I ordered the Garmin 465T Trucking GPS with the hopes it would relate to driving a bus as well. I did not find this to be the case.
After evaluating this unit for a little under a month, I decided that it did not provide the quality of service that I needed for my application versus the extra cost. I am not evaluating this unit as to wether it works for a professional driving in the trucking industry, but as it relates to the Charter Bus industry. In my experience, it would not route you on streets that a bus was alowed and needed to go. Let it be known that buses are required to drive and operate where trucks are not. Even though I put in the measurements of my bus vehichle under a seperate “truck profile” mode, it still worked under the basic rules that it was a truck and not a bus.
This being said, It wouldn’t route where I needed to go and even when you turned on that route anyway it constantly instructed you to turn around or detour. One instance came to mind on such an occasion when it was a truck restricted route, a local bus driver directed me on this route and said it was legal. There were a couple of low railroad truses that were between 12.5 and 13.0 ft tall. This is plenty of clearance for my bus.
This GPS constantly routed me off of this route and instructed me to turn on a rural subdivision road. As I passed I glanced down the road with cars parked and lined on both sides and a very tight looking “T” intersection a block away. I wouldn’t not have wanted to drive a large pickup and trailer down the road much less a 45′ straight bus nor tractor trailer. As to the fact that I was on a “truck restricted” route and this unit was in truck mode, it didn’t matter where it sent me as long as I got off of that route. If it would have had a bus mode or paid closer attention to the measurements of the vehicle I was driving rather than dewelling on being in truck mode while on a truck restricted route, perhaps it would have routed me differently or seen that I could indeed pass on the route ahead.
Another instance comes to mind while in Washington DC. I looked at the map and could clearly tell the most direct route. After activating the gps it wanted to route me out of the city around and back into the other side (around the world) to get there when there was a direct four lane road straight to my destination. I can only assume it wanted to get me out of the city as quick and easy as possible rather than through it even though it was a good road and the best time.
I realize city traffic may have slowed me down but to exit the city and loop around to the other side via bypasses would easily have added 50 miles or better round trip when it was only about 20 miles each way direct through the middle. I even tried to add “via” points to try and make it route that way. All it done was take me too it then back track on the same roads to get out when all I needed to do was go straight through.
So therefore I have concluded that this unit does NOT provide accurate routing for a Charter Bus.
Otherwise it did have some nice features but in my opinion not worth the money when all you have to do is pay attention to road signs.
