I forgot about the one in Adams county. The reason Whitehall sticks out to me is because I live by the one in Allegheny county and a lot of trucks in the past have gotten it confused with the one in Lehigh county. The one in Allegheny county is residental and the one is lehigh is industrial.

 

The National Truck Stop Directory which can be found at
http://www.truckstops.com/trucker.asp
is an excellent book that provides a wealth of information on what facilities are available at truck stops. I definitely prefer this to The Exit Guide.

 

That's the one I use. I spend a lot of time off the interstate, so it's nice to have that overview map of every state before the listings.

 

You're right, Double R. And, as for what I said, and the way I said it, I was wrong! After you mentioned Hanover, I remembered that I HAD, in fact, ran into that a few times at Onstar. (I don't remember everything!) It RARELY came up, because we entered either a complete address (rarely duplicated even in two cities with the same name,) OR a point of interest like Starbucks (at that time, not very likely to be in both cities.) I DO, however, remember one time when it DID happen, and the astute subscriber caught it and said that can't be right (as the route had him going in the wrong direction from the city that he had some idea of its location.)


This is going to sound like a cop-out.... but, I'll say it anyway: When I said what you quoted above, it was in response to this by KC0iv:

I assumed he meant that these multiple cities were part of the "trick" to see if a map was copied. Therefore, they wouldn't actually EXIST. I misunderstood his point.

KC0iv said: This is exactly my point! You can't teach everything in CDL school, NOR can you get all the help you need by just plugging your destination into a GPS system. Experience means EVERYTHING.... and for those who lack that... have never been out of town.... you need to study your Atlas, LEARN about road systems, and CONSIDER such things as elevation, high traffic areas, and all the rest!

It's not the use of a GPS system as a 'tool' that I object to.... it's the use of it as an EXCUSE for learning a valuable part of your trade!

I have ALSO seen what Skywalker mentioned MANY times. Because of the "tolerance" in location, the system can often "place" you on a road NEXT to the one you are on. From there, the mapping system will give you directions that assume you are on a different street or even HIGHWAY. This can be very confusing to a newbie.

One last thing that I thought about this week in response to the Rev's contention that he has had no problems in 2 1/2 years. I don't know about him, but the average solo driver plans, what?, maybe 2 or 3 trips per week? That would be 100 - 150 trips in a year?? (Double that, if you'd like.)

At Onstar, I handled about 100 calls a day, and about half of those were trip routing. That's about 10,000 trip routes per year! At that rate, the "inconsistencies" in the programs were a steady part of my "diet!" You might easily go for months or even years without encountering one. But, with some companies, it might only TAKE one (or two) to lose your job!

The MAIN thing I saw at Onstar, was the total inability of MOST "advisors" to be able to RECOGNIZE when something was wrong with the route! They input the data, then just READ off the directions!

If today's "trucker" falls into that trap, because they don't know their arse from their elbow.... or the many failings and intracacies of mapping systems (like refering to I-94 WEST as NORTH (in some cases,) or failing to see that a bypass route is only 2 miles further than a "through city route," they are asking for problems! Period! [The fact that SOME of you more experienced drivers have had no problems notwithstanding!]

 

I wonder if they should teach double sticking too, and eliminate automatic trucks unless you've mastered the art of double clutching.

 

Well.... I think an "historic" course of double sticks would help newbies understand the tranny a bit more, but other than that, it would be of no use, since they are rarely found today.

However, I hope they NEVER allow trucking to become a product of "automatic transmissions" and therefore lead to failing to at least TEACH manual shifting and double clutching!

If someone wants to work for a company who offers Autoshift trucks, more power TO them. They are not real truckers..... they are "freight relocators." And that is the direction our industry is heading in.

Pretty soon, they will use the GPS to "guide" the trucks, and the auto trannies to shift them, and the guy in the seat will get 5 bucks an hour just for "looking the part!"

I was going through the "Gorge" tonight, and I actually considered, and asked, the question about how an autoshift truck would handle it. I had to downshift once or twice, because some idiot was holding us down to less than the speed limit, and I wondered if an autoshift would be going crazy shifting UP and DOWN every frew minutes, when the rest of us could just lug it out, and control it with speed variations.

I suspect that all that extra shifting would lead to higher maintenence costs. But, I don't know.

