No "Coach length" consideration when route planning is a big problem

[timjet]

I've been using TW for nearly 2 years with good results. It's not perfect but does better than my Garmin GPS which does pretty good too.

Im going to assume there are other roads better suited in your discussion above.

Occassionally I will check my routing on the sat view of TW if I think there is a problem.

Since you are new to TW I suggest you keep using it. I think you will eventually like it even if the occassional bad routing occures.

No input from developers is needed.

[Sue46]

I agree with Timjet regarding the routing. Every product I have ever used in 20+ years has routing problems. Just in the nature of the beast.



I would never trust my GPS or any routing program more than about 75%. It is a useful tool, like a map.



I have a curiosity question You say the road should be a state road rather than a county road. I have always considered state roads a step above the county roads.

[VanDiemen23]

To what timjet and another posted earlier:

I've done two cross-country trips with RVTW, the first in a moving truck and the second in our RV.

On the first trip we found that after planning the route in RVTW and exporting it, that google would simply produce it's own route between our start and finish.

On the second trip I set every fuel stop, etc as a forced waypoint, and at least when google tried to screw us it could only be for a smaller part of the route.

We also ran the trip on multiple devices simultaneously and were surprised to find differences.

[aiken rver]

Originally Posted by VanDiemen23

To what timjet and another posted earlier:

I've done two cross-country trips with RVTW, the first in a moving truck and the second in our RV.

On the first trip we found that after planning the route in RVTW and exporting it, that google would simply produce it's own route between our start and finish.

On the second trip I set every fuel stop, etc as a forced waypoint, and at least when google tried to screw us it could only be for a smaller part of the route.

We also ran the trip on multiple devices simultaneously and were surprised to find differences.

We sometimes will run 3 different GPS systems and will get 3 different routes; sometimes at the same corner. I generally will check the route via satellite and sometimes "drive it with Google Earth street view. Street view not only lets me see problems but also lets me see "landmarks" before turns so it seems familiar when I drive for real. I have found street view to be a real asset if current.

As others have mentioned I use waypoints and fuel stops to force my Rand McNally to go the way I want. I edit the exported file to give names to the waypoints to help me remember why I set them.

[Andy R]

Thank you all for the feedback above. RV Trip Wizard currently uses Google Maps for it's routing engine. We are developing an RV specific routing engine that will allow you to avoid dirt roads and some other more granular options vs Google Maps. We hope to be able to launch the enhanced routing options here in 2019.

[timjet]

Thanks Andy, looking forward to the enhancements.
Are you considering a mobile app that a user can drive with??

[petrel]

Please consider just using approved truck routes. That would help with height issues as well. The system could always provide a warning when leaving such a route.

We too use multiple methods for routing: Garmin Dezl, Google maps, and the RM Motor Carrier's Atlas.

[Andy R]

Originally Posted by timjet

Are you considering a mobile app that a user can drive with??

Yes, it’s in the works. Phase 1 will be accessing trips through our RV LIFE app where you can use the app for RV specific routing and turn-by-turn directions. Phase 2 will be a rebuild of RV Trip Wizard into a native app (ie iOS and Android).

We have a few innovative twists to the above that I can’t share publicly yet but they will be really neat and you will think “smart idea” when I get to share them.

[timjet]

Originally Posted by VanDiemen23

Snip

On the first trip we found that after planning the route in RVTW and exporting it, that google would simply produce it's own route between our start and finish.

On the second trip I set every fuel stop, etc as a forced waypoint, and at least when google tried to screw us it could only be for a smaller part of the route.

Snip

Adjusting routing, like when using the drag feature on RVTW or dragging the route on Google maps will not adjust the route in your GPS or when you get the driving directions in Google Maps. Many folks are deceived by this abnormality.

Google has been informed of this by many Google maps users and so far has ignored their input.

However the most infuriating part of using RVTW, Base Camp and a Garmin GPS is if you use the drag feature of RVTW and export the adjusted trip to Base Camp, Base Camp will show the same exact route you have in RVTW seemingly giving you the impression that if you download that route to your GPS it will be the same as the route shown in RVTW and Base Camp. NOT SO.
The GPS will simply take the origination and destination points and create it's own routing completely ignoring all the adjustments you did in RVTW.

My Garmin GPS has a feature that allows adjusting the route it creates. So for example if using RVTW and it routes me thru Atlanta (a definite no-no) I will use the drag feature of RVTW to find a route around Atlanta. Then I will go to my GPS and adjust the route to mirror the route in RVTW.


You can also mirror the route created in RVTW by using Garmins Base Camp and creating "turn points" that force the route to follow what you created in RVTW. Turn points will download to your Garmin GPS and will be respected when the route is created in the GPS. There is a learning curve to using Base Camp and the turn points but with enough practice it works pretty good and once the adjusted route is downloaded to the GPS it works well.

I have not quite figured a work around with Google Maps. I use Google Maps to display my route on a tablet while driving in map view not driving directions. Most of the time I don't adjust the route in RVTW and RVTW and Google Maps come up with the same routing. It's only when I use the drag feature of RVTW that this issue comes into play.

