Garmin dezl 560LMT Review

This unit is a must-have for anybody delivering to unfamiliar locations. It gives traffic info, fuel prices, prevents from using restricted roads, gives the correct lane ahead of time. The only thing it can’t do is drive the truck for me.

I haul gasoline so I can’t use hazmat restricted roads. I bought Garmin dezl 560 and configured class 3 flammable liquid in my profile. Even with that setting this GPS occasionally directed me on roads that I shouldn’t be on. The screen is great and it’s a very nice GPS from the build quality perspective but I needed something that will give me correct routes so I replaced with Rand McNally. So far RM routing has been accurate.

This was the second of three GPS units I have tried in the past two weeks. First I decided to give a 7” Cobra a go. The touch screen was all but useless and it couldn’t route to the first three places I managed to enter. I returned it immediately. I have had a couple of Garmin Nuvis in the past and loved them for my car. I figured the dezl would be just as good. As far as the interface and detail it was everything I was expecting. The problem came when I was trying to route for hazmat safe roads. Despite having my profile set up correctly it would still route me through restricted zones. It even routed me through a small town where I narrowly dodged a thousand dollar fine. The other thing it falls short on is bridge clearances and finding out of the way addresses. I deliver gas so finding small stations is a part of my everyday routine. After the near miss with the fine and getting frustrated I decided to return it and try a Rand McNally TND. So far it is doing well routing but traffic is not included. I will review it once I have had it a little longer.

This is a good unit but could still stand some improvements in the software. Switching between car and truck modes will not automatically reroute. You must clear it out and reenter your destination after changing modes to get the correct route. There is no RV routing mode even though you can select RV as a vehicle. It simply routes you along truck lanes and doesn’t allow overwriting of the route. Garmin suggested routing in both truck and car modes and switching between the two as a workaround. My biggest disappointment is that it is not compatible with Mapsource, Garmin’s mapping software, like my nuvi was. I like being able to download maps and routes to my computer and edit them there rather than on the unit’s touch screen. The POI database is very good and has most anything you would be looking for. Overall the hardware is great but the software still needs some refining.

This is a solid unit all around. It has a nice loud speaker that is easy to hear as long as it is plugged in and not on battery. There are occasional routing mistakes and poor quality maps in a few areas but this is true no matter which company you go with. The dezl has the lowest number of these bad spots of any unit I have used. I have had this one for two years and driven over 14000 miles with it. The alert beep kicks in at 5 over the speed limit and is quite accurate. It also warns of upcoming hazards such as sharp turns, grades, and low clearances. As with the routing it is important to keep an eye out for clearance signs on the road as the unit is not always right. I would like it better if it would just speak the warning and eliminate the need to look over and click on it to see what is actually coming up. This is a relatively minor thing though and something they could easily fix with a software update.
The point of interest database is very thorough if a bit slow to search on the go. It would be nice to be able to search by destination for points of interest rather than by current location. Other than those tweaks the only problems I have had with it were occasional overheating when left on the dash in the sun and it has frozen up once or twice. That is not bad for two years though and even when it freezes up I just had to hold the power button till it reset. Powering back up is a bit slow if you are moving and need the directions immediately so I recommend pulling over if it happens near a turn. All in all this is a good product that I am happy with

Pros: nicely build

Cons:
1. Nebraska 40 ton weight limit on i80. Takes you off highway even if you set it for 72000 pounds.
2. Try Corunna mi 48817. Cant find city.
3. Took me countless times under low bridge, weight limit, no trucks, etc.
4. Once in Baltimore beetwen exits “exit the highway and go off road”.
5. When IFTA log is full cannot calculate the road.
6. Il 171 in Chicago is good for truck but for some reason it sees it as no truck and makes you exit on 22 st which is 5 tons weight limit.
7. Customer service – plain i***ts. When u ask them question, they type it in computer and check FAQ. 8. I could say much more…

My first GPS was a RM TND 500, upgraded to a reconditioned 510 as a lifetime map update when the 500 didn’t have enough memory for the next download. It still works, sort of, more on that in a minute. About 1.5 year ago I decided that I should have a spare unit, as $300 would be a major hit to the family budget. I started banking my Love’s points and got the Dezl560 about a year ago. So what follows is a one year side by side comparison.
Processor speed: 560 smokes the 510, but that’s to be expected. New RMs will be faster of course.
Navigation: they seldom pick the same route, but that’s OK. I can still read a map! On any given day, either one can recommend something ludicrous! A GPS is a tool, same as a hammer. The hammer doesn’t give a rat’s rear end if it hits the nail or your thumb! Ditto the GPS. Just yesterday the RM got “lost” going around Charlotte NC, while the Garmin knew where the “new” bypass was. Both have recent updates. On the other hand, the RM knows the street level truck routes in New York City, the Garmin is effectively useless. This is true in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Display: Garmin shows what Interstate signs actually look like, not the RM kinda sort of. Zoom feature of Garmin is clunky, not intuitive like RM. RM shows more usable info at once, e.g. miles to destination and arrival time, Garmin you gotta switch by hand.
Points of Interest: RM destroys Garmin. G only has big truck stops, RM had the mom and pop’s too. RM info shows city, exit number, etc. when you search. Garmin clunky in other ways by my thinking.
So what? My 510 didn’t complete the last map download, missing Michigan and parts of Indiana and Wisconsin. RMsays hardware problem at connector because it won’t connect to website anymore. Not worth $100 plus shipping to fix. Saving my Love’s points for a RM 5″ or maybe a 7″ this time. BUT: if/when the Garmin dies, my next spare will be a Garmin, because of the Navigation evaluation that I started with: you just never know…
Also, who knows what Garmin will fix/improve in the interim.

The 560 has told me to exit the interstate make a few turns then put me back on the same interstate it told me to exit.! I upgraded to the latest maps before using the unit so maybe the old map and routing was the best. Not at all happy with the 560.

I think reviews should get to the point, so here it is: the 560 does exactly what it’s supposed to do. I’ve been using it for months on my routes. I live in Ohio but drive all over VA, WV, NC, KY, IN, IL, IA, and frequently into MN. It doesn’t work perfectly every time and everywhere, but it gets me where I’m going. It also has a lot of good features beyond GPS. I especially like the “trucking” mode that tells me quickly when I can expect the next truck stop, rest area, or weigh station. It will even tell if a place is big enough for my rig. Basically, it was well worth the money I spent, and that’s really all that counts.