The Best Truck GPS in 2024

When you’re trying to decide on the best truck GPS to meet your needs, you know you need something reliable. The GPS is one of the most important things you’ll add to your rig.

It’s not just about reliability, though. Your budget, your experiences, and the setup of the rest of your cab will also determine what GPS is right for you. You also have to think about what the most vital extra features are that you need in a truck GPS navigation system.

This article will help you define your unique needs and learn about five of the best truck GPS options on the market today. To get to this list, I personally researched and tested over 20 products, and I’ve saved the best for you. By having this knowledge in hand before you make your purchase, you can save yourself a lot of time and money—and make certain you get the best truck GPS for you the first time.

I’ll go into a lot more detail throughout the rest of this buying guide, but take a look at this table to understand each unit’s basic specs, standards, and key features.

I researched and tested over 20 of the best selling truck GPS units on the market, and concluded that these five are the best across the board.

This standout seven-inch display truck GPS from highly respected GPS manufacturer Garmin comes loaded with plenty of cool features and Garmin’s classic, intuitive user interface (UI).

But does it stand out from the crowd?

The 770LMTHD seeks to beat the competition by offering what other truck GPS systems offer, only better.

Navigation Features

It provides some bonus features that might just make your trucking life not only a bit easier but more fun!

While many truck GPS manufacturers provide custom routes based on your truck and your haul, the 770LMTHD keeps you updated in real time to some of the following aspects of the road:

• Sharp turns
• Clearances
• Local truck speed limits and other regulations
• Steep grades

The GPS also keeps you informed of the local sunset and sunrise time based on your exact location, so you can stay on top of following after sunset regulations on your route.

Like many of the best truck GPS systems, this unit also offers several options for logging miles and hours, as well as helpful reminders to have your rig services or take a break to stay compliant with regulations.

However, on this unit, there is an even wider variety of options than most, and they’re very well organized and easy to use.

On top of that, this Garmin is particularly good at recognizing voices correctly the first time.

Memory Features

That being said, nothing is perfect, and that includes even the best truck GPS units. There a few flaws, and though none of them are dealbreakers in my book, they’re worth mentioning.

The most significant flaw on this device is its tendency to crash. This is a problem that plagues all of the best truck GPS systems, though, and has been getting better over time as Garmin continues to upgrade its firmware.

Luckily, there’s also a relatively simple solution to this issue: make sure your memory doesn’t fill up. The memory (not the same as storage) is like the RAM in your laptop (whereas storage is like a computer’s hard drive).

The memory fills up with temporary information that may need to be called up quickly, like recent destinations.

While having memory is a good thing, because it increases the device’s response time by making it unnecessary for the device to download information you already access frequently, it’s a finite resource. When you’re all out of memory, the GPS may crash.

To clear your memory, simply power the device off and unplug it. I recommend doing this with any truck GPS at the end of a trip, but it’s especially important with highly functional devices like this Garmin.

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Pros and Cons

General Garmin dezl 770LMTHD Specs

Along with Garmin, TomTom is one of the biggest, oldest, and most esteemed players in the GPS business.

Their Model 620 6 Inch GPS made just for truckers offers top-notch reliability, but what extra features set it apart?

Advanced Features

One of the big factors that make the TomTom 620 stand out is its connectivity.

In addition to updating via WiFi, and thereby eliminating the need to ever connect this device to a computer, it will link wirelessly (and almost seamlessly) with your smartphone.

TomTom’s MyDrive allows you to check traffic conditions, mark your favorite truck stops and other POIs, and save routes from any smartphone, tablet, or computer. This can be great both for planning out trips in advance or for switching things up on the road.

However, it does require signing up for a TomTom account, though there’s no extra charge for this.

Navigation Features

620 Trucker by TomTom also boasts excellent voice recognition and a crystal clear speaker, helping you keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road (as well as helping you stay connected with friends and family through hands-free texting).

However, it’s worth noting that the complexity and the possibility of distraction that this system comes with may be off-putting to some of you. While the trend right now is for all electronics to become more and more connected to one another, that may or may not be what you want in your GPS.

However, you can mitigate this by clearing the memory frequently and not asking the device to do everything at once.

Ultimately, though, this unit is a triumph, bringing together some of the best features of trucker-specific GPS units, general use GPS units, and connected electronics like smartphones and laptops.

