Garmin rolls out smartwatch for truckers

Garmin earlier this week unveiled a new device aimed at making truckers' lives on the road easier and healthier. 

The company released Instinct 2 – dēzl edition, a smartwatch it says was "created for professional truck drivers seeking to lead a healthy over-the-road lifestyle."

According to the company, the new smartwatch allows drivers to monitor their health around the clock by tracking heart rate, sleep, stress and more. It also includes exercise workouts the company said fit a trucker's daily routine. The Instinct 2 – dēzl edition also allows truckers to simply look at their wrists to access member loyalty program information from select truck stops and travel plazas and quickly pay on the go by using reward point balances directly from the watch. 

“With the new Instinct 2 – dēzl Edition smartwatch, truck drivers can take control of their wellness both in and out of the cab, with a watch that’s easy to use and loaded with helpful trucking features,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “The sedentary nature of long hauls can be physically demanding and this watch will promote healthy practices while truck drivers perform their vital daily job functions.”

Garmin said its new fully loaded smartwatch makes it simple for drivers to access numerous health metrics directly from their wrist, including:

• View detailed short-break workout tutorials via the dēzl app on a user’s smartphone
• All-day monitoring of heart rate, stress levels, hydration and Pulse Ox readings for altitude and sleep monitoring 
• Take a break from the job and track daily steps, calories burned, intensity minutes and more

The Instinct 2 – dēzl edition also, according to the company, "introduces a number of ways for professional truck drivers to save time, increase efficiency and ultimately simplify an over-the-road lifestyle." They include:

•  Extra-long battery life of up to 28 days in smartwatch mode
• Use reward point balances and access member loyalty programs from Love’s Travel Stops and Pilot Flying J Travel Centers
• Save time with on-screen PrePass notifications for upcoming U.S. weigh stations and bypass decisions (this requires active PrePass account and use of the dēzl app on a user’s smartphone)
• Use Garmin Pay contactless payments from the smartwatch to make pay at store checkout lines at participating providers
• Easily plan for stops along a route using daily break timers with timely notifications
• Pairs with any of Garmin’s dēzl OTR series truck navigators to view break planning timers, health metrics and wellness suggestions, directly on the high-resolution navigation screen and the smartwatch’s display

The new Instinct 2 – dēzl edition trucking smartwatch has a suggested retail price of $399.99.