The web-designer of this magazine, Mark, contacted me over Christmas with this thought – he’d obviously been down the pub with a chum – but it’s a good one.
“A friend and I were musing: wouldn’t it be good to have a separate downloadable roadmap for sat-nav used by heavy vans and lorries. This would stop them getting stuck in lanes with hump-back bridges or corners that are too tight for an artic. Good idea?”
Well, actually, an excellent idea Mark. You hear stories of small villages that are plagued by lorries trundling through lanes quite inappropriate for their bulk. Or wedged under bridges – causing further congestion. And a late delivery for the lorry driver, with possible dire consequences for the business of an owner-driver operator.
But, there is an answer. It’s just been launched by TomTom WORK. The business side of the TomTom sat-nav company.
It’s really quite ingenious. It features route information optimised for transport firms. It provides lorry-relevant information, such as clearance heights and weight restrictions.
Apparently it also has routing algorithms that keep trucks away from small town roads and narrow residential areas. And if the lorry takes a wrong turn, it doesn’t ask the driver to make a U-turn. It’s all very clever. And should make an ideal companion for any small business involved in transport. New TomTom WORK guides lorries the right way