Rand McNally TND 520 Review

This is a solid product with the potential to be great. Unfortunately mine started messing up right out of the box. I hooked it up to the dock and ran the diagnose and repair tool. It came back with 33 errors and said it was able to repair them. In the first week of daily use as a long haul driver, I noticed that it took a long time to get booted up and ready for input. The times it would boot quickly the touch screen would not register commands. Then when driving the cancel route popup would randomly appear on it reported. Even though it says it fixed them they show up every time I run the tool. I decided that mine was probably just a bad unit and returned it to Amazon for a replacement. They were very helpful and I had my replacement within a week.
The new unit showed no errors when I ran the tool on it out of the box and has not shown any sense. My new unit still seems a little slow loading up but it is consistent and I am not experiencing any of the problems I had with the first one. The Garmin units are supposed to be a little less buggy but the Rand McNally definitely has better maps and truck tools. The routing is the best I have used, but like any GPS you need to double check your route against Google maps or an atlas. Sometimes it will have the wrong roads labeled truck restricted when they are not and route you the long way around. This is a great unit. The software is good but feels like maybe it was released before it was really ready. Thankfully Rand McNally good support and they are working out the bugs. I have no doubt this unit will live up to your expectations.

The only problems I have had with this since I received it are in accurate directions when leaving form a stop at the beginning of a trip and some smaller state roads and highways don’t always show up. The first issue is only a problem in instances such as leaving a truck stop. I was pulling out late at night and it was a poorly lit area. The unit routed me out onto a dirt service road leading into the woods rather than back onto the main road. The other issue I ran into in Tennessee on state route 109 N. The road was listed in the directions but for about 15 miles the map just showed me driving through the countryside with no roads around. Other than these two minor things I am very satisfied with my purchase.

This is a handy device but it is a little crazy about weight limits and things. It tried to route me 200 miles out of the way to bypass a 35 ton bridge on a major highway. The highway it tried to avoid is one trucks run day in and day out and is marked in my atlas as a truck route. The other annoying thing it will do is occasionally route down some tiny side road then about half a mile down tell you to make a U-turn hen possible. This is not an easy task pulling a semi-trailer. Almost chucked it out the window because of that a couple of times. Over all the routing is pretty good as long as you confirm your route with an atlas. The alerts for speed, grade, turns and weigh stations are handy but I don’t know if I would say it is worth over 300 dollars when I still have to use a paper map as well. I will keep using it since I already bought it though.

Sent me into resident route, small roads, dead ends, routes make no sense. you can tell when it is sending you from point a to b in your city. Long way around waste of fuel, time and trouble with the authorities.

Rand McNally answer to my complains was “GPS is only a tool to help you move, can’t relay on them.”

I’ve used them for years and it seems I need to find a good one. It routes you out and around then back in thru a residential street. It is a waste of fuel. Mine keeps flickering and going black now right after warranty runs out. Well, I’m shopping for a better one I’m done wasting my money on bad GPS. It takes you off the highway too soon for a longer route.

Customer Service is the worst!! Purchased 2 of them and within 6 months I had to send them back. Would not hold a charge. Called and attempted to get updates on their status and Rand McNally’s customer service are rude and not helpful. Now that the 2 units have been returned there is NO information about what was done to the units or if they were even fixed.

You have to plug in and download the updates, but once you use it for a bit you’ll like it. I’ve been using the 520 every day in my fuel tanker for a few months now. The GPS works fine and you can hear the voice and alerts even over the radio or headphones. You can store notes like specific loading docks or gate codes for the places you visit. You can enter in your vehicle size, trailer type, load, and so forth to help it find the best routes for your vehicle. It doesn’t always make the best choices, but it’s never left me stranded, either. It shows routes in purple and changes with orange arrows so it’s easy to follow. You can also check construction areas, speed limits, landmarks, etc. This is a compact little unit, but it does its job well.

My husband has been using Rand McNally for years, so when it came time to upgrade by own GPS, I bought the 520. I’m sold on this GPS!

It shows me the Interstate mile markers, exit numbers, and distances. It also show my speed compared to posted speeds and gives a warning if I go too fast. It’s easy to find points of interest on the route, such as certain restaurants or retailers. You can change the route any way you want, and it reroutes fast after missed turns.

No, I’m not a trucker, but I appreciate a trucker’s app even in my sedan. It warns me about hazards, and I can turn off semi features I don’t want. Plus, you can connect with your phone’s Wi-Fi to get MORE features!

I have 2 of these units. I believe one to be a first generation and one to be a second generation. They both have the same problem, the screen will freeze and you can’t power it down or anything. All you can do is unplug it and wait on the side of the road for 40 minutes till the battery dies. The first gen had a reset button that helped with this issue but the gen 2 does not. “Way to go Rand” make it worse instead of better. As far as routing, it’s pretty good and the ability to look for truck stops and restaurants is great which is were the 3 stars come from.

So this gps is probably the fastest one calculating routes, and gives pretty decent routes! But the reason for the one star is that I’ve been through 4 of these. Its lead me in circles before, bouncing makes it hard to press screen it has and will randomly change route on you and it will freeze saying there isn’t enough memory and the worst moments only way to get the screen to return is to unplug and wait for internal battery to die and it will test your patience!! If you are dead set in getting this device get a garmin OR tom tom (they are slow but still better) and let that be your main gps use this one for only calculating route point of interests.

Had two of these over 6 years. Same problem with both. The power plug is not of the quality is should be and over time it completely quits working. Fix the power cord issue.