truck route or not?

[mbarrick]

I tow a 40' gooseneck enclosed trailer with my cummins dually and during a recent trip we came to a road that split with a truck route going one way and the regular route continuing straight ahead. We took the truck route and it took us about 20-25 miles out and around where we had it mapped. It brought us back and we picked our route back up from there. We have been thru that area before but just in the truck with a car trailer, its like 2 little towns and nothing major. Would you have gone around too? It's hard to know if we should do what the big rigs have to or not, since we have to swing wide also. Suggestions please!

 

[jelag]

I have a Class A Combination w/air brake license... .

Commercial trucks are forced to follow these signs... they direct slower trucks around traffic to allow faster car traffic to get through... in all the places I've seen these signs were where there was a grade and heavy loaded trucks would be slower than 45 mph or so...

When I've traveled those same roads with my 3500 dually and 5er and I know I'm going to slow traffic on those hills than I take the by-pass out of respect for those vehicles that want to get through... when I know I can stay up with the traffic I don't... .

In the same breath, when the truck traffic laws, (read car pulling trailer) require you to go 55 mph and the car traffic can go 70 as in some states like OR or CA I always follow those by-pass roads as I can't keep up with the cars flying by at 75-80... its just safer to be with the slower trucks and not have to deal with the cars merging on and off the highway...

Hope this helps...

 

[Radshooter]

We usually use the bypasses when we are pulling our big fiver. It is usually a non-stop route, although longer to go around instead of through. Also, we don't have to hassle with all the stoplights and stopsigns we usually encounter by going through instead of around. All in all, we usually make better time going the long way around.

 

[HGreen]

a small town near me has the truck route, one, its a money maker for the local cops, and also a low clearance railroad bridge across the road. The truck route says nothing about the bridge. If you took the road, there is a way around the low bridge.

 

[mbarrick]

Yes, I see your point about the slower traffic and I do that when needed, but in this instance the "car" route just goes down thru a little town(row of houses with nothing else there). There are no bridges or other obstacles, it just seemed like a waste to me but didn't want to get in trouble. I do obey signs for big trucks on hills and such but this I just wanted some other opinions.

 

[Ragain]

Mbarrick, try going straight through town next time, since you are familiar with the route. It (truck route) may just be a local ordinance to reduce road damage, noise, and excessive thru traffic from commercial vehicles. I'm sure the township would love to have you do some local shopping during your visit! I find that most commercial vehicle bypass routes have exceptions for local deliveries. If UPS, Fed-Ex, garbage and foodservice trucks are allowed, then an RV certainly couldn't hurt.

 

[KBalzuweit]

Pulling an rv I may go straight through. But a 40ft gooseneck may be a different issue. I would check with local laws regarding weight and such. Wouldn't be good thing to get nabbed by a local law officer for something stupid. Also depending on how your trailer is plated makes a difference rv plates vs reg trailer plates.