Answered Question about GPS

[Neal]

IMHO, Garmin routes based on the params. You can't compare to Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, etc. You're driving a vehicle that has both height and weight limits that "car" maps don't take into account. You'd be surprised how many roads or small bridges can't take a 20+ ton vehicle. There is one near my storage unit, you'd never know if it wasn't for my 890 warning me of the 4 ton limit. Then there are options based on road types you allow, allow tolls, and other params as discussed. I'm not going to try and outsmart a device like this that is taking into account params I would find it hard to identify and route off of. If that 10-20 minutes is precious to you, that's your decision. Safety and not getting a big rig in a bad situation is my priority, I've been there far too many times from my errors, not the GPS. If you feel something could be done better and it's not serving you as expected, try reaching out to Garmin support. They've been great any time I asked them questions.

 

[Jim]

I'm not going to try and outsmart a device like this that is taking into account params I would find it hard to identify and route off of. If that 10-20 minutes is precious to you, that's your decision. Safety and not getting a big rig in a bad situation is my priority,

Yes, of course, Neal. That’s exactly why we expect these devices to perform within reasonable parameters, and why we pay the kind of money for them that we do.

But in that process, isn’t it reasonable to expect that we can actually trust the device to deliver the results we bought it for? Nowhere in their advertising have I seen the disclaimer, "We're Garmin, and our 890 gets it right some of the time. It's up to the you to figure out when that is."

If you feel something could be done better and it's not serving you as expected, try reaching out to Garmin support. They've been great any time I asked them questions.

I did. They were able to replicate the issue and said, "It appears to be something in the map, like a labeling of a route as unsuitable for the vehicle profile. This is something the map team will need to investigate further. I will report this situation. You can also report routing issues directly to our map team at the link here: Reporting Map Errors on Automotive Devices"

I think it's important to clarify that I'm not anti-Garmin, and I hope nobody takes it that way. My issue isn't with the company itself, but with the 890 specifically. The roads I've mentioned have been established for many years. In fact, Hwy 326 is home to a massive Freightliner facility and is regularly traveled by rigs much larger than mine. If the software is misidentifying this route, it's likely making similar errors elsewhere.

As you said, @Neal, "Safety and not getting a big rig in a bad situation is my priority." I feel the same way. That's why it's concerning that a device that's been on the market as long as the 890 is still providing inaccurate routing information.

The issue I documented is NOT and isolated occurrence, its a common occurrence. And that's not reasonable for a seasoned devise as the 890 is supposed to be.

 

[Neal]

I did. They were able to replicate the issue and said, "It appears to be something in the map, like a labeling of a route as unsuitable for the vehicle profile. This is something the map team will need to investigate further. I will report this situation. You can also report routing issues directly to our map team at the link here: Reporting Map Errors on Automotive Devices"

Excellent! I'm glad you did this to not only resolve an error for yourself but others that may go down this path, literally and figuratively. As a software developer myself I need to verify a problem so I can fix it and I'm glad you took that step.

I can't tell you "trust your device" - it has to earn your trust. I used the 770 prior to the 890 and jumped on the 890 when it came out and love the device and what it has to offer. I'm sure it's not perfect, we all have to be aware but fortunately I'm not on pins and needles when I use my 890 and manage the data it presents and have had no major issues to date, that I'm aware of.

Thanks to any and all that find issues and report them so they can get fixed. Garmin frequently pushes out both map and firmware updates. I don't know of anything better but that doesn't mean something out there isn't better. Fortunately my Pioneer AVIC-NEX dash radio also does RV navigation so it can back me up if needed but I surely will not use an auto mapping app for RV navigation. I do use Waze via CarPlay to hazards, po-po, etc. which compliments my RV navigation experience as others have posted they do the same as well.

Good on you for good trip planning to know the difference in right/wrong.