I use RV Trip Wizard - an online planning tool - and RVLife app that uses your saved, planned route and provides live GPS directions. When planning it will identify hazards but there is no traffic information.
This app/online tool does have an annual subscription fee.
Since there’s lots of comments about importing a trip from Trip Wizard into a Garmin RV GPS, I just found this How-To video on the process, I’ll study it more at length later tonight. https://youtu.be/TgFLv3aD9uI
By far the best trip-planning software you can get is RV Trip Wizard. After planning your trip the routing can be exported to a GPS. In your case I don't know if the route can be exported to the dash display but it would be worth exploring.
I use a Garmin 770 for travel with the RV Trip Wizard route programmed in. I pull a 40' fiver with a class 7 truck so must be very particular about my routing. The trip wizard offers all the features you are looking for. It's a great program at a minimal yearly subscription. $40 if I remember correctly. Happy trails.
Best bet..just buy a truck GPS. Even the smallest, cheapest one would work. My semi is 13’6”.
Next best .. get a Rand McNally Truckers Atlas… yes, it’s an actual book. Go to a big truck stop, then back to the fuel desk where the truckers pay for the fuel, there should be some there. About $20. Love’s, Pilot, Flying J, Travel Centers of America. (TA) and Petro.
Plan your route, then check it against the listings. Every state is listed with bridge heights and truck-safe roads. Pbly overkill cause you’re not that high.
For fueling, every company with truck stops has an app that shows locations. Maybe not really where you prefer fueling, but the roofs are high enuf, no worry.
I think you’re looking for a unicorn. I’ve been using GPS apps for many years; I’ve been an early adopter since the PalmPilot days. I’ve navigated rigs from a 17-foot Casita to a 45-foot Newmar DP. I have yet to find a single app that meets your reasonable requirements. If someone offered that app/device, I’d pay whatever it charged. After much experimentation I’ve settled on a combination of Google Maps, a paper motor carrier’s road atlas, and a Garmin RV GPS for route planning. I augment those apps while driving with an app called iExit. Campgrounds/RV parks are identified with Campendium.
I have the Garmin RV GPS running alongside Google Maps while driving. GM is excellent for traffic, construction and alternate route suggestions in real time but, it thinks you are a car. The truckers atlas shows the routes that big rigs can safely navigate; a great double-check. Garmin knows my rig’s height, weight, width, and weight. I added the low clearance POIs from lowclearances.com to the Garmin so the Garmin is better informed of low bridges. No app will tell you the canopy heights at fuel stops.
I subscribed to RV Trip Wizard and tried it continuously for six months. I became increasingly frustrated with its poor user interface and many idiosyncrasies and abandoned it. I’ve tried just about every RV GPS app in the Apple App Store and abandoned them all for various reasons; the most common reasons were incomplete road data and unexplainable route selections.
I think there is an excellent and profitable opportunity for some sharp developer to create an app that has: 1 the ease of use, extensive maps and POIs, and real-time traffic information of Google Maps; 2 the rig-specific metrics embedded; 3 the extensive low clearances data from low clearances.com; 4 the huge campground database of Campendium; 5 the major planning features of RVTW; 6 the crowdsourced curated update features of Wayz; 7 the ability to work without connection to the internet; 8) versions optimized for a phone and tablet, and Android and iOS.
The best GPS devices for people with big rigs include the Garmin RV line of navigation systems, which work even when there is no cell service. These RV-specific GPS navigators consider the height, length, and weight of your RV to find recommended routes that avoid perils like low overpasses, narrow tunnels, weight-restricted bridges, etc., and other restrictions that you can specify.
Yep, that’s what I use while driving our DP motorhome. I don’t think any GPS is 100% perfect however it did save me 1 time from a low underpass but again it did take me down the wrong road once. My wife usually follows along with her I-Pad and we have pulled off the road to think it over.
We use RV Life Trip Wizard. It has RV-safe GPS and routes us based on the size, height and weight of the rig (also allows you to say if you have propane on-board). It also allows you to set trip preferences (e.g. tolls, tunnels, traffic, etc.). It is $49/yr subscription. As mentioned it doesn't 'do' traffic but my co-pilot is always alerting me as she is using Wayz and a map and a Trucker's Atlas. LOL
Another vote for the RV Life suite. The GPS picks up your planned route from RV Trip Wizard and uses height, weight, length and other preferences. It knows where you are on your trip and automatically sets up to guide you to your next stop. I like that it gives more advance notice of turns, interchanges, etc than Google or Apple.
Hands down RV Trip Wizard, and I've tried several. Allows you to enter rig dimensions, weight and plan an RV safe route. And they have a gps app for your phone that displays your trip for navigation. Also has the ability to download the trip to .csv or .gpx file that can be uploaded to most gps units. It also has many other great features I love. Used it on a trip from SC to ME back in June and it worked perfectly for our 13' tall 16T Class A. I have a Garmin RV 760 GPS also which will keep you on a safe route too but it stinks for planning trips.
