I’m moving across the country in a few weeks and am trying to plan my route as I’ll be driving a moving van with a car towed behind it. The entire drive will be 16-17 hours.
Google maps seems limited for searching everything I’d want to take into account for the route (pull through gas stations, height requirements, avoiding mountain highways, etc.) and was wondering if anyone knew of a better way to plan out the trip?
I haven’t looked at the RV apps. But I’ve used TruckerPath with great success before. It’s designed for OTR truckers and might have more than you need or be confusing. But it can set height restrictions and give you a lot of info on truck stops that if they can accommodate an 18 wheeler, they can accommodate you.
Take the the interstates, pretty much every gas station along those exits will be built to accommodate your situation. I drive from Colorado to Wisconsin and back a couple times a year on I 80 and see a lot of similar setups to what you’ll be doing. It’ll be fine. You got this.
My parents used to use AAA TripTiks to plan our trips. Granted this was decades ago in the olden days of paper maps, so I have no idea how good they still are, but apparently they still exist. Worth checking out.
I did a cross-country move about 8 years ago, and just planned each leg of the trip separately. I chose where I wanted to sleep, planned the route to get there, and then did the same for the next leg. There’s really no wrong way to do it as long as you connect the dots and go the way you want to.
A quick google showed me :
Rv trip wizard and Roadtrippers.
No clue if they have the features you want, but worth a try.
16-17h is like halfway, but sure, it’s a beefy drive.
I’ve done LA to Boston in a Penske (though not towing anything). It’s not that bad once you get used to driving that big old fucker. If you’ve got to cross the continental divide, you’re gonna have to get right with the fact that you are gonna burn a LOT of gas getting up there. The shallow but steady grade is going to mean you’ll have to keep it mostly floored on the uphill. On the downhill, do NOT overuse your brakes. Try to use the transmission for engine braking when and where you can.
Also, before you set out (really, before you accept the rental truck and load it up), it’s a great idea to make sure all the fluids and such are all topped up and looking decent, and that nothing looks sketchy under the hood, as well as around any of the running gear (powertrain) or the suspension. Also, when I did it about a decade ago, the common consensus was that UHaul has shittier maintenance than Penske. Alternatively, if you can find a place renting a truck that’s actually newish and not knackered from doing that drive 100 times already, that’s not a bad option either (though the “check shit out” recommendation still applies in all cases).
In terms of infrastructure/gas stations: as others have said, you are gonna be just fine if you stick to interstates.
Sounds like you’re planning on driving straight through; personally, I split it up into several days, but I was also able to crash with my sister for a day in Colorado, and with my grandmother in PA, though had to pop for a hotel somewhere in Utah as well as just outside of St Louis. If you have a buddy to switch off driving with, that’s great; if you’re soloing… well, do NOT try to just push through your fatigue. That’s a great way to drive yourself and all your shit into a wall or off a cliff if you inadvertently doze off.
Copilot RV Navigation app worked well for me.
