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?

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    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.