Question:
Looking to this forum for recommendations regarding route planning software.
I will be running US and Canada and am looking for suggestions as to which software would serve me well. Initially I have no plans to integrate with GPS but that could change in the future.
What do you folks use? Thanks in advance for all replies.
Best regards; jbm

Answer:
Microsoft Streets And Trips has great street level mapping.
As far as city to city routing I use PC Miler, it is the industry standard in most cases.

Answer:
I also use MS Streets and Trips, as well as PC Miler. I tend to run them both and compare the routes. They will, in many cases, generate different routes. The major difference is the street level mapping in the MS Streets and Trips. At one time I also had the DeLorme program....and it was good also, though it required inserting a CD to run it.
Seems the biggest problem with the MS program....unless you drop big bucks for their truck specific software...its going to give you the same route you would use with a car.... as opposed to PC Miler. But that isn't too much of a hurdle to deal with.So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:
Yes Streets and Trips is the best available on the market.Also check in Rand McNally."The RoadMaster"

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The trip planning "software" I use are pencil/pen, paper, truckers atlas. BOL

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The trip planning "software" I use are pencil/pen, paper, truckers atlas. BOL
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That's not fair.
You know how to read and write....

Answer:
I've used Delorme for five years now. I prefer it to some of the others because of how precisely you can tweak a given route to the exact roads and turns you want. Their GPS unit is smaller than a pack of cigarettes, powered by it's own USB connection, and can simply be placed on the dash.
Delorme is geared for recreational drivers, so you have to double check it with an atlas for size and weight restrictions -- no big deal. You've still got more usable info for the trip than a whole afternoon of yellow pad scratching with an atlas and calculator. Then when you start rolling, it gives you exact distance to each turn or road change in realtime as you drive (with the GPS) and markes your current position with a traveling arrow on the screen. Delorme's map is so accurate you can see what the ramps look like at every exit and split. It also contains every truckstop, gas station, restaurant, repair shop....and a couple million other "points of interest".
Delorme is only around $150 for the two-disc package and the GPS unit -- cheap compared to the so-called professional systems -- and I highly recommend it for it's flexibility and overall value. Make sure you've got enough available memory to dump the whole data disc on your hard drive, so you don't wear out your disc drive runing it for hours on end with all the vibration and shaking, etc...
I've been told Streets and Maps is similar to Delorme and they also sell their own similar GPS unit. However, be aware that this new generation of tiny, cheap GPS receivers are usually exclusive to the particular map system they're sold with. These competing systems want you to buy their GPS unit. Trying to use one company's GPS on another company's software involves finding questionable drivers on the net and trying to adapt them around the stumbling blocks each system uses to prevent you from cross-connecting competing systems.

Answer:
I used Co-Pilot truck with GPS for a few months a couple years ago. It integrates PC Miler which is undoubtedly the best truck mapping program. Co-pilot truck was fun to use and gave me the quickest easiest route. It displays turns on the screen, routes you back if you miss a turn, gives truck routes around detours, displays restaurant, shop, truck stop guides etc. for every ramp in a 10 mile range in front of you and more. The newest version even turns you cell phone into a GPS unit if it's the right phone. Like I said, it was fun.
I haven't used anything other than a cheap outdated copy of PC Miler I bought from some guy for $15.00 at a truck stop a few years ago since that time. I get directions and use a pen and paper most of the time. Without any problems. I would suggest buying one of the less exspensive programs that give a good general route and avoid any big money for some thing that is simply fun but not needed.
If you want to spend the money there is a thread around here with all sorts of good electronic and PC stuff you can get and use. I just can't remember the title of the thread so I can't post a link.

Answer:
I bought Co-Pilot and tried to use it, but I kept coming back to Delorme. Co-Pilot is very inflexible in comparison. It tends to lock you into the route it wants you to take, and is obviously intended to be more "plug and play" easy to use. Co-Pilot also cost a fortune. Most of the time, it just gave me the same routing my company provides over the QC. Delorme takes longer to learn since it offers so many more features and options you can really use. Delorme lets you assign different weighting to diferent kinds of roads (Interstates, U.S., state, major highways, streets, country roads....etc) and lets you control more variables in computing a route. Then, you can take that route and customize it to the exact roads and turns you want. Once you learn it's complexities, I think it beats Co-Pilot hands down. The one thing I liked about Co--Pilot was their GPS -- same size as Delorme's but weather-proofed to stick outside. Delorme's GPS has a plug-in connecting wire that's not intended for the elements, and therefore must stay in the cab.
But if you want something very simple and don't mind spending a few hundred dollars more than Delorme for it's truck-legal routing, Co-Pilot is better than nothing. I might like Pro-Pilot more if I was driving into more unfamiliar territory where I didn't already have my own personal knowledge of the routes. The cell phone GPS link sounds cool -- I never thought of that.
Like Stuffs said, it's fun using a system like this -- which brand you decide. When the guy loading next to me asks, "what's the best way to get to XXXX from here," he's asked the right person. But to me, it's become an essential navigation tool and helps me plan my time to reduce stress and just make life easier on the road. I don't even look for turns until I get within a couple miles. I'd have to re-learn the "old school" way of navigating again, after using a GPS routing system all these years. I value much of trucking's tradition, but missing turns, getting lost and not having the exact road miles I'll be driving before I start a trip, are traditions I can live without....