We are full timers pulling a 5th wheel. We also subscribe to RV Trip Wizard. Early in our travels we used the RV Trip Wizard app until we headed out west. You guessed it. No CELL service. It was like driving blind. We did print out the directions but as the driver seeing is better. We have been using the Garmin RV 890. It does have some faults but that can happen with any app also. You can plug all you measurements into the Garmin to include GPS coordinates. If you boondock having coordinates is awesome. It does take up room on the dash but it’s well worth it.
Pete, can you provide more info about exporting to the 770? I've not had much success with it. Seemed mostly klunky trying to export to a file, then import into GPS via a program.
Garmin RV GPS for traveling, TripWizard for planning, then enter into Garmin’s trip planner, then your WAZY on your phone. You can also buy the additional road conditions from Garmin, but I haven’t used it.
I may give this combo a try. Seems like it would do everything I like. Plus the Garmin 895 linked to your phone will warn you of bad weather conditions ahead.
Wow, a lot of love for RV Tripwizard; I may be the exception to the rule. First some back ground. Before retiring I traveled for a living, here and across the globe by both plane and car. I was an early adopter of GPS technology. The first I use was in Australia back in 1998 and the maps were on CD's mounted in the trunk. I have had various stand alone units, including 4 different Garmins, have used 4 different apps on my phone, Trip Wizard (for which I still have the subscription) and even a gps built into my navigation system in the car. Frankly, in my opinion, none of them are a silver bullet.
When Google maps first came out it was terrible to the point it several times almost got me into wrecks. That said they have continued to improve and now are one of the easiest to use but still lacking some needed features for RVs and Truck. It is very good at adjusting to road conditions, road work, wrecks etc. s.Trip Wizard is OK for trip planning, although it took me over a year to get use to its idiosyncrasies, but it allows for trip route saving however it is still very clunky as an active navigator (IMO). They seem to be active in making improvements, which is encouraging. Garmin use to be good but it seams most "improvements" since the mid 2010s have been to get bigger and add some wiz-bang visuals. I have a 980, which is permanently installed on my motor home, that now I just leave turned off.
In my opinion, currently Google Maps is the best and easiest to use except they make saving routes a bit cumbersome (but not impossible) and they do not allow one to preset height, weight, width and length of your vehicle. Currently I use a combination of Trip Wizard for planning and G Maps for driving (which until recently I used on my phone but after a radio up grade now I can cast to my larger in dash screen. Frankly I think Google is missing an opportunity as they could add the missing features noted above, call it Maps PRO and charge a subscription rate for it.
I use RV Trip Wizard - an online planning tool - and RVLife app that uses your saved, planned route and provides live GPS directions. When planning it will identify hazards but there is no traffic information.
This app/online tool does have an annual subscription fee.
Since there’s lots of comments about importing a trip from Trip Wizard into a Garmin RV GPS, I just found this How-To video on the process, I’ll study it more at length later tonight. https://youtu.be/TgFLv3aD9uI
By far the best trip-planning software you can get is RV Trip Wizard. After planning your trip the routing can be exported to a GPS. In your case I don't know if the route can be exported to the dash display but it would be worth exploring.
I use a Garmin 770 for travel with the RV Trip Wizard route programmed in. I pull a 40' fiver with a class 7 truck so must be very particular about my routing. The trip wizard offers all the features you are looking for. It's a great program at a minimal yearly subscription. $40 if I remember correctly. Happy trails.
Best bet..just buy a truck GPS. Even the smallest, cheapest one would work. My semi is 13’6”.
Next best .. get a Rand McNally Truckers Atlas… yes, it’s an actual book. Go to a big truck stop, then back to the fuel desk where the truckers pay for the fuel, there should be some there. About $20. Love’s, Pilot, Flying J, Travel Centers of America. (TA) and Petro.
Plan your route, then check it against the listings. Every state is listed with bridge heights and truck-safe roads. Pbly overkill cause you’re not that high.
For fueling, every company with truck stops has an app that shows locations. Maybe not really where you prefer fueling, but the roofs are high enuf, no worry.
And I enjoy reading your articles.
I think you’re looking for a unicorn. I’ve been using GPS apps for many years; I’ve been an early adopter since the PalmPilot days. I’ve navigated rigs from a 17-foot Casita to a 45-foot Newmar DP. I have yet to find a single app that meets your reasonable requirements. If someone offered that app/device, I’d pay whatever it charged. After much experimentation I’ve settled on a combination of Google Maps, a paper motor carrier’s road atlas, and a Garmin RV GPS for route planning. I augment those apps while driving with an app called iExit. Campgrounds/RV parks are identified with Campendium.
I have the Garmin RV GPS running alongside Google Maps while driving. GM is excellent for traffic, construction and alternate route suggestions in real time but, it thinks you are a car. The truckers atlas shows the routes that big rigs can safely navigate; a great double-check. Garmin knows my rig’s height, weight, width, and weight. I added the low clearance POIs from lowclearances.com to the Garmin so the Garmin is better informed of low bridges. No app will tell you the canopy heights at fuel stops.
I subscribed to RV Trip Wizard and tried it continuously for six months. I became increasingly frustrated with its poor user interface and many idiosyncrasies and abandoned it. I’ve tried just about every RV GPS app in the Apple App Store and abandoned them all for various reasons; the most common reasons were incomplete road data and unexplainable route selections.
