Can a truck GPS follow my oversize permit?
No. A truck GPS picks a road that fits your truck's size. Your oversize permit already names the road, and with an oversize load only that road is legal. Honk reads the permit and drives exactly those roads.
Who picks the road
A car map picks the fastest road for a car. A truck GPS picks a road that's legal for a truck your size, which is a real step up. On an oversize load, neither pick counts. The state already looked at your height, width, length and weight and printed the roads on your permit. That's the route you're allowed to drive.
Car map, truck GPS and Honk side by side
| Car map | Truck GPS | Honk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who picks the road | The map, fastest for a car | The GPS, legal for your truck's size | The state, on your permit |
| Setup | Type in stops by hand, ten at most on Google Maps | Enter your truck's size | Add the permit as a PDF or a photo |
| You miss a turn | It picks a new road | It picks a new road | It takes you back to the permit route |
| Your permit's speed limit | Not shown | Not shown | Shown next to the road's limit |
| What you need | Your phone | A truck GPS unit or app | Your phone, tablet or Apple Watch |
Where a truck GPS helps
- Legal-size loads, where there's no permit route to follow.
- The drive back empty, once the load is delivered.
- Low bridges and truck bans on roads you pick yourself.
What a truck GPS does not know
- Your permit route. Enter the same start and end, and it still picks its own roads in between.
- Where to go when you miss a turn. It sends you down a road it picked, not back to the roads on your permit.
- The speed limit your permit sets for your load.
What Honk does instead
Add the permit, as a PDF or a photo. Honk reads the route the state printed and gives you turn-by-turn voice directions on exactly those roads, naming each exit by its sign. The route is usually ready in less than 60 seconds. Miss a turn, and Honk brings you back to the permit route instead of picking a new one.
- Works with permits from all 50 states.
- Runs on iPhone and Android, plus iPad, tablets and Apple Watch.
- First permit free, no sign-up. Then 5 permits for $49.99, or unlimited for $179.99 a year at the launch price.
Questions
Is a truck GPS still worth having if I use Honk?
For legal-size loads and the drive back empty, yes. Once the load needs a permit, the permit picks the road, and Honk follows it.
Can I put my permit route into a truck GPS?
You can add stops, but the GPS still picks its own roads between them and picks again when you miss a turn. A permit route has to stay exactly where the state put it.
Does Honk know how big my load is?
Yes. Honk reads the size and weight on your permit. If you drift, it brings you back to the permit route on roads that fit that load.
Is Honk a legal replacement for my permit?
No. The permit is the legal document, and Honk does not issue permits. Keep it with you and follow everything it says, including the escort and travel-time conditions.