Google Maps Makes Giant Step Towards Adding the Most Requested Feature in History

Google Maps integrates multiple navigation modes, including cars, bikes, walking, and public transportation.

You don't have to be a long-time Google Maps user to see the niche that Google Maps has ignored for years: trucks.

Google Maps doesn't have truck navigation, so drivers of large vehicles, such as lorries and motorhomes, must avoid using the application to get guidance to their destinations.

The risks of using Google Maps in large vehicles

One of the reasons people love Google Maps is because it helps them get where they want to go faster. While Waze is the king of faster routes, Google Maps offers a more refined mix of convenient navigation and fast routes to the destination.

It doesn't send you on small, narrow residential roads with multiple turns as Waze does, as it prefers main roads and, therefore, simplified routes. It shows real-time traffic information and typically gets you to a destination faster than other apps.

However, all of these only apply to passenger vehicles.

Many people learned the hard way that using Google Maps in a large vehicle is a big no-no. Because the application has no idea what vehicle you are driving, it suggests the same route as for a passenger vehicle. This means that if you drive a lorry, you'll end up on the same route as other Google Maps users driving a Hyundai Elantra, for example.

The major problem here is that your vehicle might not fit the roads included in the suggested route. Because Google Maps is unaware of your vehicle's dimensions, your route might include size and weight restrictions, and your truck or cargo might be too large to fit bridges or tunnels. Eventually, you could get stuck on narrow roads, as such things happen regularly due to drivers ignoring these recommendations.

The feature request

Users have been asking Google to add truck navigation for years, but the search giant has so far ignored this idea.

The reason has never been discussed publicly, but people familiar with the matter said that truck navigation is aimed at a niche that wouldn't help Google Maps expand significantly. Furthermore, this update is more complex than it looks at first glance, as it includes tremendous work to build a database of restrictions and road information per each vehicle category, dimensions, and cargo type.

As such, truck navigation has become a focus of other companies, such as Sygic and GPS navigator companies, that offer dedicated capabilities aimed at large vehicles.

However, Google might start exploring this "niche," with a recent update dropping a hint that Google Maps could eventually get capabilities to support truck navigation based on vehicle dimensions and cargo size.

The major update

A recent update has somehow escaped almost unnoticed, with Google seemingly not making a big deal out of it. However, if we look at this improvement closely, it's the first step towards adding support for large vehicles, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Google Maps team quietly started the work on adding truck navigation support.

Users who run Google Maps on Android Automotive (in vehicles with Google built-in) can now configure their cargo dimensions when using a trailer to haul goodies. The reason is simple: Google wants Google Maps to provide proper routing, as the cargo size could make the vehicle subject to certain restrictions (for example, if the cargo is too tall, the vehicle might not be allowed to enter certain tunnels).

Google Maps is getting a feature that allows truck drivers, such as the Chevrolet Tahoe, to specifically configure cargo size, so the routing engine will be instructed to avoid low bridges and tunnels to align with these dimensions.

The update might not seem big at first, but it's the first step towards adding the feature that users have been drooling over for years.

It's unclear if Google wants to explore this direction and eventually add truck navigation, but the company says it's now focusing on "trailer-friendly routes for the 2025 Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon." However, it also says that more "compatible vehicles" will be supported soon, meaning that Google Maps will continue to get features on this front.

A potential truck navigation mode in Google Maps would expand Google's focus on building an all-in-one mapping service, so exploring these updates makes sense in the long term, not only on Android Automotive but also on other platforms, such as Android Auto and mobile devices, which are already being used in most vehicles (including large ones) on the road.

Should Google add truck navigation in Google Maps? Let me know what you think in the comment box after the jump.