The general consensus on this board is that one SHOULD know how to drive a manual truck EVEN if he/she ends up driving an auto. I'm also aware that auto trannies are becoming more popular with companies (and I understand WHY!)

I'm also aware that the general consensus on this board, AND specifically of this thread, is that one should know how to use an Atlas to MANUALLY plan a trip..... regardless of the opinions in favor of USING a GPS as a "tool."

So, what is your point?? Are you saying that you are for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that would relieve a Professional Driver of his responsibility, and usefullness in doing his JOB??

Maybe, you're in favor of going back to the old days where one could drive a truck with a "chauffeurs licence?" No CDL training is required. After all, just put it in gear, after engaging the GPS routing program, and everything will come out right...... right?

Oh, don't forget! We should GOVERN them all at 55 mph, and have them all leave from the same "embarcation point" at one time, and have them cross the country as one big Elephant train.... nose to tail, going the same speed, and controlled only by "steeringwheelholders!" :roll:

I don't know WHAT kind of world YOU envision, Rev..... but I want no PART of it!

Especially, if they are all "issued" a cellphone with unlimited minutes, so they can spend their WORK DAY jabbering with the wife about the unruly kids at home! Unless.... of course..... this system of yours will somehow KEEP THEM IN THEIR LANE!!! :shock: :roll:

 

So now I'm nothing more than a "Freight Relocator"?

I use my GPS. I drive an AutoShift truck.

Hmmm - when was the last time an inexperienced driver could handle taking an 80,000 pound truck with a 53' trailer across US 33 from West Virginia into Virginia?

As I've said many times before - none of those tools are not driving the truck. They only assist me in it. The GPS or the tranny doesn't negotiate the truck through Brooklyn into a dock built for a 28' trailer. They don't control the rig across a ice covered I-68 during a major snowfall when you also have fog that you could cut a knife with. I'm the one driving that truck. I make any and all decisions that the truck does.

I'm sorry, but I do not agree in the least. I'm still the one that has to manage all of the twists and turns of that road, not to mention the multiple grades that can be as much as 12%. Hell, I've seen BBR's such as yourself who've said they've been driving 20+ years not be able to handle crap like that.

That GPS is only giving me a suggestion on what route to take. That transmission is doing nothing more than shift the truck for me. If I'm in a situation where I need to control the shifting, I flip it to manual.

 

 

Just as GPS is replacing the paper atlas. I wonder how many truckers whined and complained that single stick truckers were nothing more than "freight relocaters" when double sticks were being phased out. An atlas and a clutch does not make a trucker. :roll:

Actually, you did:

So easy, even a caveman can do it.

Can you provide a link to the "consensus" that you are drawing this conclusion on? Or is this simply you assuming this?

I went back through the thread, and came to the conclusion that it was most certainly NOT the "general consensus".

If they are tools to make his job easier, then yes.

Time to loosen your tinfoil hat.

Cellphones are evil. Everyone should go back to pay phones. Never mind the fact that they are becoming extinct.

 

I can point out 5 or 6 grades within a 50 mile radius of where I live in West Virginia that have a 10mph limit because of the massive grades.

As far as the mountains out west, I've only driven on I-90/I-94 into and back out of Seattle. So, no, I have no experience in those mountain. I do, howver, have 7 1/2 yrs of experience driving a truck across the mountains around here.

You've never seen a 10mph turn on a 55mph road? You've never had a 180deg upgrade turn where you literally take 2 lanes of highway and both shoulders to not run off of either a cliff or into the side of the hill? Try running US 50 between Winchester, VA and Grafton, WV.

How about a 12% 10mph downgrade that ends in a solid granite cliff. If you lose your brakes on this hill, you'll not only hit the cliff, but you also have to go between 2 schools.

Hmmm - how about US 40 coming west into Hopwood, PA? There are 2 or 3 mandatory brake checks - top speed is about 15mph (can't remember 100% - I haven't been on it for a couple of years).

As far as manually controlling the tranny in an auto-shift? Ya - it's a tough one. You either push the button or flip the switch to the position marked "M" (for manual, in case you couldn't figure it out). Then you can manually shift the transmission. It won't shift until you tell it to or until the RPM exceeds the safe engine speed, which is normally about 2200rpm.

You seem to have this idea that anyone who utilizes a tool to help them drive just isn't considered a truck driver. That's utter and complete BS.