Bridges & Overpasses & stress management?

[sawdust_128]

I need some advise on managing travel stress and staying aware of low overpasses and bridges. Basically, I guess I need some tips on travel strategies to avoid that sudden "HOLY-YOU-KNOW-WHAT" sensation which thus far has been immediately followed by the "hose-out-the-pants" stop and not the "scrape-up-the-bus-parts" stop.

Are there navigation systems that can help with this?
Is there a printed atlas for larger vehicles? ------------------2009 Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas Thanks Ted
Does DOT/NTSB list them some where (I guess that would be on a state by state basis)?
Any operators care to share your particular technics?
Has anyone seen a good CDL manual that talks to these issues?

How about how you determined your "safe" height and what are your rules of thumb for using it?

Also, what do you use as guidelines for picking and using secondary roads?

As always, any advise greatly appreciated.

[tdelorme]

http://store.randmcnally.com/product...+road+atlas.do

[garyde]

My Navigation system, Alpine, seems to do a good job most of the time although you can never relax totally. I have been told by other POG members that you can program for 'Bus' in some systems.
What I don't like is the lack of flexibiliy in choosing an alternate route, it drives my navigation lady crazy. You have to either turn it off or ignore her admonishments until it chooses to re calculate.

[adamdegraff]

I have a love hate relationship with my GPS. It does not help at all with overpasses. But I have come to terms with some of its quirks.

Here is my system. I always start by looking at the motor carriers road atlas. (Rand McNally... suggested to me by somebody on POG.) It has truck routs highlighted on it. So you can rest assured that all the highlighted routs are A-OK. So I basically stick to those routs. Then I consult on Yahoo Maps. The tink I like here, is you can drag and drop the route to different points, augment it, change it, etc. and it gives you feedback. Then, with my route basically decided, I plug it into by GPS. (Garmin 750, available at Sams club for $250 or $300.) It has a routing option. I think this is a necessity because with this option, you can bypass the "quickest" rout option that does lots of stupid stuff cuz it thinks it is faster. So I use the routing option to plug in points along the way that I see on the hard copy may.

The GPS gives me accurate timing, places to stop along the way, and verbal directions, so I can zone out and concentrate only on the chaos in my bus and the crazy drivers cutting me off.

Then in the rare case that you get off your route, you can stress about over passes, etc. By the way, I have my height written on a post it note right on my dash, so I can always check it against the low overpasses.

Good luck!

Adam

[sawdust_128]

My Navigation system, Alpine, seems to do a good job most of the time although you can never relax totally. I have been told by other POG members that you can program for 'Bus' in some systems.
What I don't like is the lack of flexibiliy in choosing an alternate route, it drives my navigation lady crazy. You have to either turn it off or ignore her admonishments until it chooses to re calculate.

I would like to look at these. Can you make a recommendation on a model to look at?

[sawdust_128]

http://store.randmcnally.com/product...+road+atlas.do

Thank you. I have ordered it.

[sawdust_128]

I have a love hate relationship with my GPS. It does not help at all with overpasses. But I have come to terms with some of its quirks.

Here is my system. I always start by looking at the motor carriers road atlas. (Rand McNally... suggested to me by somebody on POG.) It has truck routs highlighted on it. So you can rest assured that all the highlighted routs are A-OK. So I basically stick to those routs. Then I consult on Yahoo Maps. The tink I like here, is you can drag and drop the route to different points, augment it, change it, etc. and it gives you feedback. Then, with my route basically decided, I plug it into by GPS. (Garmin 750, available at Sams club for $250 or $300.) It has a routing option. I think this is a necessity because with this option, you can bypass the "quickest" rout option that does lots of stupid stuff cuz it thinks it is faster. So I use the routing option to plug in points along the way that I see on the hard copy may.

The GPS gives me accurate timing, places to stop along the way, and verbal directions, so I can zone out and concentrate only on the chaos in my bus and the crazy drivers cutting me off.

Then in the rare case that you get off your route, you can stress about over passes, etc. By the way, I have my height written on a post it note right on my dash, so I can always check it against the low overpasses.

Good luck!

Adam

Thanks Adam. I have the Garmin Nuvi 750. As you stated, no help with overpasses. I have ordered the R-M Atlas. I'll look at yahoo maps and play with that as well.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I carry the trucker's atlas. I store it behind the driver's seat and stay on the interstates.

If I should ever have a weak moment and opt to leave the comfort and safety of the super slab, I will refer to it. I will NEVER put my faith in any GPS for height clearance or bridge weight limits.

This may come as a shock to some folks, but as drivers of a big vehicle we do have a responsibility to read signs. Expecially those that provide height or weight limits.

We had dinner with another Prevost owner once that related how he had to back up over two miles so he could get turned around, how he had traffic completely and totally shut down, and how all the troopers involved in clearing the lane behind him couldn't give him a ticket because the only sign about the bridge height was just before the bridge, right where he stopped. It took him over two hours to get out of there, about the same amount of time hundreds of cars sat in line waiting for him to clear the road.

While he was blameless, I'll bet looking at the trucker's atlas would have prevented that fiasco.

BTW, that was in New England, and from our travels there I can tell you that you really need to be on your game because of narrow roads leading to low bridges or bridges with weight limits.

[sawdust_128]

Is it possible to put a link on the POG site to this? I would be willing to do a cut and paste to have this on here?


http://www.aitaonline.com/Info/Road/...learances.html

[sawdust_128]

I carry the trucker's atlas. I store it behind the driver's seat and stay on the interstates.

If I should ever have a weak moment and opt to leave the comfort and safety of the super slab, I will refer to it. I will NEVER put my faith in any GPS for height clearance or bridge weight limits.

This may come as a shock to some folks, but as drivers of a big vehicle we do have a responsibility to read signs. Expecially those that provide height or weight limits.

We had dinner with another Prevost owner once that related how he had to back up over two miles so he could get turned around, how he had traffic completely and totally shut down, and how all the troopers involved in clearing the lane behind him couldn't give him a ticket because the only sign about the bridge height was just before the bridge, right where he stopped. It took him over two hours to get out of there, about the same amount of time hundreds of cars sat in line waiting for him to clear the road.

While he was blameless, I'll bet looking at the trucker's atlas would have prevented that fiasco.

BTW, that was in New England, and from our travels there I can tell you that you really need to be on your game because of narrow roads leading to low bridges or bridges with weight limits.

Weight limits. Hadn't even thought about that one. Any sources for that info?