GPS and Trucking

As a truck driver it is your job to cross the nation and often drive roads you have never seen before. This is a great opportunity to see new places and experience new things, but it can also be an opportunity to get lost. This is where the wonderful world of technology comes in. Today it is relatively easy to find your way wherever you with a simple push of a button. This is done through a GPS device.

GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a device which uses satellite technology to pinpoint locations and provide directions to and from just about anywhere in the United States. GPS technology originated from the U.S. military and has been put to use for many top notch military operations. It started small, by being used mainly for military functions but as technology grew, demand for public access also grew.

At first the quality of the Global Positioning System was lessened for public use, leaving the stronger quality for the military. However, in the year 2000 President Clinton ordered “selective availability” to be turned off and all quality access to be granted to the public. That was 2000 and it is now 2012 and much has changed in 12 years.

Now almost everyone, both on and off the road, has some form of GPS available to them. Whether that form is through a cellphone or specific GPS device, it is now easier to find your way in the world than it ever has been.

In the trucking industry GPS is paramount and is frequently used by both truck drivers and trucking companies. Drivers may use their device to find their way in a new area or to locate a restaurant close to their truck stop, while their trucking company can use GPS to locate their trucks and better plot trucking routes. Whatever the reason is, Global Positioning Systems are definitely useful in the trucking industry.

However, with this technology the trucking industry is also noticing a new kind of problem. This being that while GPS is great, some truck drivers are relying too much on this technology and forgetting important information such as how to read a map or follow directions.

GPS systems can be programmed to provide almost any information, but it is important to remember how to get along without it all the same, especially in the trucking industry. Think about this, if your GPS was somehow damaged and would not work where would you be without a map and the knowledge of how to read it? GPS is a great and useful tool, but it is important not to rely on it too much.

In the trucking industry it is important to know where you are at every moment, as each minute and each mile equals money. GPS is a great instrument for truck drivers and has been a very useful technology throughout every aspect of the trucking industry. It is expected that the use of Global Positioning Services will grow dramatically and will soon become even more prevalent than it currently is. GPS has come a long way since 2000, it will be interesting to see how this technology grows and where it takes in the next 12 years.