Highway App or map? Help

melpeter · May 2019

ok- I give up. Help! I’ve been searching for an hour for an online map- or app- that can tell me whether, and where, a road has 4 lanes. Google Maps doesn’t appear to have a legend that shows lanes. Traffic apps just show colors denoting traffic but no legend of lanes. I want to take Hwy 441 from Florida through Georgia but need to know where it is 4 lanes and where it is not. Must I buy a paper map? Suggestions for apps?

jkjenn · May 2019

Change to satellite view.

melpeter · May 2019

jkjenn said:

Change to satellite view.

Thanks. I tried that but it’s not very helpful to have to zoom in instead of being able to see the whole road for miles ahead.

melpeter · May 2019

Woo-hoo! I found an official Georgia Highway map online. It’s 2013 but it’s fine. This is what I want in an app. But I’ll just keep this image in my photos. Guess I’ll have to do this for each new state.

N7SHG_Ham · May 2019

https://store.randmcnally.com/2019-deluxe-motor-carriers-road-atlas.html none better for figuring out the big picture, street level maps are better elsewhere.

melpeter · May 2019

N7SHG_Ham said:

https://store.randmcnally.com/2019-deluxe-motor-carriers-road-atlas.html none better for figuring out the big picture, street level maps are better elsewhere.

Do you think the motor-carriers atlas is more accurate than the regular one? I don’t need heavy-duty plastic coated pages and the regular ones are half the cost. I might like this one if it’s as accurate. https://store.randmcnally.com/rand-mcnally-2020-large-scale-road-atlas.html

N7SHG_Ham · May 2019

@melpeter actually the laminated one is an intentional purchase, dry erase markers can be used for route planning and then just wiped off! Also I think the non laminated ones (of the same map) are not spiral bound, that is much easier to work with to me. I don't know that the motor carrier one is more accurate, BUT it does show all the truck routes from interstates down to state routes where legal size trucks can go. If not marked for that then it may/may not be pretty secondary road, but gives a good idea where you should have no trouble taking a trailer.

Of course there is a lot of stuff you don't need too, but since I used to drive commercially it is still my go to and a very good map if a bit big

melpeter · May 2019

@N7SHG_Ham “dry erase markers can be used for route planning and then just wiped off!”
I really love that idea. I might buy a 2017 one used for $30 on Amazon.

dragonsdofly · May 2019

@TabulaRasa, I don't believe there are "unintended detours". There are of course, "unexpected adventures". Happy t@bbing!

ChanW · May 2019

Thanks for the atlas reference @N7SHG_Ham.

I found a slightly used 2017 pretty cheap on AbeBooks.com

(I was able to lighten it by a pound by removing trucker-specific pages!)

Nice to have, especially when dropped cell service strikes in the mountains!

morey000 · May 2019

while- having a paper map is also nice, you can download google maps into your phone for areas where you expect to lose cell service. the blue dot for your location still operates- since GPS location isn't dependent on cell coverage.

Download a map to use offline

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Maps app .
Make sure you're connected to the Internet and signed in to Google Maps.
Search for a place, like San Francisco.
At the bottom, tap the name or address of the place tap More .
Select Download offline map Download.

N7SHG_Ham · May 2019

@ChanW glad to have helped. My 2014 version is still intact, I have kept my CDL current so far, never know when I might need a new job, haven't driven professionally since 2015.

I find the best way to navigate is look at atlas for general idea, 2ndly I have a Garmin GPS (truck and RV model that allows input of your exact size and weight), I program that for the turn by turn route and then verify via the Atlas that it isn't trying to save 1" by going down a goat path.

Finally at destination I drive route in Google Street view just to mentally note anything to be away of or that would cause me to abort the route.

When I was on the big truck, did this for wach day, only had a single surprise in several years, turned onto a street marked no trucks, because GPS did a different route on leaving a customer than going in, saw the sign as soon as I made the turn and was able to get turned around and out with no damage or ticket

When you have CDL experience driving a big truck, it carries over into all other driving including very accurate route planning, speed limits, aware of traffic, looking way ahead, not tailgating and many other skills that I find very useful even towing just a small RV.

lkc001 · May 2019

@morey000 so once you have downloaded the offline map to your phone, where does it store the offline map? Thanks!

Sharon_is_SAM · May 2019

@lkc001, to bring the off line map up when cell service is not connecting, just bring up Google maps and type in the name of your map. The map will load along with any favorite areas that you mark or label. I just used this system in Europe. Great when you are coming out of a subway and you can’t identify the street.

ChanW · May 2019

Yep, Google maps is handy that way, if you plan on losing cell service!

But if your battery dies.... (Or your gps antenna is junk, like on my phone!)

I appreciate your 'street view' technique @N7SHG_Ham, if only because I've realized lately that I no longer keep track of the route I'm following, I let the gps tell me. So then, without the GPS to return by, I have no idea how to return!

Not a good habit to have adopted... !

morey000 · May 2019

lkc001 said:

@morey000 so once you have downloaded the offline map to your phone, where does it store the offline map? Thanks!

You just access it through Google Maps. once your area of interest has been saved, you don't need to do anything else but open up google maps and if it can't load the map off wifi/LTE, then it will just pull from the saved map area. they aren't saved as separate files on your phone anywhere. I guess it's just within the app's files. There is a limit to the size- so, you may want to save a whole series of maps.

morey000 · May 2019

ChanW said:

Yep, Google maps is handy that way, if you plan on losing cell service!

But if your battery dies.... (Or your gps antenna is junk, like on my phone!)

if you are traveling by car... I presume you have sufficient power from your vehicle to charge your phone?

ChanW · May 2019

Yes, all right... I suppose.

But I still don't like depending on it...

Do a search for "death by GPS". Awful. Aghh!

DigitalSorceress · May 2019

morey000 said:

ChanW said:

Yep, Google maps is handy that way, if you plan on losing cell service!

But if your battery dies.... (Or your gps antenna is junk, like on my phone!)

if you are traveling by car... I presume you have sufficient power from your vehicle to charge your phone?

On my older Samsung Galaxy, I noticed that when using Google Maps .. even on the car charger it would slowly lose charge. .that app is power hungry to the extreme... though on my MotoX4 it seems better..

Still I know I use my truck's GPS when I am driving normally.. I only use Google Maps when I'm in an area I expect traffic to mess with me.. I like seeing if Google has a suggestion.. I have learned that when Google and the truck GPS differ 9/10 times it's best to listen to Google (though with trailer in tow I need to think twice about some routes it suggests)

nbrandt · May 2019

I love maps. I don't know that this is going to help much, because I don't know if you could still get it, but I have Microsoft's Streets and Trips. I think they quit making it in 2013. What I love about it is that you don't need wifi or cell service. The whole thing is downloaded to a laptop. It lets you zoom to incredible detail. It's old (in the world of maps) but it has still proved to be very useful. I wish they would sell it again. There was also a European Version called, "Auto Route." They are still really good for trip planning. It even lets you type in gas mileage at current gas prices so that you could figure an estimate of what a trip would cost. It gives an estimate of travel times. It lets you figure in rest stops. As old as it is, combined with the current maps on a cell phone it is a priceless item in our travels.

pthomas745 · May 2019

I noodled around after reading about downloading maps on my phone, and discovered that Windows allows you to download maps to a laptop or desktop for offline use.

Find "Offline Maps" in the settings and you can download whole continents or individual states and they will be available offline through the Maps app.

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Download a map to use offline