LGA calls for lorry drivers to use commercial sat navs

The Trucker sat nav from TomTom is designed to stop lorries, trucks and vans getting wedged down narrow country lanes - by diverting them away from unsuitable roads.

Truck drivers can input their vehicle’s length, width, height, weight and maximum permitted speed. The sat nav will then plan a route that avoids winding rural roads and low hanging bridges.

Prices start from £289.99 for the TomTom Trucker 5000 with a five inch screen. A larger six inch version, the Trucker 6000, is available priced £339.99 from Halfords. It can quickly be adapted for normal car use once the driver has stepped down from his cab.

Through award-winning TomTom Traffic and advanced routing technology, truckers get a realistic ETA based on vehicle profile and real-time traffic information.

The TomTom Trucker informs drivers about traffic and speed cameras on their route. – The information is displayed in the route bar on the device,– making users aware of the position of speed cameras and also the back end of traffic jams. These services are via a built-in SIM card, so there are no roaming charges.

The maps –can be updated free of charge four times per year. Other features include Advance Lane Guidance, which clearly shows which lane to take at junctions, and Speak & Go, which allows the driver to control the device with their voice.