diff --git a/novatel_gps_driver/include/novatel_gps_driver/novatel_gps.h b/novatel_gps_driver/include/novatel_gps_driver/novatel_gps.h
index 43dcac8..86d0421 100644
--- a/novatel_gps_driver/include/novatel_gps_driver/novatel_gps.h
+++ b/novatel_gps_driver/include/novatel_gps_driver/novatel_gps.h
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
       boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelXYZPtr> novatel_xyz_positions_;
       boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelUtmPositionPtr> novatel_utm_positions_;
       boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelVelocityPtr> novatel_velocities_;
-      boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelPositionPtr> position_sync_buffer_;
+      boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelPositionPtr> bestpos_sync_buffer_;
       boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelHeading2Ptr> heading2_msgs_;
       boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelDualAntennaHeadingPtr> dual_antenna_heading_msgs_;
       boost::circular_buffer<novatel_gps_msgs::RangePtr> range_msgs_;
diff --git a/novatel_gps_driver/src/novatel_gps.cpp b/novatel_gps_driver/src/novatel_gps.cpp
index 6c92df6..6c99887 100644
--- a/novatel_gps_driver/src/novatel_gps.cpp
+++ b/novatel_gps_driver/src/novatel_gps.cpp
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
       novatel_xyz_positions_(MAX_BUFFER_SIZE),
       novatel_utm_positions_(MAX_BUFFER_SIZE),
       novatel_velocities_(MAX_BUFFER_SIZE),
-      position_sync_buffer_(SYNC_BUFFER_SIZE),
+      bestpos_sync_buffer_(SYNC_BUFFER_SIZE),
       heading2_msgs_(MAX_BUFFER_SIZE),
       dual_antenna_heading_msgs_(MAX_BUFFER_SIZE),
       range_msgs_(MAX_BUFFER_SIZE),
@@ -360,15 +360,14 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
       else // The gpgga and gprmc messages are synced
       {
         bool has_position = false;
-        bool pop_position = false;
 
-        // Iterate over the position message buffer until we find one
+        // Iterate over the bestpos message buffer until we find one
         // that is synced with the gpgga message
-        while (!position_sync_buffer_.empty())
+        while (!bestpos_sync_buffer_.empty())
         {
           // Calculate UTC position time from GPS seconds by subtracting out
           // full days and applying the UTC offset
-          double gps_seconds = position_sync_buffer_.front()->novatel_msg_header.gps_seconds + utc_offset_;
+          double gps_seconds = bestpos_sync_buffer_.front()->novatel_msg_header.gps_seconds + utc_offset_;
           if (gps_seconds < 0)
           {
               // Handle times around week boundaries
@@ -388,25 +387,19 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
           {
             pos_dt += 86400.0;
           }
+
           if (pos_dt > gpgga_position_sync_tol_)
           {
             // The position message is more than tol older than the gpgga message,
             // discard it and continue
             ROS_DEBUG("Discarding a position message that is too old (%f < %f)", position_time, gpgga_time);
-            position_sync_buffer_.pop_front();
-          }
-          else if (-pos_dt > gpgga_position_sync_tol_)
-          {
-            // The position message is more than tol ahead of the gpgga message,
-            // use it but don't pop it
-            ROS_DEBUG("Waiting because the most recent GPGGA message is too old (%f > %f)", position_time, gpgga_time);
-            has_position = true;
-            break;
+            bestpos_sync_buffer_.pop_front();
           }
-          else //the gpgga and position tol messages are in sync
+          else
           {
+            // There's a bestpos message that is close enough to the GPGGA message to use it
+            // It's ok if it's far ahead (even though that's weird), it's better than nothing
             has_position = true;
-            pop_position = true;
             break;
           }
         }
@@ -429,24 +422,29 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
 
           if (has_position)
           {
+            auto& position = bestpos_sync_buffer_.front();
             // We have a position message, so we can calculate variances
             // from the standard deviations
-            double sigma_x = position_sync_buffer_.front()->lon_sigma;
+            double sigma_x = position->lon_sigma;
             gps_fix->position_covariance[0] = sigma_x * sigma_x;
 
-            double sigma_y = position_sync_buffer_.front()->lat_sigma;
+            double sigma_y = position->lat_sigma;
             gps_fix->position_covariance[4] = sigma_y * sigma_y;
 
-            double sigma_z = position_sync_buffer_.front()->height_sigma;
+            double sigma_z = position->height_sigma;
             gps_fix->position_covariance[8] = sigma_z * sigma_z;
 
+            // 2D and 3D error values are the DRMS and and MRSE as described in
+            // https://www.novatel.com/assets/Documents/Bulletins/apn029.pdf
+            double horz_sum = std::pow(position->lat_sigma, 2) + std::pow(position->lon_sigma, 2);
+            gps_fix->err_horz = std::sqrt(horz_sum);
+
+            gps_fix->err = std::sqrt(horz_sum + std::pow(position->height_sigma, 2));
+
+            gps_fix->err_vert = position->height_sigma;
+
             gps_fix->position_covariance_type =
                 gps_common::GPSFix::COVARIANCE_TYPE_DIAGONAL_KNOWN;
-
-            if (pop_position)
-            {
-              position_sync_buffer_.pop_front();
-            }
           }
 
           // Add the message to the fix message list
@@ -1051,7 +1049,7 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
         novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelPositionPtr position = bestpos_parser_.ParseBinary(msg);
         position->header.stamp = stamp;
         novatel_positions_.push_back(position);
-        position_sync_buffer_.push_back(position);
+        bestpos_sync_buffer_.push_back(position);
         break;
       }
       case BestxyzParser::MESSAGE_ID:
@@ -1258,7 +1256,7 @@ namespace novatel_gps_driver
       novatel_gps_msgs::NovatelPositionPtr position = bestpos_parser_.ParseAscii(sentence);
       position->header.stamp = stamp;
       novatel_positions_.push_back(position);
-      position_sync_buffer_.push_back(position);
+      bestpos_sync_buffer_.push_back(position);
     }
     else if (sentence.id == "BESTXYZA")
     {