Large trucks and Google maps - is there a better route for large vehicles?
Summary:
a supervisor said we made a mistake by linking OFS to Google Maps. Google Maps was built for routing cars, not trucks. Trucks must avoid roads and bridges with weight limits and avoid overpasses with clearance limitations. Can the navigation feature be changed to a different mapping tool that supports truck routing?
Content (required):
Many of our crews use Garmin GPS units with a “truck route” mode with settings for height and weight limits. This supervisor said that Google Maps was okay for our Engineers to use, but we should tell Linemen NOT to use the Google Maps navigation built into OFS. Google Maps will route users across bridges that will not support the weight of our line trucks, under overpasses that would tear the boom off a bucket truck, and through neighborhoods not designed for truck traffic.