Pros and Cons

General TomTom Go 620 Specs

The Nuvi is perhaps the most popular model offered by industry giant Garmin.

How does it hold up for truckers, and what additional features does it offer that other models don’t?

Read on to find out!

Advanced Features

Let’s start with the good stuff: this is not only one of the fastest and most responsive models out there, but it also comes with Garmin’s trademark clarity, accuracy, and reliability at a fraction of the cost of some other Garmin units.

While it’s not as much help on the highway, it can really speed up and simplify navigation in the city—and you know that’s where we truckers sometimes have the biggest problems!

However, there are some downsides to this unit, too. While opinions may differ, throughout my testing experience I noticed two that stood out:

• Lack of specialized truck specific features
• Lack of voice operation

Navigation Features

The latter may not mean a whole lot to many of you, who prefer to type in directions anyway. The quick responsiveness means that almost no time is lost when going with manual route input, and the lack of voice recognition means that you don’t have to worry about a voice recognition system that won’t understand you.

The lack of specialized truck features is a bigger deal to me, though it’s still not a dealbreaker. While having truck-specific routes preprogrammed into your GPS, as well as logging functions and other bonuses, is nice, there are other paperwork and software for that.

The difference in price between this and more trucker focused units might mean that you’re fine logging by hand.

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Pros and Cons

General Garmin nuvi 57LM Specs

JRCS is a newer player in the world of GPS navigation, but sometimes new companies are where the greatest innovation comes from.

On top of that, the giant display and cool features help this one stand out from the competition—but how does it compare in terms of the basics?

Design Features

Of course, the larger screen size comes with a bit of a disadvantage, in that this unit will take up a bit more real estate in your cab than comparable units with smaller screens.

That being said, the benefits of the larger screen will outweigh the drawbacks for many truckers, for whom the best truck GPS is sometimes the biggest truck GPS. On top of the size of the screen, the unit also offers prime visibility in other ways:

• A bright, colorful, and easily readable interface
• Includes a sun shade for blocking glare

Navigation Features

Of course, it’s not all about visibility. Luckily, the voice guidance on this system is excellent and clear too, though it will not accept voice inputs.

The device also has several key features that can make your trucking life easier, including automatic route adjustments based on your vehicle’s height, weight, and other attributes.

• Lifetime Map Updates
• Real Voice Turn-to-Turn Alert
• Vehicle GPS Sat-Nav Navigator

On the other hand, there is a bit of a drawback to the update and download system. The unit will not download its own updates via Wi-Fi, meaning you’ll need to download updates to your computer and transfer them to the GPS.

While this isn’t a huge drawback by any means, I’d like to see a truck GPS navigation system like this one support Wi-Fi updating in the future.

Pros and Cons

General JRCS Car GPS Specs

As one of the most feature-rich devices both in TomTom’s catalog and in the industry as a whole, this Via series model looks like the GPS of the future.

Is it worth the extra cost and complexity for most truckers?

Navigation Features

Ultimately, that’s a matter of opinion that you’ll need to decide based on your personal needs and wants. Let’s look at some of the major features to see how they could improve your trucking life.

It also features one of the best incarnations of one of the top convenience and safety features truckers have come to expect from their navigation systems: voice recognition.

With clear instructions, accurate voice recognition software, and the ability to accept a wide variety of commands, it might just be one of the most seamless and versatile pieces of voice interaction software on the market.

Of course, it also features automatic map updating via computer connection (sadly, there’s no Wi-Fi updating included with this model), and even sweetens the deal by including lifetime maps for Canada and Mexico in addition to the US.

Memory Features

That being said, this unit does have some drawbacks. It, unfortunately, does not allow route customization based on vehicle dimensions and weight, which can create problems for some truckers in restricted areas, especially when running specialist jobs like refrigerated and hazmat loads.

On the other hand, adding an SD card isn’t too difficult or expensive, and between this system’s low cost and other great features, it’s an easy problem to work around.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Z_RsQospw?rel=0&w=800&h=450]

Pros and Cons

General TomTom Via 1535TM Specs

Buyer’s Guide

Now that you’ve learned a bit about five of the most impressive truck GPS navigation systems on the market today, it’s time to think about buying, using, and caring for a truck GPS more generally. How can you get the most out of one of these amazing machines?

