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- Dieselboss review - Truck driver GPS features comparison and rating |
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- Dieselboss review - Truck driver GPS features comparison and rating |
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Trucker GPS features comparison chart
Copyright Dieselboss, Inc
(rev. date Jan 28, 2010) NOT for redistribution.
Color Key:
Green = this is an
advantage of this unit |
Yellow = this
is a limitation of this unit
| Feature Description | PC Miler 430, 440, 540, 740 <click to view product> |
Rand McNally
TND 500 <click to view product> |
Garmin Nuvi 465T |
| Software / Firmware version tested: | (V23 2009 maps) | (10.2.1472.1717) | (soft 2.70 / maps NT 2010.20) |
|
Hardware and general info |
|||
| Current Dieselboss pricing | $199 / $279 / $369 / $459 | $399.99 | $459 |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
| Screen Size | 4.3" / 5" / 7" | 5" | 4.3" |
| Bluetooth capable (Can be paired with cell phones for hands-free phone use) | No | No | Yes |
| Can dial a POI phone number from the GPS when paired with a cell phone | N/A | No | Yes |
| Multiple profiles to set up specific truck and trailer dimensions | Yes | No | Yes |
| Plays windows movie, MP3 music, and picture files | No (except for the PCM430 model which will do this) | No | jpeg/jpg pictures only |
| Has an SD memory card slot | Yes (2G card included) | Yes | Yes (empty) |
| "Charging" LED light | Yes | Yes | No (on screen indicator only) |
| Battery life when not plugged in and driving | About an hour | About 30 minutes | About 1.5 hours |
| External GPS antenna connection | Yes on 440,540,740 (not included) | Yes (not included) | No |
| AC and DC power cords | Yes | Yes (extra long DC cable) | DC only (AC is available for extra) |
| Vehicle mount kit included | Yes (window suction style) | Yes (large 90mm suction style) | Yes (dash mount kit) |
| Audio / Speaker built-in (*note: speaker on all 4" and 5" units can be drowned out by truck noise. The 7" is very loud though) | Yes | Yes (louder and clearer than other 5-inch units) | Yes |
| Mini USB cable included | No | Yes | Yes |
| Stylus included | Yes | No | No |
| Headphone/external speaker jack | Yes | Yes | No |
| Unit converter/calculator (temps, distances, and weights) | No | Yes | Yes |
| FM Transmitter | No | No | No |
| Car mode | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RV mode (with scenic route option) | Yes | No | No |
| "Avoid" propane-restricted tunnels (RV) | Yes | No | No |
| Motorcycle mode | Yes | No | No |
| Walking mode | Yes | No | No |
| Screen modes | Day / Night / Automatic | Day / Night / Automatic | Day / Night / Automatic |
| Documentation / Manuals | Included and online (good) | Included and online (very good) | Online only (Excellent) |
| Built-in help tutorials | Yes | Few | Yes (Extensive) |
| Has optional security lock code | No | No | Yes |
| Multiple map color schemes | Yes | No | No |
| Languages | English US / English UK / English Australia / French / Spanish | English US | US English / UK English / Spanish / Czech / Dansk / Deutsch / Eesti / French / Hrvatski / Italian / Latvian / Leituviu / Magyar / Netherlands / Norsk / Polish / Portuguese / Romania / Slovencina / Suomi / Svenska / Turkish / Arabic / Russian / Japanese / Chinese / African |
| Current time and time zone | Manually set | Automatic | Manual or Automatic |
| Multiple time zone clocks | No | Yes (current, dest, and yard) | Yes (configurable) |
| Download features and updates from the web | No | Yes (frequent updates) | Yes (occasionally) |
| Can send feedback back to manufacturer when connected to web | No | Yes | No |
| Hours of service timers and alerts(driving, on-duty, of-duty) | No | Yes | No |
| Logs miles driven by state | No | Yes | No |
| Trip odometer(s) | No | Yes (3) | Yes |
| Maintenance warnings counter | No | Yes | No |
| MCRA cross-reference data | No | Yes | No |
| Feature Description | PC Miler 430, 440, 540, 740 <click to view product> |
Rand McNally
TND 500 <click to view product> |
Garmin Nuvi 465T |
|
Addressing, Routing, Planning, and Guidance
capabilities |
|||
| Truck Routes |
Yes (US and Canada) (ALK) (excellent) |
US and Canada (Rand) |
US only (Garmin) (limited) |
| Street-level Maps and addresses | US / Canada (ALK) |
US / Canada (NavTeq) |
US / Canada / Puerto Rico (NavTeq) |
| Time to calculate a route | Very fast (3 - 15 secs) | Slower (5 - 45 secs) | Medium (5 - 35 secs) |
| Preplan multi-stop routes | Yes (up to 50 stops) | Yes (up to 10 stops, but cannot arrange middle of trip and vias) | Yes |
| Route optimization for mileage | Yes | Yes | No |
| Difficulty to use (software) | Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Pre-plan route from another location | Yes (easy) | Yes | Yes |
| Can edit current trip on-the-fly | Yes (easy) | limited | Yes |
| Can rearrange the order of a trip | Yes (easy) | Only first and last stops | Yes |
| Preview your route turns/directions | Yes (easy) | Yes (limited to first leg only) | |
| Preview your route on map | Yes | Yes (limited to first leg only) | Yes |