Answer:
I see, basically you just didn't know how to use Co-Pilot Truck. It uses PC Miler for routing and is very flexible if you know how to use it. Basically you can choose highways to use the same as with PC Miler and route yourself using shortest, tolls avoided, around scales etc. PC Miler is probably the best stand alone routing software available. But it also isn't cheap. The basic cost is $249.00 fpr Co-Pilot, thats just a little finger, not an arm or leg. The biggest help with it is the rerouting and the exit ramp information along with it's detour guide. But that kind of info in a program doesn;t come cheap.
Delorme is also over priced for not much of a program with simple routing. For basics with low cost "Streets and Trips" would be the best deal. Or using a telephone to get directions and then actually writing them down might even be cheaper.
Actually most newbies will find that in time they will become very familiar with the highways they use and will be able to trip plan and choose a route very quickly. It is harder when your new because every where you go is a new experience. In time you'll know the roads as well as you know they way around your home town. Routing programs for me are just a way to get me started. After that I have a good idea where I'll be going and what stops I'll be taking on the way. The same as I would think it is for most drivers who have been driving for a while.

Answer:
Is "Streets and Trips" GPS compatible? And if so does it need thier GPS or could I use my unit from Deluo? I was wanting to look into a program and I already have the GPS unit.
Steve

Answer:

Buy it on eBay - I got a brand new copy with the included GPS for $95 with shipping.
The only problem I had was the GPS unit wasn't getting a good signal on my dash. I simply ran the unit up to my mounting plate for my SIRIUS antenna, and sealed it with packing tape. I have never had it lose a signal since.
Some of the maps in Delorme are outdated (they are missing quite a few new subdivisions built over the last 5 years, especially in California - but that doesn't really affect anyone other than bedbuggers like me), but for a general "point A to point B" GPS system, it can't be beat, and is quite accurate. Sometimes it can glitch up, and doesn't understand quickly enough when you are trying to take an alternate route (for a low bridge, or detour), but it will re-route on the go without having to do anything.
It was certainly worth the 95 bucks I have in it, and in the past 4 months, I have only picked up my paper atlas 3 times (and one of those was to use it as a writing surface )

Answer:
I wouldn't describe it as not knowing how to use Co-Pilot.
Delorme doesn't dedicate you to PC miler routing. After choosing the "type" of route you prefer, it lets you force routing through a "via" you can spot on any road. It also lets you set-up an "avoid" circle over areas you want to route around -- tools to modify the initial routing you've programmed.
I also prefer the way it puts your upcoming turns and stops (etc) on a verticle list to the left of the map, which displays up to about 30 upcoming changes without having to scrolling through a horizontal list that only shows a couple. You can look over and see how many miles till a truckstop you might want to take a break at. Double clicking on that text centers the map on that spot, incase you want to check it out. Co-Pilot keeps you focused on the next turn, and requires some manipulation to find something farther into the trip.
Co-Piolot uses more written instructions to the driver on the screen (with a lot of wasted screen space) versus Delorme's more dense screen format. Delorme lets you arrange the text information to include or exclude the direction of turn, the "nearby" landmark, the estimated time (etc). I just display the miles to the turn, the highway, and the direction of travel, and I hide everything else. Co-Pilot doesn't allow you to modify this part of the display to your preferences. I've also shut off Delorme's annoying voice commands.
I'll admit my familiarity with Delorme made it dificult to appreciate Co-Pilot. If I hadn't learned Delorme like the back of my hand first, Co-Pilot probably would have looked like everything I could possibly want. But having run both, I now only open Co-Pilot if Delorme can't find an address.
Co-Pilot is more "one size fits all", because it's made for truckers who expect it to tell them exactly what to do and never put them on a restricted road. They want carriers to buy it and use it to tell drivers exactly what to do, so it's designed in this dirction.
I prefer telling the program exatly what I want to do thank you very much. Delorne isn't designed just for truckers, and isn't concernd about what the safety department thinks. I'll decide what's truck legal or preferrable to me, not what the program insists is in my best option. I want the data without the attitude.
Bottom line -- these programs are intresting, fun, and can turn into useful tools if you use them properly. They don't "replace" old-school trip planning skills as much as they add information (tons of information) to the process. I still call for directions, but then I transfer them to the custom surface street route I'm designing for that trip, attach map notes, and drive in using the screen instead of just my call notes.
Less stress, fewer mistakes, more accurate eta estimates, less unproductive out of route.....the many benefits of any of these systems makes them a plus for those interested in working smarter with fewer navigation hassles. Mine runs 24/7 whether I need it or not -- just like all the other displays on my dash.

Answer:
For those who want to play with more options and features and customizing, Delorne has a dedicated little following -- especially for the old 9. platform.
If you want a user friendly plug-and-play that cranks out reliable, practical truck-legal routing, and tells you everything you need to know about the next "turn", Co-Pilot is best.
I'm just pointing out differences I've noticed, since I've used both.
I've had this same circular argument with others into Co-Pilot --we go round and round. It's about personal preference, not a personal attack.

Answer:
Your starting to get a little pointless again.
Next time just say, "mine is better than yours".