[RManning]

Originally Posted by Sue46

I agree with Timjet regarding the routing. Every product I have ever used in 20+ years has routing problems. Just in the nature of the beast.



I would never trust my GPS or any routing program more than about 75%. It is a useful tool, like a map.



I have a curiosity question You say the road should be a state road rather than a county road. I have always considered state roads a step above the county roads.

Regarding "Hemorrhoid Road", to clarify it should be a state road because it provides a straight route from one FM road (state road) to another. I drive it often in my truck, but I know where the huge holes are and the narrow bridges.

I've got alot to learn regarding trip planning! I can think of one other instance where we were staying in Elephant Butte, New Mexico and traveled in the toad to Gila cliff dwellings. Using RVTW it routed us down 152 which has two bridges that are 11' high.

[aiken rver]

Originally Posted by timjet

Adjusting routing, like when using the drag feature on RVTW or dragging the route on Google maps will not adjust the route in your GPS or when you get the driving directions in Google Maps. Many folks are deceived by this abnormality.

Google has been informed of this by many Google maps users and so far has ignored their input.

However the most infuriating part of using RVTW, Base Camp and a Garmin GPS is if you use the drag feature of RVTW and export the adjusted trip to Base Camp, Base Camp will show the same exact route you have in RVTW seemingly giving you the impression that if you download that route to your GPS it will be the same as the route shown in RVTW and Base Camp. NOT SO.
The GPS will simply take the origination and destination points and create it's own routing completely ignoring all the adjustments you did in RVTW.

My Garmin GPS has a feature that allows adjusting the route it creates. So for example if using RVTW and it routes me thru Atlanta (a definite no-no) I will use the drag feature of RVTW to find a route around Atlanta. Then I will go to my GPS and adjust the route to mirror the route in RVTW.


You can also mirror the route created in RVTW by using Garmins Base Camp and creating "turn points" that force the route to follow what you created in RVTW. Turn points will download to your Garmin GPS and will be respected when the route is created in the GPS. There is a learning curve to using Base Camp and the turn points but with enough practice it works pretty good and once the adjusted route is downloaded to the GPS it works well.

I have not quite figured a work around with Google Maps. I use Google Maps to display my route on a tablet while driving in map view not driving directions. Most of the time I don't adjust the route in RVTW and RVTW and Google Maps come up with the same routing. It's only when I use the drag feature of RVTW that this issue comes into play.

The exported route only contains points that are specifically set such as beginning and end and stops. To force the route to be more exact it is necessary to set waypoints in RVTW. You may need to set several. When doing drag route in RVTW it does create waypoints but the GPS may find a different route between these waypoints in which case you will need to add additional waypoints. You can add waypoints in the middle of a highway; they don't need to be a shown map location.

As far as I know this is how all GPS and maps programs work. They always do their own routing from point to point. Without waypoints they have no way to know your desired route.

I use a Rand McNally built-in GPS which has an SD card. It is pretty easy to upload the route and see if it is going how I want. It is very difficult to set waypoints directly so I generally go back to RVTW and add additional waypoints and upload again. Kind of a pain sometimes but unless a uniform system is developed and adhered to by all GPS and mapping programs this is how it is.

[Mr.Goodbar]

Originally Posted by petrel

Please consider just using approved truck routes. That would help with height issues as well. The system could always provide a warning when leaving such a route.

Hear, Hear! Despite putting a RV height that was way over my RV height, it still routed me up a highway thru Geneseo, IL under a 10' railroad overpass. Even Google Street View clearly had signs warning of a 10' clearance. Since this was the only railroad overpass in town, I dragged the route over to the next major street, which was the route recommended by the CG. In reality there is a truck route diverting you around this low bridge right at both ends of underpass Also, the CG got blue CG signs directing you around this from the point you left I-80, RVTW support never replied to my email reporting this issue.

Following truck routes would have avoided this in RVTW.

[reubenray]

I use RVTW to do the main routing/campground locating. I then input my starts/stops into CoPilot. Even after that I review the route and compare it to the campground directions and the directions from RVTW to pick out the route I want to take. Sometimes I have three different routes at times. I specifically look for tight right hand turns to avoid. I hate right hand turns and even I go a few miles out of my way home to avoid one that less than a half mile away.

[Craneboy302]

We use our Entegra GPS unit but i don’t trust it all the time. Twice it has screwed me. Once in KY it took me across a RR that I almost bottomed out. Then down a narrow road with a 90 curve with a tree on the turn. I’m 65’ long with a trailer so I almost scratched the trailer on the tree. When I got to the RV park they told me not to trust it, thanks a lot.
Another time we were going to an Rv park in rural NY & it was dark but i could tell what distance I was going. It took me across the valley & back into New Jersey down south across the valley & back up some cow paths. Found the rv park. It talked to our friend who had a smaller rv. The problem was i had set the limit for my weight. There was a bridge someplace that I was too heavy for. When we left we went down a road that was marked for less then we weighted. Bitching Betty ( what I call the GPS ) keep telling us not to be on that road. There were dump truck & small semi which were heavier then we were. Now we use my IPad also & she checks the route with her phone.