If you’ve recently been in the market for a car, truck, or SUV recently, then we’re sure you’ve seen the vast number of vehicles sporting a shiny new auto navigation system already installed or part of a package upgrade. These systems are delightfully handy when you find yourself stuck in traffic that is moving slower than the snail that just passed by or that roads are closing due to nasty weather or traffic pile ups.

The truth of the matter is that they can come in equally handy when faced with every day driving if you allow them to be. Because of this recent addition to the personally owned car industry, we should also point out that these same benefits can be of great assistance to the owner/operators in the mobile food industry.

Very few investments in technology are worthy of your hard earned money if you aren’t going to at least get your money’s worth. Auto navigation systems are great when you find yourself lost, but they can also help you find alternate routes when traffic is busy on your traditional drive to the commissary, or even your next stop. They can help you avoid roads that have been closed for maintenance, or even find a quick way around work that is being performed along your route. These devices can also help you find shorter routes to events and regular stops that you may have been aware existed before. The fact that technology improves so much and so quickly is also why these systems aren’t commanding nearly the price they brought in a mere two years ago. In other words, this convenience is becoming much more affordable.

One thing you must keep in mind when considering a new auto navigation system for your food truck is how much you think you will actually use your system. Even if you save it for emergency use alone, it is quite possible that in an emergency these nifty devices will be worth ten times what you originally paid for it because it could save time, which we all know, plays a huge part in how profitable a food truck owner’s day is. It is hard to put a price tag on the comfort that owning a device such as this would bring but it is definitely worth the $500-$1,000 that is currently being charged. However; keep in mind that when these systems first hit the market $1,000 was on the absolute low end.

Technology is only good when it’s useful to someone. Sitting there unused it is assisting no one and is essentially a waste of money. On the other end of the spectrum however, there are those who use their auto navigation system like an extra pair of eyes. For them, that is exactly enough to be worth every penny that they spent.

Beyond that, navigation systems don’t require tricky folds or pulling off onto the shoulder in order to read them as a map does. Many will talk to you (without losing its temper) and will guide you where to go. Map reading is not something everyone is gifted at, especially while driving. Why risk being late to a catering event or even your next food truck stop if traffic is backed up due to an accident?

Jump online or run over to your local Best Buy and see what deals are currently being offered, (all systems are not created equal). We believe that outside of your smartphone and POS system, an auto navigation system is the next most important technological advance a food truck business should invest in.