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Garmin dezl OTR720 Review

A Garmin dezl OTR720 review for owner-operators: the truck routing and alerts you get, which features need the phone app, and how it compares with the OTR620 and OTR1010.

Updated August 21, 2026

The verdict: The OTR720 has the same truck routing, alerts, CAT Scale finder, parking community and services directory as the $700 OTR1010, on a 7-inch screen that suits most cabs better anyway. Buy it if you want the full dezl feature set without paying for a 10-inch display. Skip it only if you specifically need the larger screen, or if 6 inches is enough and you would rather keep another hundred dollars.

Seven inches, the full dezl feature set, and none of the money spent on screen you do not need.

Best truck GPS for most drivers

Garmin dezl OTR720 7-inch GPS Truck Navigator

~$450

A 7-inch truck navigator with routing by truck size and weight, bridge height and curve alerts, BirdsEye satellite imagery, CAT Scale locations and a truck parking community.

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Screen 7-inch touchscreen
Routing Custom truck routing by size and weight, not available in all areas
Alerts Upcoming bridge heights, sharp curves and more
Arrival planning BirdsEye Direct satellite imagery of the destination
Weight CAT Scale locations across the US and Canada
Parking Truck parking community ratings, requires the dezl app
Weather Wind speed overlay and high wind alerts, requires the dezl app
Weigh stations PrePass notifications, requires an active PrePass account

Specifications above come from Garmin's published product information. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

  • The complete dezl feature set at a substantially lower price than the 10-inch model.
  • 7 inches is large enough for junction views and split screen while still fitting a normal windshield mount.
  • Bridge height and sharp curve alerts are the features drivers actually use every day.
  • The CAT Scale finder pairs naturally with a weight check before you hit a scale house.
  • The truck parking community is genuinely useful late in a shift, when the question is where you can legally stop.

Where it falls short

  • Live traffic, weather overlays, high wind alerts, parking ratings and PrePass all require the dezl app on a paired smartphone. Without a phone this is an offline navigator.
  • PrePass notifications need an active PrePass account, which the device does not provide.
  • There is no dash cam built in, unlike some Rand McNally units, so that is a second device and a second install.
  • Garmin states truck routing is not available in all areas and that posted signs govern. The device does not carry your license.
  • The routing engine is shared with the cheaper OTR620, so the case for this model over that one is screen size alone.

What owners report

Across published owner reviews this is the model that comes up most often as the right one to buy, and the reason is straightforward: it has everything the flagship has, and 7 inches is the size most drivers find they wanted. Reviews that praise the bigger OTR1010 tend to praise the screen; reviews that praise this one tend to praise the value.

The consistent frustrations are shared across the whole dezl line. The connected features need your phone, which surprises buyers who assumed a standalone device. Routing occasionally sends drivers down a road they would not have chosen, which is true of every navigator and is exactly why Garmin's own notes say to defer to posted signs. And the suction mount is a common early replacement, particularly in heat.

If you are weighing this against the smaller unit, the honest framing is that the OTR620 does the same things on a 6-inch screen. Our OTR710 versus OTR620 comparison covers how little separates the models once you look past display size, and our OTR620 review and OTR1010 review take each end of the range. Choosing between brands instead is a different question, and Garmin versus Rand McNally is the page for that, with the best trucking GPS roundup covering the wider field.

One thing worth being clear about: the CAT Scale finder tells you where to weigh, not whether you are legal. Axle weights are a loading problem, and the time to solve them is before you leave the shipper. Our payload calculator and the guide on GVWR, payload and towing capacity are the tools for that side of it.

Who it suits

  • Most owner-operators and company drivers who want a dedicated truck navigator rather than a phone app.
  • Drivers who use the dezl app and want live traffic, weather and parking ratings.
  • Anyone who found a 6-inch screen too small for junction views but does not want a 10-inch device on the glass.

Who should skip it

  • Drivers who want everything to work with no phone involved, where the connected features will disappoint.
  • Anyone who wants navigation and a dash cam in a single unit.
  • Drivers happy with a smaller screen, who can save around a hundred dollars on the OTR620.

Alternatives worth considering

Budget Pick

Garmin dezl OTR620 6-inch GPS Truck Navigator

~$340

The same routing and the same features on a 6-inch screen for around $110 less. If you mostly glance at turn prompts rather than study the map, take the saving.

Check price on Amazon
Step-Up Alternative

Garmin dezl OTR1010 10-inch GPS Truck Navigator

~$700

Same software, much larger display. Worth it only if screen legibility is the specific problem you are solving and you have the windshield space.

Check price on Amazon
Other Brand

Rand McNally TND 750 7-inch GPS Truck Navigator

~$380

The same screen size from the other major truck GPS brand, with routing weighted toward fuel prices and truck POIs. Choose it if you prefer Rand's route logic.

Check price on Amazon

Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between the Garmin OTR720 and OTR620?
Screen size, essentially. Both offer custom truck routing by size and weight, bridge height and curve alerts, BirdsEye arrival imagery, CAT Scale locations, the parking community and the services directory. The OTR720 is 7 inches, the OTR620 is 6. If split-screen views and junction detail matter to you, take the 720; otherwise the 620 saves money for the same capability.
Does the OTR720 need a phone?
For the connected half of its features, yes. Live traffic, weather overlays, high wind alerts, truck parking community ratings and PrePass notifications all run through the dezl app on a paired smartphone. Navigation, truck routing, alerts and the included North America maps work without it.
Is the OTR720 better than a phone app for trucking?
For truck-specific routing, generally yes, because it routes on the dimensions and weight you enter and warns about bridge heights and curves ahead. A consumer phone app routes a car. That said, neither one makes you legal, and Garmin says plainly that truck routing is not available everywhere and posted signs govern.
Garmin OTR720 vs Rand McNally TND 750?
Both are 7-inch truck navigators at a similar price. Garmin has the more refined software, the parking community and the tighter phone integration. Rand builds its routing around fuel pricing and its own truck POI database, and it runs on an Android base. Our Garmin versus Rand McNally comparison covers the trade properly.
Does a truck GPS help with axle weights?
Only indirectly, by finding you a CAT Scale. Whether you are legal is decided by how the load sits on your axles, which is a loading question you solve before you leave. Use our payload calculator to work through it, then use the scale to confirm.

TruckingCalc provides free educational information and estimates, not tax, legal, accounting, or safety advice. Rules and rates change; verify anything that affects your taxes, compliance, or safety with a qualified professional and the official source. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.