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The must-have Christmas present was yet again in-car satellite navigation, and it looks like drivers of commercial vehicles
have also been seduced by the charms of sat nav.
However, the villagers of Mereworth, near Maidstone were in the spotlight last summer when a foreign lorry driver found
himself being directed down increasingly narrow roads until his 40ft vehicle became wedged between houses along Beech Road in
the village
The reason for this is that units designed for use by car drivers are often inappropriate for larger commercial vehicles. The
units are also being bought by drivers who see them as something to make their working day easier - less time spent lost or
pulling over to consult the map, and far safer than attempting to do this on the move - rather than being provided by the
company as a tool for doing their job.
Last summer, FTA's Freight Councils discussed the issue of sat navs in commercial vehicles and laid down some ground rules
for drivers and operators, whether they had devices or not: drivers should know the height of their vehicle and obey all
prohibitive order road signs; and when planning routes, drivers should remain on the motorway or primary route network for as
long as is reasonably possible.
Now truck maker Continental has introduced a sat nav system that will help haulage vehicles avoid getting stuck under low
bridges or in narrow roads. The new VDO Dayton Truck SatNav also gives information about truck stops, petrol stations and
more, Commercial Motor reports.
It must still be noted that Ordnance Survey releases around 6,000 alterations to regulations on the road map every six weeks
and marked restrictions can change or be wrong, even if you are updating your unit regularly.
Garry Shipman, Sales Director of Haul-It Nationwide Ltd. welcomes the new sat nav device, but warns drivers that the
databases used may not be entirely up to the minute and that they are not invincible.
The FTA's James Hookham , supports Garry's view, saying: "drivers should not just rely on instructions from their sat-nav,
but must use their own common sense. Blindly following the advice of an inanimate computer is not always the best policy."
Sat navs are not a panacea, and if we all regard them as a tool to use alongside professional training and experience, then
the benefits that they are currently bringing will hopefully stop being overshadowed by the horror stories.
Garry Shipman, Sales Director, Haul-It Nationwide Ltd.
http://www.driveragency.com/
garryshipman@haul-itnationwide.co.uk
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