March 19, 2009 Truckers have special requirements for on-road navigation that most of us wouldn't even consider and GPS units that cater for these needs make a good deal of sense. Garmin has now entered this niche with the announcement of the nüvi® 465T, the company's first portable navigation device designed exclusively for over the road long-haul navigation and delivery trucks.
nüvi 465T capabilities
The navigator supports multiple truck profiles and features advanced routing and guidance to support truck-related road restrictions such as height, width, length, weight and hazardous materials. By entering the truck’s dimensions and load restrictions and the nüvi 465T will adjust many routes based on the customized truck profile and map data available.
The nüvi 465T provides locations in the National Truck and Trailer Services (NTTS) Breakdown Directory. This preloaded guide allows drivers to find truck-specific points of interest, such as truck repair, towing and recovery, tire sales and repair, glass repair, fuels stops and more. The navigator also features subscription-free lifetime traffic alerts in most major metro areas from NAVTEQ Traffic. This feature will notify drivers of traffic delays and road construction, so they may detour around the incident. It also displays warning information of upcoming road conditions such as sharp curves, steep grades, road narrows etc. The “lane assist” feature guides users to the proper lane for complex highway interchanges and drivers can also access the “where am I?” feature, for display of latitude and longitude coordinates, closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations and nearest address and intersection.
Additional features include a touchscreen display, pre-loaded street-level maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico with either three-dimensional mapping perspective or a 2-D overhead view. The navigator also displays speed limits for most major roadways, an automatic time zone update, has voice prompted directions and speaks the street names, providing turn-by-turn direction, and has 465T Bluetooth for hands-free wireless when paired with compatible phones.
The Garmin nuvi 465T has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of USD$499.99 and is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2009.
David Greig