| Map "look" / clarity when zoomed in | Very good | Very good | Excellent |
| Map "look" / clarity when zoomed out | Good | Ok (state borders only) | Very good |
| Map "auto-zoom" mode | No | Yes | No |
| Can tap on a road and "avoid" it | No | Yes | No |
| Points of Interest (POI's) | Yes (> 7 million) | Yes (6 million) | Yes (6 million) |
| Contains enhanced truck POI's | Yes (ALK) | Yes (Trucker's Friend) | No |
| Point of Interest alerts | Yes | Yes (weigh stations, toll booths, and state borders) | Yes |
| POI searching ability | Very good | Excellent (includes end of day) | Limited to nearby only |
| Can filter truck stops by amenity | No | Excellent feature! | No |
| Add your own POI's | No | No | Yes |
| Can add POI ratings and notes | No | Excellent feature! | |
| Can choose which POI's are displayed on "Nav" screen | No (show all or none) | No (show all or none) | N/A (doesn't show POI icons when navigating) |
| Shows upcoming scale icons on the maps on the Nav screen | No (audio/visual alert only) | Yes (audio/visual alerts also) | No (audio/visual alert only) |
| Shows next two turns on screen | No (only the next) | Yes (often shows next 2) | No (only the next) |
| Add pictures of places in your favorites | No | No | Yes |
| Specific road type settings | Yes (Extensive) | Yes (Freeways, tolls, u-turns, ferries favors and avoids) | Yes (Freeways, tolls, u-turns, ferries, traffic favors and avoids) |
| Lane guidance info | No | Some | Yes |
| "Sharp curve" warning option | No | No | Yes |
| Current road Speed Limits on screen | No | Yes, on most larger roads. Can be turned on or off. | Yes, on most larger roads, but not always truck-specific limits. |
| Configurable speed alert warning | No | Yes | No |
| "Recent" destinations memory | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatically saves recent destinations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Leaves a "breadcrumb" trail of trips | No | No | Yes |
| Avoid or prefer toll roads feature | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Can search for "cross-streets" | Yes (Easy) | Yes (Easy) | Yes (Easy) |
| Detour feature | Yes (Very Good) | Yes (several options to avoid roads or road segments) | Yes (poor reroute choices) |
| Auto re-routing if you miss turn | Yes (fast and accurate) | Yes | Yes (very unpredictable) |
| "Where am I?" screen | No | Yes (very good) | Yes (very good) |
| Drive maps in 2D and 3D modes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Address book (favorites) | Yes | Yes (excellent. Can group, sort, and add notes to favorites or POI) | Yes |
| "Save current location" to favorites. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add your "Home" location | Yes (Home and Work) | Yes | Yes (Home only) |
| "Pick on Map" destinations | Yes | Yes | Yes (Easy) |
| Saved / Custom places show on maps | No | No | Yes |
| Can save specific trips to memory | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customize info displayed on Nav screen | Yes | Yes (extensive) | No |
| Click on roads to see their names | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| "Trip statistics" page | No | Yes (avg speed, miles driven) | Yes (extensive) |
| Keyboard | Qwerty or Alphabetical | Qwerty or Alphabetical | Qwerty or Alphabetical |
| Keeps your current trip if you turn it off | If you saved it | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen compass | No | Yes (on Nav screen) | Yes (must push the stats button first) |
| Can modify how far from turn warning | Yes (extensive options) | No | No |
| Can select how much map "detail" | No (map detail is very good) | No (map detail is limited when zoomed out) | Yes (Yes, map detail is excellent) |
| Can add your own icons and voices | No | No | Yes |
| Current Route "Demo" simulator | Yes (Excellent) | No | Yes (but not versatile) |
| Can take "screenshots" | No | No | Yes |
| Feature Description | PC Miler 430, 440, 540, 740 <click to view product> |
Rand McNally
TND 500 <click to view product> |
Garmin Nuvi 465T |
| Overall Dieselboss Review out of 10 | Route accuracy: 9 Features: 7 |
Route accuracy: 7 Features: 9 |
Route accuracy: 6 Features: 7 |
| (software is changing rapidly so check back here often!) | Comments: 2nd generation maps on all units now contain very accurate truck routing attributes when the routing profile is correctly configured. Fewer extra truck-specific features than the RM-TND unit at this time, but a solid navigation solution for truck drivers. (NYC driver note - this one is currently the most accurate there for the NYC area) | Comments: Unit just released in October, 2009. Truck-specific features are excellent and more than any other unit. Truck routing and maps are good, but are receiving regular updates from Rand. Highly recommend that owner has access to a computer to plug unit into and receive updates regularly at this time. | Comments: Excellent "looking" interface and maps. Very good database of addresses and extensive features. However, the truck routing and detouring abilities have concerned us in the current revision enough to mention this. High price for only a 4.3" screen. |
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