Guided Tour Appendix: Change the Trip Parameters
The routes that you generated in the Guided Tour were mostly calculated using default trip parameters. However, you can choose from a variety of criteria that will give your routes more flexibility and efficiency. Try generating some sample routes with modified parameters, so that you can see for yourself how these changes will affect driving directions and route calculations.
To change a trip’s parameters, first select the gear button > Options in the Route 1 window. Then click on any of the tabs in the Route Options dialog to explore the parameters that can be edited (General, Cost/Time, Vehicle Dimensions, or Road Speeds)*. NOTE: Alternatively, you could select the Routes tab > General group > Defaults to set these same options as defaults for every new route.
* If your copy of PC*MILER has the PC*MILER|Tolls and/or PC*MILER|HazMat module(s) installed, the Tolls and/or HazMat tabs will also be visible.
General Options:
- Create a trip and assign a unique name to it by typing in the Route Name field.
- Enter additional information in the Report Memo field that will appear at the top of every report that is generated for this route.
- Change the distance calculations by selecting Miles or Km.
- Change the route type by selecting Practical, Shortest, or Fastest*. Any of these route types can be combined with Toll Discouraged and/or National Network or 53′ Trailer or Twins. (* For Fastest routing, a subscription to PC*MLER|Traffic must be licensed)
- Allow routing between countries by checking Borders Open, or keep routing within a country by deselecting it.
- Create an Elevation Discouraged route that avoids roads at elevations above a threshold you enter. The route will only exceed the threshold if an alternate route is too impractical or the destination is located at the higher elevation.
- To generate a route that overrides all height, length, width and weight restrictions: check Override Restrictions before running the route.
Cost /Time:
- Under Other Costs, enter your own cost estimates for loaded and empty miles.
- Under Time Costs, you can enter an arrival or departure day/time instead of entering this parameter in the route window.
Vehicle Dimensions:
- Enter vehicle dimensions to generate routing that conforms to the requirements of a vehicle’s height, length, width and weight.
- For PC*MILER|Tolls users, entering the number of axles along with vehicle weight may increase the overall accuracy of toll cost reporting.
Road Speeds:
- (Note that these options are not available if the Use Traffic Data* option is checked in the upper left corner – see “Traffic” below.) To set new road speeds by state, select a state or province from the scrollable pick list and type new speeds in the appropriate fields.
Tolls*:
- With the PC*MILER|Tolls module installed, PC*MILER will generate accurate, up‐ to‐date toll costs for any routing type, taking into consideration the indicated toll discount programs.
HazMat*:
- With the PC*MILER|HazMat module installed, PC*MILER will generate safe routes in the United States and Canada that are suitable for various types of hazardous materials and dangerous goods.
Traffic*:
- This option can be enabled in the Route Options dialog > Road Speeds tab, or directly in the route window. With a subscription to PC*MILER|Traffic, you can calculate more accurate transit times and ETAs with real time, historical and predictive traffic speed data – and see a visual display of traffic trends directly on the PC*MILER map.
(* Applicable license required)
Click Save in the Route Options dialog to save any changes you make. Cancel will close the dialog without saving changes. To generate a route with new parameters, click on the Run button in the route entry window.
CONGRATULATIONS, You Have Finished the Guided Tour!
In minutes, you calculated driving directions, maps and mileage for several routes and explored some of the many features that PC*MILER has to offer. Remember, the features covered in this Tour are only the most basic examples of what PC*MILER can provide for all your routing, mileage and mapping needs.