I think there is an excellent and profitable opportunity for some sharp developer to create an app that has: 1 the ease of use, extensive maps and POIs, and real-time traffic information of Google Maps; 2 the rig-specific metrics embedded; 3 the extensive low clearances data from low clearances.com; 4 the huge campground database of Campendium; 5 the major planning features of RVTW; 6 the crowdsourced curated update features of Wayz; 7 the ability to work without connection to the internet; 8) versions optimized for a phone and tablet, and Android and iOS.
The best GPS devices for people with big rigs include the Garmin RV line of navigation systems, which work even when there is no cell service. These RV-specific GPS navigators consider the height, length, and weight of your RV to find recommended routes that avoid perils like low overpasses, narrow tunnels, weight-restricted bridges, etc., and other restrictions that you can specify.
Yep, that’s what I use while driving our DP motorhome. I don’t think any GPS is 100% perfect however it did save me 1 time from a low underpass but again it did take me down the wrong road once. My wife usually follows along with her I-Pad and we have pulled off the road to think it over.
We use RV Life Trip Wizard. It has RV-safe GPS and routes us based on the size, height and weight of the rig (also allows you to say if you have propane on-board). It also allows you to set trip preferences (e.g. tolls, tunnels, traffic, etc.). It is $49/yr subscription. As mentioned it doesn't 'do' traffic but my co-pilot is always alerting me as she is using Wayz and a map and a Trucker's Atlas. LOL
Another vote for the RV Life suite. The GPS picks up your planned route from RV Trip Wizard and uses height, weight, length and other preferences. It knows where you are on your trip and automatically sets up to guide you to your next stop. I like that it gives more advance notice of turns, interchanges, etc than Google or Apple.
Hands down RV Trip Wizard, and I've tried several. Allows you to enter rig dimensions, weight and plan an RV safe route. And they have a gps app for your phone that displays your trip for navigation. Also has the ability to download the trip to .csv or .gpx file that can be uploaded to most gps units. It also has many other great features I love. Used it on a trip from SC to ME back in June and it worked perfectly for our 13' tall 16T Class A. I have a Garmin RV 760 GPS also which will keep you on a safe route too but it stinks for planning trips.
We are full timers pulling a 5th wheel. We also subscribe to RV Trip Wizard. Early in our travels we used the RV Trip Wizard app until we headed out west. You guessed it. No CELL service. It was like driving blind. We did print out the directions but as the driver seeing is better. We have been using the Garmin RV 890. It does have some faults but that can happen with any app also. You can plug all you measurements into the Garmin to include GPS coordinates. If you boondock having coordinates is awesome. It does take up room on the dash but it’s well worth it.
Pete, can you provide more info about exporting to the 770? I've not had much success with it. Seemed mostly klunky trying to export to a file, then import into GPS via a program.
Try Hammer. It's a trucker gps. Weight, height, all important info can be entered. FREE!
Garmin RV GPS for traveling, TripWizard for planning, then enter into Garmin’s trip planner, then your WAZY on your phone. You can also buy the additional road conditions from Garmin, but I haven’t used it.
I may give this combo a try. Seems like it would do everything I like. Plus the Garmin 895 linked to your phone will warn you of bad weather conditions ahead.
Mike, check out TruckMap. You can put in your dimensions. Truck stops are well highlighted. Truck routes and rig considerations are emphasized.
RV Trip Wizard is great for planning a route. I also use a Garmin RV gps, several models are available.
Wow, a lot of love for RV Tripwizard; I may be the exception to the rule. First some back ground. Before retiring I traveled for a living, here and across the globe by both plane and car. I was an early adopter of GPS technology. The first I use was in Australia back in 1998 and the maps were on CD's mounted in the trunk. I have had various stand alone units, including 4 different Garmins, have used 4 different apps on my phone, Trip Wizard (for which I still have the subscription) and even a gps built into my navigation system in the car. Frankly, in my opinion, none of them are a silver bullet.
When Google maps first came out it was terrible to the point it several times almost got me into wrecks. That said they have continued to improve and now are one of the easiest to use but still lacking some needed features for RVs and Truck. It is very good at adjusting to road conditions, road work, wrecks etc. s.Trip Wizard is OK for trip planning, although it took me over a year to get use to its idiosyncrasies, but it allows for trip route saving however it is still very clunky as an active navigator (IMO). They seem to be active in making improvements, which is encouraging. Garmin use to be good but it seams most "improvements" since the mid 2010s have been to get bigger and add some wiz-bang visuals. I have a 980, which is permanently installed on my motor home, that now I just leave turned off.
In my opinion, currently Google Maps is the best and easiest to use except they make saving routes a bit cumbersome (but not impossible) and they do not allow one to preset height, weight, width and length of your vehicle. Currently I use a combination of Trip Wizard for planning and G Maps for driving (which until recently I used on my phone but after a radio up grade now I can cast to my larger in dash screen. Frankly I think Google is missing an opportunity as they could add the missing features noted above, call it Maps PRO and charge a subscription rate for it.