Contents:

Screen Size and Other Specs

Looking at the general, objective specs of a given truck GPS is a great way to decide if it’s the right fit for you.

While special features are also important, making sure the basics match up to your needs should usually come first.

Of course, which is better comes down to your personal preferences. Many opt for a middle of the road approach that balances screen size and dashes real estate.

Others, however, prefer to have either a lot of space on the screen or a lot of space in the cab.

Best Truck GPS Buying Tip

Look at the overall dimensions of a GPS you’re interested in as well as the screen size if you’re interested in getting a large screen while saving as much space as possible.

Because the screen has a frame around it, the overall dimensions are a more accurate indicator of a product’s size. The frame takes up a room just the same way that the screen itself does!

Of course, there are other important specs as well as screen size, like storage size.

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Storage Capacity

Storage capacity is one of the most important aspects of a GPS. That being said, it often won’t help you make your decision once you’ve started looking at the best truck GPS navigation systems.

However, it is important to keep in mind that you shouldn’t buy a GPS that doesn’t have enough storage for your needs, or expandable storage to offset a lower internal storage capacity. It’s always better to have too much than it is not to have enough!

User Interface and Brands

While it’s much harder to measure objectively than specs are, the “feel” of a given truck GPS is also important.

Much of the “feel” of a GPS navigation system—or any other electronic device—comes from its user interface (UI).

The user interface is the software that the user (in this case, that’s you!) interacts with directly. It determines what the screen looks like, where all the options are, and more.

When it comes to truck GPS navigation systems, the user interface and the brand often go hand in hand.

Each brand has a proprietary UI that makes all their products work and look a certain way.

There’s also a lot of brand loyalty and competition in this market. While I usually recommend looking at products rather than brands, when it comes to the best truck GPS navigation systems there are some brand advantages.

While these aspects may vary slightly from model to model within the same brand, they’ll be much more different when looking at one truck GPS from one brand and another from a different brand.

Everyone has to get used to GPS navigation the first time, but getting a totally new system can involve getting used to it all over again.

To make things a bit easier, I’ve included some key information about three of the top performing brands in this industry below.

Garmin

As one of the original GPS manufacturers, Garmin is known for its extremely high accuracy and reliability. Its best truck GPS units also tend to feature a lot of great extras like logging and Department of Transportation clocks.

TomTom

TomTom is also known as a historic innovator in the GPS field, and in more recent years it’s top of the line navigation systems have been associated with ever increasing connectivity with apps, the internet, and other electronics.

MYH

As a newer player in the GPS game, MYH is known for making affordable but extremely long lasting units focused specifically on the trucker market.

Maps and Storage

Most of the best Truck GPS navigation systems have lifetime maps. That means that when the brand updates its maps, you can access the new maps for free.

This is highly important, as you don’t want to invest in a system only to have to pay more for map updates frequently.

Luckily, all of the systems featured in this buying guide have lifetime maps support.

However, you also need to consider storage space. Every update or new map region you add will take up storage space, so make sure you get a model that will meet your needs.

Connectivity

Devices that update via WiFi automatically are generally considered the most convenient because they don’t take as long to update and because not every trucker takes their computer on the road, or even owns a computer.

However, some folks don’t mind updating manually via a computer connection if it means saving money or getting other perks.

Of course, some truck GPS devices (like the TomTom 620) take it to the next level by integrating with your smartphone and allowing you to hear and write text, as well as make calls, via the GPS’ speaker and microphone. This feature will mean the world to some users and won’t be a bonus at all to others: which type of trucker are you?

Special Features

Last but not least, you’ll want to consider what special features you’re looking for in a GPS navigation system.

Caring for Your Truck GPS

Let’s look at each of these in turn.

Cleaning Your Truck GPS—and Keeping It Clean

Keeping the GPS in your truck clean can be a challenge due to all the dust, dirt from the road, and other debris that can get into your cab

Preventing Physical Damage

Besides regular updates, preventing any physical damage from happening to your truck GPS is one of the most vital parts of caring for it.

While there are a wide variety of things that can physically damage a truck GPS, the major one is heat from the sun.

