Garmin’s 465T is one of the first GPS devices to be designed just for truckers. Although other manufacturers have tried to design a trucker oriented GPS device before, none have really succeeded. With the 465T, however, it looks like Garmin has come out with a really good product. Since, trucker’s depend on their equipment for money, I wanted to take a close look at the 465T, and especially air out any Garmin 465T problems that I’ve come across lately. So, let’s take a brief look at the 465T, then talk about what the customer feedback is like.
Garmin 465T Problems: Features
The Garmin 465T is designed especially for truckers. Specifically, it’s designed to choose your route based on your truck type, its load, and physical restrictions. I’m sure you can see how helpful this would be for any type of trucker. And, I’m sure you could see how a regular, automotive GPS just wouldn’t work for a number of types of truck due to weight load, size, etc. You can even work hazardous materials into all of this.
In addition to all of these trucker specific features, you’ve got several features that are the same as car GPS devices, such as Bluetooth, lane assist, and FM transmission.
Garmin 465T Problems
In general, it seems that the trucking community has embraced the Garmin nüvi 465T. One very important aspect of GPS devices for truckers is signal availability. You don’t want to be relying on the device, then suddenly loose the signal and get lost. Fortunately, Garmin’s devices rely on one of the best chipsets on the market. Trucker’s report excellent signal strength in all of the 48 continental states.
Another issue is the screen size. Here results are a little mixed. In a truck, there’s generally a little more distance between you and the GPS, than in a car. The nüvi 465T’s widescreen helps, but I’ve come across a few reviews where truckers have trouble positioning the device for best use. This is certainly a problem with a solution, but you might have to experiment with the placement of the device. Another source of Garmin 465T problems is with the data in the device. I suspect this will be improved as time goes on, since this is a new model, but right now, a lot of reviews from truckers say that the points of interest are mainly car oriented, and that the weigh stations and other points of interest to truckers are not nearly as accurate as they should be.
Bottom Line on the Garmin 465T problems is this. I’m not a trucker. I’m a consumer technology writer. But it seems to me that the Garmin 465T has a few problems. If you’ve already got a car GPS which you like, then maybe you should stick with that until Garmin gets a few of the bugs worked out. If these Garmin 465T problems don’t bother you, then go ahead, buy one and take it on a trip. It’s not inexpensive, but you won’t know unless you experiment.
To learn more about the Garmin 465T, check it out here, at Amazon.
