Rand McNally VS Garmin Truck GPS: Which One Is Better?

Wondering which GPS for truck drivers is better? Rand McNally or Garmin?

Choosing one of these two GPS brands is difficult because both of them are established in the market.

Garmin Features: 

1. Customized truck routing

Tap and pinch on the screen to zoom the display.

Garmin Dezl 780 comes with pre-installed maps and truck-related warnings for route. For example, any nearby low bridge, sharp bends, steep inclinations, etc.

Simply, fill in the vehicle profile information. Set the weight, height, length, width, and the GPS device will provide safest routes appropriate to the dimensions of the truck.

2. It comes with break-planning

Garmin Dēzl 780 truck navigation device provides timely updates about the route’s key stopovers that most truck drivers care about such as restaurants, fuel stations, rest zones, lodgings, ATMs, or Wi-Fi availability.

That way, you can plan your future on the road stops.

3. Display and track

Garmin Dezl 780 comes with a pre-installed basic truck monitoring system. The system lets fleet-operators track the truck effectively by sending instant notifications.

4. Voice command feature

The voice-activated navigation option provides the truck driver with more control over the road while making route changes using his voice. That way you can keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.

First, to ensure that your hands-free functionality is not unduly interrupted, the Garmin dēzl 780 LMT-S provides a Bluetooth connection.

When connected to your smartphone, the Garmin dēzl 780 LMT-S serves as an intermediary with its integrated speaker and microphone allowing you to make or receive calls through the GPS navigator rather than using a separate device.

5. Built-in Wi-Fi feature keeping you up to date

Thanks to the Wi-Fi built-in feature, Garmin Dēzl 780 LMT-S GPS truck GPS device keeps you informed about anything happening on the road such as traffic or bad weather hitting the road.

If the device is connected to Wi-Fi, you’ll get an on-screen notification of the upcoming information.

Rand McNally Features:

1. Simple functionality

Despite its internal complexities, the Rand McNally 740 looks simple from the outside.

Its mount has a magnetic “hold and release” arrangement, which makes it extremely simple to remove it and store it away when not used.

The GPS device is intuitive in use and requires very little training to get accustomed to using it.

Besides the numerous functionality of the Rand McNally 740, what is truly important is to place it somewhere on the front panel and set your destination, and follow the recommendations.

Rand McNally 740 is the ideal GPS for truck drivers who are not technically knowledgeable or who don’t want to spend their time setting and aligning a new GPS navigation system. 

2. Route planning

Due to its Truck-Centric software, individuals find that it can quickly pay for itself in terms of time and charged price. This is great for those who are happy to invest the time to gain proficiency and work on the Rand McNally 740.

With external Wi-Fi access provided by a personal mobile phone, the GPS device can show the nearby fuel stations, truck stops with showers, food stopovers, etc., and also letting them know if these places have feasible truck parking.

This helps the truck drivers pick their stops ahead of time and also guarantees they do not have to change their travel plans since they can’t get their truck into a pre-arranged stop.

3. Strong overall performance

A few purchasers may feel that the price of $400 is fairly high for this GPS device.

This price includes the cost for truck-specific software, high-quality processors, and hardware running on the

Rand McNally 740. Due to this expensive software, the Rand McNally 740 offers an exceptional user experience and a lot of useful information for truck drivers. 

The Rand McNally TND 740 is a GPS unit designed for use in the commercial trucking industry. As such, it offers processing power, route planning capabilities, and data relevant only to trucks, such as shipping and bridge weight restrictions.

Additionally, Rand McNally developed optimized routes allowing truck drivers to find and use an optimal route for trucks. 

4. Simple functionality and use

Despite its interior complexity, the Rand McNally 740 has a very simplistic exterior. It has a 7-inch wide touchscreen, no buttons to press, and nothing to install.

Thanks to its magnetic hold and release system, the device can be easily removed and stored when not in use. Also, the absence of plastic clamps avoids the stress of breaking them often.

The GPS device's intuitive user experience allows even rookie truck drivers to use it, requiring minimal training. The truck driver just needs to fill in the destination and the dimensions of the truck and follow the calculated route and other recommendations given by the device.

You’ll enjoy the ease of use if you are not a tech-savvy truck driver or you don’t want to spend multiple hours training yourself on using a GPS device.

5. Excellent Route Planning Features

By providing an internet connection through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the GPS device analyzes the route and displays local fuel, food, motel prices, parking for trucks, etc. It’ll also send notifications when there is traffic on the road or bad weather.

That allows truck drivers to plan their best routes ahead of time. It also allows them to prevent time and money loss due to choosing a bad route. 

6. E-Logging

Many GPS units and even phone-based apps for truckers offer this functionality. But the Rand McNally company has ensured that truck drivers can log their data from any compatible ELD device.

This provides necessary information for owner-operators who want to optimize their costs or fleet owners who are wondering how their trucks are doing.

This enables even beginner truck drivers to quickly determine the best way to run their trucks for better performance and profit.

7. Constant Maps Update

Another modern feature on the Rand McNally TND 740 is constantly updating maps.

The device uses the latest version of the map stored on the device when it has no internet connection.

Once the Rand McNally 740 connects to the internet, the map is updated.

That means that, while connected to the internet, the Rand McNally 740 will notify of any road closure due to construction, heavy traffic, or bad weather, for example, and will reroute automatically.

Rand McNally VS Garmin feature comparison

Related: 

Best Garmin GPS for Semi-Truck Drivers and Their Features