Even in colder climates, a truck’s cab can heat up quickly. Because of the delicate electronics inside a truck GPS, as well as the plastic housing and screen, the devices are particularly susceptible to heat damage.

You can also store your GPS in a cooler area out of the sunlight, such as under a seat. This can also help protect you from theft.

Keeping Your Truck GPS Battery Healthy

Many of the best truck GPS offerings on the market feature rechargeable batteries so that the units don’t have to be plugged in all the time to operate.

Rechargeable batteries are great, but they must be kept “healthy” to keep your device performing.

Both of these tips will help you “train” your battery to last longer, preventing overcharging.

Of course, the manual that comes with your chosen truck GPS will also include battery care instructions that may be specific to that model.

Updating Regularly

Updating your GPS regularly is the best way to make sure that your maps will always be accurate.

Depending on the connectivity of your GPS and your own internet connectivity, you may be able to download updates directly to the device, or you may need to download them to an SD card to install them.

Either way, always refer to your truck GPS’ owner’s manual for update instructions. Instructions may also be included on the device.

Always be sure to get official updates from the website of the GPS manufacturer. Don’t rely on unofficial updates as they may contain inaccurate information or even malicious software.

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GPS Safety 

Just like other electronics like in-dash DVD consoles and the ubiquitous smartphone, a GPS can prove to be a dangerous distraction if used improperly.

The first is to keep your eyes on the road. Looking at the screen of your GPS while your truck is in motion can be very dangerous.

To keep yourself from getting distracted, you should only input destinations and change settings while your truck is parked.

However, it’s not just looking at the screen that can distract you. Just like sights, sounds can be distracting when you’re driving.

As such, you have to be careful even if your chosen truck GPS has great safety features like voice recognition. Focus on the road even while speaking to your GPS.

Also, speak as clearly as possible to complete the process efficiently.

Additionally, when your truck GPS’ speaker reads directions to you, that can cause a distraction in the wrong settings:

• If the volume is too loud, it can prevent you from hearing other key sounds you need to stay focused on driving.
• If the volume is too low, you may not hear the directions.

Your volume setting is more important than you might think! Be sure to set the volume with your engine running, and not in a silent cab.

Also, if you listen to music while you drive, listen to music while you set the volume.

Conclusion: The Best Truck GPS Is… 

For my money, the best truck GPS navigation system on the market today is the Garmin 770LMTHD 7 inch GPS. That’s because it combines the best of two of the most important aspects of a trucker’s GPS:

• General navigation
• Tons of truck-specific features like logging and weight specific routes

I also like that it’s feature rich enough for users who have the time to dive in deep and customize their experience, but that it’s also simple enough to use that any features you don’t want won’t get in your way.

On top of that, it’s durable, and a good investment despite its higher price tag because of the inclusion of lifetime maps and traffic support.

Honorable Mentions

All that being said, I know the Garmin 770LMTHD won’t be perfect for everyone, whether it’s because of your preferences, your needs, or just your budget. Here are two of my other favorite truck GPS units, which may be the best for you depending on your situation.

Best Budget Option

Finding the best truck GPS can be hard when you’re on a tight budget. If you don’t have as much to work with, I’d recommend the MYH 8 Inch GPS.

Between its huge screen and overall reliability, this GPS may just be the best in its price class by far. There might be cheaper truck GPS systems out there, but none of them offer the same benefits.

While it doesn’t have all the features that some of the highest end Garmin and TomTom units offer, it does pack a surprising amount of special benefits. On top of that, its clean look and simple operation will keep you safe and comfortable on the road.

Voice Recognition Feature

If voice recognition is a feature you’re after, whether it’s for convenience or safety purposes, I’d recommend the TomTom Via.

This unit’s voice recognition may just be completely unparalleled even among the best Truck GPS systems.

While the inclusion of voice recognition systems has become more and more common over the years and is set to become an industry standard within the next decade at most, not all voice navigation products are created equal, and TomTom’s Via is at the top of the food chain in that regard.

Of course, it packs plenty of other cool features on top of that and has all the reliability and history of TomTom’s GPS legacy behind it, too.

I hope you’ve learned as much about the best truck GPS options by reading this article as I did while researching and testing these products.

Did your best truck GPS not make the list? Have you found success with one of the systems reviewed above? Let us know in the comments, or send us a message anytime!