Upcoming additions of vehicle types and navigation
For those who don't know, I drive a truck for 10+ hours a day, currently in Chicago downtown/northside. (Almost as far north as Evanston.)
One thing I've been wondering about is the upcoming addition of vehicle types, including that of truck.
As I'm learning my new route, it's not uncommon for me to run across a bridge that is to low for me to pass under. With current automobile navigation, it's not uncommon for Waze to attempt to route me though a segment that a majority of trucks cannot pass. But if I could fit, it would be legal to do so.
I even ran across a case where I was at an intersection, couldn't proceed forward because the bridge was too low, couldn't reverse, because of traffic, and couldn't turn on a side-street because both turns were the wrong way down a one-way.
(I ended up taking one of those illegal turns, popped into an alley half a block away, and then drove legally.)
To prevent this happening to others (and yes, it's fairly common in that area) I'd suggest we end up agreeing on a minimum clearance under a bridge for it to allow trucks, for routing purposes.
After talking with a CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus driver, apparenly they are prohibited from driving under a bridge with less than 12 feet clearance. I suspect not all CTA bus routes follow this rule, which is why some of the bridges are unmarked. (And why I chose not to drive under the particular bridge we were discussing... My truck was a couple of inches higher...) But I suspect it's a good general guide as to a minimum clearance for that type of road segment to be restricted for trucks.
So I propose, if a truck doesn't have at least 12 feet of clearance, the segment of road effected should be marked "no trucks" to help with routing. The majority of local delivery trucks should be able to go under that bridge.
(In perspective, the easiest-to-get CDL (Commercial Driver's License) is a class C. And those trucks can be up to 13"6'. And clearance for a truck with that height (and to add a buffer zone to avoid hitting a bump in the road) t getunder a bridge is damned near impossible to get.
I doubt this will have little, if any, effect in rual or even suburban routing, but it will make a huge difference in urban routing, particularly in the older cities. I'm currently having to make at least one or more Y-turns to prevent myself from going under a to-low bridge on a daily basis while I learn this route and need to override Waze's guidance.
(This is one reason I've suggested Waze have two truck types in the new feature. Not all trucks are the same, or play by the same rules. And the size of the truck makes a huge difference in the speed you can get when going down some of the side-streets Waze is routing you through, particularly if it's a small two-way street that a truck can legally drive on.)
So, there are a few thoughts on the future implimentation of this feature. Also, as far as I can tell, when implimented, will make the only GPS system to handle trucks, following the guidelines given in the DMV's book for learning CDL driving. (Well, I don't think we currently include truck routes, but everything else would be there.)
I hope these thoughts help those who know more on this subject than I do...
Krikket
One thing I've been wondering about is the upcoming addition of vehicle types, including that of truck.
As I'm learning my new route, it's not uncommon for me to run across a bridge that is to low for me to pass under. With current automobile navigation, it's not uncommon for Waze to attempt to route me though a segment that a majority of trucks cannot pass. But if I could fit, it would be legal to do so.
I even ran across a case where I was at an intersection, couldn't proceed forward because the bridge was too low, couldn't reverse, because of traffic, and couldn't turn on a side-street because both turns were the wrong way down a one-way.
(I ended up taking one of those illegal turns, popped into an alley half a block away, and then drove legally.)
To prevent this happening to others (and yes, it's fairly common in that area) I'd suggest we end up agreeing on a minimum clearance under a bridge for it to allow trucks, for routing purposes.
After talking with a CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus driver, apparenly they are prohibited from driving under a bridge with less than 12 feet clearance. I suspect not all CTA bus routes follow this rule, which is why some of the bridges are unmarked. (And why I chose not to drive under the particular bridge we were discussing... My truck was a couple of inches higher...) But I suspect it's a good general guide as to a minimum clearance for that type of road segment to be restricted for trucks.
So I propose, if a truck doesn't have at least 12 feet of clearance, the segment of road effected should be marked "no trucks" to help with routing. The majority of local delivery trucks should be able to go under that bridge.
(In perspective, the easiest-to-get CDL (Commercial Driver's License) is a class C. And those trucks can be up to 13"6'. And clearance for a truck with that height (and to add a buffer zone to avoid hitting a bump in the road) t getunder a bridge is damned near impossible to get.
I doubt this will have little, if any, effect in rual or even suburban routing, but it will make a huge difference in urban routing, particularly in the older cities. I'm currently having to make at least one or more Y-turns to prevent myself from going under a to-low bridge on a daily basis while I learn this route and need to override Waze's guidance.
(This is one reason I've suggested Waze have two truck types in the new feature. Not all trucks are the same, or play by the same rules. And the size of the truck makes a huge difference in the speed you can get when going down some of the side-streets Waze is routing you through, particularly if it's a small two-way street that a truck can legally drive on.)
So, there are a few thoughts on the future implimentation of this feature. Also, as far as I can tell, when implimented, will make the only GPS system to handle trucks, following the guidelines given in the DMV's book for learning CDL driving. (Well, I don't think we currently include truck routes, but everything else would be there.)
I hope these thoughts help those who know more on this subject than I do...
Krikket
Re: Upcoming additions of vehicle types and navigation