6 inches) so that you can see it from anywhere in the cab.
Detailed scaling
The navigator should be able to scale the image, for example, to street level. This will make it easier for you to drive and navigate unfamiliar terrain.
Notification of road conditions
If the navigator has access to the Internet, make sure that there are notifications there. It will inform you about accidents, weather conditions, traffic jams, and road repairs. With this feature, you will avoid delays and wasted hours.
Indication of traffic lanes
In an unfamiliar city, it is important to navigate by road markings and signs. But, this task will be simplified by a good GPS navigator, which will show you which lane you should get into to make a turn in time.
Entering dimensions
Length, width, and height are some of the most important parameters in a truck. Thanks to them, you understand which road you will take and which one you won’t. You can enter these parameters into the navigator and the route will be plotted according to these data.
GPS navigators for truckers: our choice
This list includes the best of the best; there will be no super-budget models here because they are inferior in functionality to navigators from this list. We believe that if you buy electronics, it should be reliable and last for a long time.
1. TomTom Trucker 600/620
Source: tomtom.com
Pay attention in general to this company — it produces good navigators for truckers and is very popular. With it, you can plan your routes according to the dimensions of the truck. It is also equipped with a large screen that allows you to see the route more clearly. The new models have a traffic accident tracking feature installed by default.
| Brand | TomTom |
| Color | Black |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Screen Size | 6 Inches |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 3.56 x 5.58 x 0.74 inches |
| Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Map Type | North America, Truck Map |
2. Garmin Dēzl 780/580/785 LMT-S
Source: pinterest.com
These models of navigators and this brand are very much loved by truckers. In the model from our recommendation, you can choose the screen size (5 or 7 inches). Even if you aren’t in the USA, you can still use this GPS navigator. It has maps of Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas.
| Brand | Garmin |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Screen Size | 6.95 Inches |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Display Type | 6.95″ super wide view IPS, color TFT, with on-cell capacitive touch panel |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 7.8 x 1 x 4.7 inches |
| Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Map Type | City Tour, Street |
| Battery Life | 2 Hours |
| Vehicle Service Type | Truck |
3. Rand McNally 85, 7 Pro, 8 Pro
Source: prnewswire.com
With this model, you can choose the screen size (7 or 8 inches), as well as get information about road conditions, weather, fuel prices and toll roads. A special feature of this model is the built-in radio, which will improve your mood on the way.
| Brand | Rand McNally |
| Color | Silver black |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Screen Size | 8 Inches |
| Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth |
| Map Type | North America |
| Vehicle Service Type | Truck |
4. Garmin Dezl 770 LMTHD
Source: ctshop.rs
It is equipped with a 7-inch screen, scalable maps and the ability to enter parameters and machine weight into the system. An unusual feature of this navigator that distinguishes it from the others is the built-in Bluetooth — you can receive calls through it and turn on the camera for reverse.
| Brand | Garmin |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Screen Size | 7 Inches |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Display Type | Multi-touch, capacitive, WVGA color TFT with white backlight |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 1.1 x 7.8 x 4.8 inches |
| Compatible Devices | Dēzl 770LMTHD |
| Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth |
| Map Type | City Tour, Street, North America |
| Battery Life | 1 Hours |
5. Xgody GPS Navigation
Source: xgody.com
This is the only navigator from our list that is a budget option. The nine-inch screen allows you to drive comfortably, watch the road and check with the navigator. In addition to maps of the USA, you will find maps of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico.
| Brand | Xgody |
| Color | X4F |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Screen Size | 9 Inches |
| Human Interface Input | Touchscreen |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 9.07 x 5.51 x 0.58 inches |
| Connectivity Technology | USB |
| Map Type | North America |
| Battery Life | 3 Hours |
Why do you need a GPS navigator?
Some truckers still don’t understand why they need GPS navigators. Just like some drivers use apps exclusively. We want to convince these professionals that it is very important to have everything on hand: paper maps, GPS navigators and applications.
Stable connection: no one knows what can happen to the phone. Moreover, it needs to be constantly charged and connected to the Internet. GPS navigators are powered by the truck’s battery and remain on for some time after disconnecting from the network.
Constant updating of data: paper maps quickly lose their relevance. Houses, streets, districts, roads and highways are changing. GPS navigators are constantly updating the database.
Progress reports: A high-quality navigator will provide you with a report. How many miles have you driven, what was the fuel consumption, what is the mileage of the tires. This is important data that will help you check the truck condition.
