Road Maps ?

GPS don’t always get it right, I’m like you Larry, maps were my best friend when I was hotshotting. My road bum fuzzies freight or furniture deliveries, causeing them to go 5 to 8 Miles past their destination, don’t know why, and I don’t believe GPS notates underpass heights, something critical with a high load.

Don’t get me started on this topic. We could start several other threads along these lines.
We were just having a conversation about this at work the other day. How many people teaching their kids to drive. Tell them let’s go to the grocery store. The same grocery store that this child has gone to all their life.But the child has to get out their phone and GPS it, because they have no idea how to get there.

So many people I am sure. I have no idea that the way highways, freeways, and interstates are numbered, actually mean something.

What ever happened to at least trying to learn a sense of direction?

When my kids learned to drive, I gave each one of them a road atlas. Of course each one said why would I ever need this? I have the GPS on my phone.
And I told them if everything works out well. You will never ever need it. But trust me that night when you’re in the middle of nowhere America, and your thousand dollar smart phone stops working. And you have no idea where you are. That atlas may be the only thing that’s going to help you find your way!

Oh don’t get me wrong, I use my GPS all the time. Those long 2000 mile motorcycle rides between Chicago and Arizona.
Google is telling me when to turn and where to turn, and which direction to go. And no, I don’t watch the map, that phone is safely tucked in my pocket.
I just listen to it tell me what to do.
And I like to wander off the beaten path. So I normally don’t take the major interstates.
But I ride with peace of mind. Knowing that map, that has my route marked in highlighter. Is safely tucked away in one of the saddlebags!

I still use printed road maps.

My favorite is an old "AAA" map called "Indian Country". It covers the Four Corners area.

GPS is great if you know where you are going.
Not always right, nav system in the car messes up at least once on trips.
Still have a Rand McNally in the car.

Yeah! Orienteering Merit Badge here! 😁

The company that I work for has drank the gps Kool aid in demanding that we use the gps routing that is married to our service runs. It routinely takes me through routes where hazmat is forbidden, weight restricted roads where I am forbidden, and regularly tattles me out for speeding in zones that the posted speed limit is 10 mph over what the gps displays it being.

I am suppose to note mile markers and street names where there are discrepancies in that regard in unfamiliar zones where pulling over and making notes is a hazard.

I like gps in areas where remembering 30 turns using a paper map is inconvenient, but it has its limitations. The company is using Roadnet/ Omnitracs that is the brainchild of UPS, it may work for brown vans, but it sucks in a big truck.

There are better systems where you program in your rig configuration, 53’ trailer, doubles, hazmat, etc... that do a much better job, but they have put all their eggs in a basket that doesn’t produce. I was accused of having 44 speeding violations in one day, but I have not had a speeding ticket in 30 years, no moving violations and 3 million miles without an accident.

My days are numbered with the company at this point, and I am searching for a local job that will allow me to maintain my sanity.

I hate the phone apps that are supposed to help you navigate. By the way, GPS is the Global Positioning Satellite technology and is not the apps on the phones or mobile devices.

The phone applications are inaccurate at times and misleading at others. There have been a number of times I have used one of them to find a new location and have been sent in circles or a couple of miles out of the way. For example:

Last year, we were looking for a new store located in a small town 26 miles from us. I knew the general vicinity of where the address was and what exit to take. After taking that exit, the app had me make basically a U-turn, get back on the interstate and drive 3 miles to the next exit. I took that exit, followed the direction another 4 miles and arrived at the destination. The store was located two blocks from where I made the U-turn.

I was going to add a similar comment. LOL!

Those systems are only as good as the data base they employ Garbage in, garbage out, is the old maxim.

I asked UPS years ago to make their address data base accessible by customers to add GPS coordinates. No can do. They would rather have their drivers wander around lost for an afternoon and then give up on the delivery. "Surepost" delivery to the local PO has helped some. THAT location, they can find.

My wife helped the navigating getting around the Atlanta interstate mess...she used Google maps and we were in pretty good standing...around Houston however...God what a mess!

AAA Multi-Fold, Baby! They never steer you wrong!!!!!

I think it's obvious that Google Maps would be more accurate where you live than some of the more remote areas of the country.

I survived my last ride long before GPS but we had a lot of fun riding a lot of mid/long distance weekend touring/camping trips and I always tried to have the appropriate road map open in the clear top pocket of my tank bag. Those were some long days in the saddle.

I hindi you are right there, Ron. 

GPS helped kill some poor pilgrim here years ago. It sent him onto a Forest Service road in mid winter. He got stuck in the mountains and died of exposure. His body was not recovered until Spring and by then, it was mostly eaten.