- Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does the TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation product do?
TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation calculates routes optimised for trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles. This new technology consists of two components: a new routing algorithm and a map including truck attributes, such as clearance heights and weight restrictions.
The new routing algorithm takes into account specific challenge that truck drivers face. For instance in most cases it will avoid small town roads & narrow residential areas, narrow streets and sharp turns when calculating a route for a truck driver. Additionally, it will take the maximum speeds some trucks are not allowed to exceed when calculating a route and arrival time for a route.
For countries where the truck attributes are included in the map, the routing is even more sophisticated. When selecting the truck profile the user is asked to enter the dimensions of his vehicle (weight, weight per axle, length, width, limit & max speed). This information is then matched with the data available in the map, such as the height of a tunnel or how much weight a bridge can handle. The result is a truck optimized route avoiding all known dimensional restrictions on the way.
These specific truck attributes are available on the major and interconnecting road network of the following countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Luxembourg and Great Britain*.
* truck attributes not available in Northern Ireland.
2. Where can I buy the TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation product?
TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation solution is sold in the following countries:
Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Luxembourg and Great Britain. TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation is available on an SD card , micro SD or as the device TomTom PRO 7100/9000 TRUCK. The product can be purchased from our list of recommended resellers (Where to Buy).
3. What is the geographical coverage of the TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation product?
Map coverage: Central and Western Europe
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain, Vatican City, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Russian Federation. Also including the connecting roads of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus.
Countries where truck attributes are included in the map: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Luxembourg and Great Britain* (major and interconnecting road network)
* truck attributes not available in Northern Ireland
4. Does your TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation route trucks around locations where trucks are forbidden by law to enter?
Legal access restrictions are included in the map data. This is a growing feature and we will continue to update this. It is important to note that this product is designed to serve as an aid to driving. When driving truckers will still need to obey the law and honour all road signs/ traffic and directions provided by the government. This is the responsibility of any and all drivers when operating a vehicle. This is especially critical due to the fact that 15% of the roads change every year and therefore it is impossible to guarantee a 100% accuracy of the data.
5. Does your TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation include the restrictions for trucks with hazardous materials?
These restrictions are not included in the map as the accuracy of the available information does not meet TomTom's quality standards.
TomTom Map Share does allow the driver to make map corrections and block streets with load constraints such as:
- Hazardous material
- Harmful to water
6. How can I enter the dimensions and axle weights of my truck while using TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation on my navigation device?
By default the vehicle profile is set to truck. When switching on the device for the first time the user will asked to answer some questions to customise his device. As part of the start-up wizard he will be asked to enter the dimensions. Dimensions may vary depending on the truck load. After every route planning the current profile is displayed and can be adapted easily, only one click is needed.
7. Can I really trust that if I follow the routing instructions of my navigation device that all restrictions regarding my truck dimensions and weight will be considered?
While the TomTom Truck Navigation will consider all restrictions which are included in the map, it is important to note that this product is designed to serve as an aid to driving. When driving, truckers will still need to obey the law and honour all road signs/ traffic and directions provided by the government. This is the responsibility of any and all drivers when operating a vehicle. This is especially critical due to the fact that 15% of the roads change every year and therefore it is impossible to guarantee a 100% accuracy of the data.
The device will explicitly warn truck drivers each time they plan a route that he should pay close attention to the road signs. This warning is also clearly printed on the box and in the instructions.
8. How I can see truck specific restrictions on the navigation device during driving?
For reasons of safety and easy of use, any restrictions on the route that would affect a truck will be automatically incorporated into the route the TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation solution calculates for a truck driver.
For instance, instead of a visual icon appearing on the navigation device screen warning a truck that the truck can't cross a bridge, the TomTom Business Solutions solution will in most cases simply not route the truck across this bridge. Therefore, there is no need to also represent this visually.
However, displaying the truck attributes would therefore only show one half of the benefits that TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation has to offer. For instance, the TomTom WORK TRUCK Navigation solution is not only based on existing truck restrictions but also leverages TomTom's IQ Routes technology and truck specific routing algorithm to ensure as much as possible that drivers have the most accurate arrival time and that they are driving on the main roads.
9. How far in advance of an upcoming restriction will the TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation warn a driver?
TomTom Business Solutions believes that truck drivers will get the optimal experience by a solution that only routes a truck along roads where they may drive (whether it is due to a road being a major road or the fact that a truck isn't restricted due to its size or weight).
Therefore, there is no need for warnings. Truck drivers just need to enter their destination and start driving.
Roads change constantly and not all restrictions are in the map. The warning signal could lead to a false sense of security. Drivers always need to pay attention to road signs.
10. Is there a warning if I miss a truck specific turn and if I drive towards a low bridge?
No. However, it's it is important to note that this product is designed to serve as an aid to driving. When driving truckers will still need to obey the law and honor all road signs/ traffic and directions provided by the government. This is the responsibility of any and all drivers when operating a vehicle. This is especially critical due to the fact that 15% of the roads change every year and therefore it is impossible to guarantee a 100% accuracy of the data.
11. Is there a warning if I leave the area of coverage for truck specific attributes while using TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation?
No, we have chosen to focus on ensuring the truck attributes are incorporated into the experience of truckers driving through Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Luxembourg, and Great Britain. We will consider this feature in future versions of the solution.
12. How will the speed of a truck influence the estimated time of arrival shown on the navigation device?
The enhanced truck routing algorithm considers the maximum speed the driver has entered. The routing takes into account that truckers have a lower average speed and need more time to accelerate. In addition the IQR technology/data has been adapted to trucks.
13. Does the TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation also consider small curve radiuses, e.g. serpentines?
The enhanced routing algorithm avoids narrow curves where possible. It would favour a slightly longer route over a route with small streets.
14. Can I also distinguish between fastest and shortest route for truck navigation?
The option for shortest route is not offered in the truck navigation mode as this would often imply driving on small streets which the truck navigation should avoid by definition.
15. Is there a warning if my destination address is in a one-way-street where I cannot make a U-turn while using TomTom Business Solutions TRUCK Navigation?
No, at the moment there is not. However, to help avoid this situation TomTom advises all truckers they need to obey the law and honour all road signs/ traffic and directions provided by the government. This is the responsibility of any and all drivers when operating a vehicle. This is especially critical due to the fact that 15% of the roads change every year and therefore it is impossible to guarantee a 100% accuracy of the data. The device will explicitly warn truck drivers each time they plan a route that he should pay close attention to the road signs. This warning is also clearly printed on the box and in the instructions.
16. How is TomTom Map Share supporting truck navigation?
When the Truck profile is selected, the driver can choose Map Share features to correct the Map. Next to the standard Map Share corrections like
- Traffic direction
- Turn Restriction
- Change road speed
- Edit street name
- Roundabout
- Add points of interest
- Edit points of interest
The driver is able to (un)block street based on the following criteria. Enter values for:
- maximum Height
- width
- length
- weight
- weight per axle
Or block for all trucks because of load restriction (hazardous materials, explosive, harmful to water)