Navigation app that sticks to a pre-defined route?

[wsmoak]

Has anyone found a navigation app that will stick to a route you define in advance, and do voice navigation for the entire trip without touching it?

Google Maps is great, but it will pick the shortest route, and we all know that’s not always what you want with a trailer!

For example on my way to the trainers, I know I need to go all the way into one town and turn left, because if I take the diagonal shorter route, it comes out on a blind curve where I have to turn left across a 55 mph road and cannot see if anyone is coming. I much prefer spending the extra few minutes to turn left where there is a wide intersection with a light.

Some searching around leads to a few apps that motorcycle riders use, because they are trying to find the fun twisty back roads and also want to stick to a defined route.

I’m looking at Scenic and inRoute . Any other suggestions?

[endlessclimb]

Following. I always say Google maps needs an “I’m pulling a trailer, please don’t kill me” option.

Anyone know an over the road trucker? They’ve got to have something.

[Simkie]

Hopefully there’s an app just for this, but I was curious what solutions people have come up with to make Google maps work…surely you’re not the only one with this issue!

This suggests downloading the maps for offline viewing & going to airplane mode:

How to Stop Google Maps Rerouting - Techtrickz

But then no one can reach you. Could work if you have an old phone to use just for nav?

This suggests adding stops that force Google to stick to your route. You could add the better intersection as a stop, so Google takes you that way. Hassle to build a complex trip every time, but maybe it’s possible to save them?

https://support.google.com/maps/thread/22927274/maps-are-overriding-my-selected-navigation-directions-any-way-to-prevent-it?hl=en

If you know the way, why pull up maps? Is it for the turn by turn? Or the traffic info? Why you’re using maps might also impact which tool will work.

[Heinz_57]

@endlessclimb

Anyone know an over the road trucker? They’ve got to have something.

If the number of semi trucks that try to use the road with the two low clearance train underpasses near me is any indication, they clearly do not It’s almost a weekly occurrence.

You used to be able to just drag the line on Google maps to whichever way you want to go, although that doesn’t seem to be working for me today.

[BrendaJane]

we use both mapquest and waze in conjunction.
I like the latter because it is interactive and lets you know of road hazards along the way. I did accidentally disable interstate as option, lol, that was fun. fat fingers and all.

[wsmoak]

You can design a route in Google’s My Maps, but you cannot use it for navigation. It’s more for planning a vacation with stops. The best you can do is choose the next waypoint and have it navigate you there. But then it will end. And if it wasn’t somewhere you really wanted to stop, it’s hard to get it going again if you’re driving alone. (Mine is a hands free state, you are not supposed to be touching a phone while driving.)

I want it for the turn by turn navigation. The “in half a mile, turn right on…” Yes I know generally where I’m going but I haven’t driven it that many times. And everywhere here is at the end of narrow rural roads. If you miss a turn, good luck getting back to your route.

I will report back after I play with the two I’ve found for a while.

[Simkie]

@wsmoak

You can design a route in Google’s My Maps, but you cannot use it for navigation

This isn’t how it works for me, maybe we’re talking about different things? In maps, there’s the option to add stops to a trip. Google navigates point to point.

Since you’re just looking for the turn by turn, downloading the offline maps & putting the phone in airplane mode should do it for you, if you have a device to spare. One thing to try if your other options don’t pan out.

[wsmoak]

@Simkie

This isn’t how it works for me, maybe we’re talking about different things? In maps, there’s the option to add stops to a trip. Google navigates point to point.

My experience is described in this thread
https://support.google.com/maps/thread/14063603/how-to-use-maps-created-in-google-my-maps-that-can-be-navigated-using-google-maps?hl=en

You can pull up the map, and select one destination and use the normal Google Maps to navigate to that destination. Which means it will do the route it prefers to that destination, which is the problem.

(I’m also on an iPhone using Google Maps… maybe it works better on an Android phone.)

It won’t navigate you to the final destination using all of your defined waypoints. It’s fine if you have another person with you to keep switching to the ‘next’ waypoint but I have not figured out all of the voice controls. And some of my waypoints are quite close together in order to correctly route through some small towns.

[Simkie]

Here’s what I’m thinking of. It does look like this functionality is available in the iOS version of Google maps, and is different than what your link talks about.

Now you can build multi-stop road trips on Google Maps for iOS

[wsmoak]

@Simkie

Here’s what I’m thinking of. It does look like this functionality is available in the iOS version of Google maps, and is different than what your link talks about.

Thanks! That is getting closer. It still doesn’t let you use the My Maps (where you can save maps with named destinations and layers) for navigation. But if you start in the plain Google Maps, after you add the stops you can email yourself a link to the map and ‘save’ it that way.

Hopefully with some additional feedback their product managers will bring the two things together eventually.

I can’t get the “Pinned” thing to work. It says “Recommended route pinned” but then if I navigate to the same place it just goes back to the usual route it likes, not my preferred one.

[prudence]

Use Ride With GPS. You can use it for free for a few months. I have the App and people have given me routes to follow. The App gives you starts and turns on the trail. You need to be a little tech-savvy…

[cutter99]

There is a free app called “Trucker Path” that will allow you to put in information about what size your rig is, height clearances, etc. There is also a paid version of the app, which offers more.

Trucker Path | Technology Built for the Trucking Industry

I had a stand alone GPS that was specifically designed for RVs and semi trucks. What I didn’t like about it was it was kinda big, and it needed to be updated regularly by plugging it into a computer.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/763101

[Equibrit]

Run Google Maps on your computer, enter start & end, “add destinations” along your prefered route, then send it to your phone. (Turn off Fuel efficiency routes) If it defaults to fastest/fuel efficient route on your phone, just tap the route you want. I use Android - may be different on Iphone.

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6081481?hl=en

[lorilu]

Roadtrippers. It defalts to Google Maps for navigation BUT you can design the exact route using waypoints (especially easy using the Plus version)