Rookies taking a moving van / dolly-towed car around Appalachia - best option?

Howdy,

My SO and I are about to move from Austin to central NJ. We'll be driving one car and driving a 16' van towing another car on a two-wheel dolly. It will be the first experience for either of us driving something so long or with quite so wide a wheelbase. We're looking for overall time savings more than anything else, as we need to do the drive in roughly 3.5 days, but having an easy and relatively clear road would likely be a real help.

Google Maps has three potential routes, and I'm hoping for some advice on choosing between them based on terrain, traffic, and overall forgivingness. All take us Dallas--> Little Rock --> Memphis --> Nashville but then diverge until central PA.

A. via Roanoke: I-81, I-76
1,706mi

I read in another thread that I-81 wasn't all that bad elevation-wise (and I've seen it from the air recently) but also got the impression that it can fill up with big-rig traffic and may involve some narrow squeezes.


B. via Charleston, WV: I-65, Bluegrass Pkwy, US 60 I-64, I-76
1,731mi

Looks like this has a small stretch of non-controlled-access at Lexington.


C. via Cincinnati: I-65, I-71, I-70, I-76
1,726mi

On face, the least mountainous of the routes, but it passes near the downtown areas of both Louisville and Cincinnati and also isn't far from central Columbus. Asking for trouble with traffic?


Thanks very much for any input. I'd also appreciate any related advice about good places to stay the night, driving with the dolly, etc.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Before discussing the route, I'd strongly recommend you look at renting a full trailer, rather than just a tow dolly. A full trailer is much easier to use, especially on a long trip. With a tow dolly, you can't back up at all. Even if you have to pay a bit more, I think you'll find that change will be much more important than your choice of route.

As far as routes, I'd lean towards using I-40 and I-81. I find urban areas to be a much bigger concern than elevation if you're in a moving truck/trailer combo. I've driven across I-70 in Colorado in a UHaul pulling a car, and getting through Denver was a much bigger challenge than crossing the Rockies - which about 5 times higher in elevation than anything you'll see on your trip. Going via Cincinnati would take you through more urban areas, and would also have you on the PA Turnpike, which are very expensive when you add on a trailer. As you mentioned, the route via Charleston takes you through an urban area on surface streets.

You are right, in that I-40 to I-81 is a popular route with trucks - but that's not a bad thing in your case. First, the route is popular with truckers for the same reasons it will be good for you (relatively low elevation, lack of urban congestion), and because it's popular with truckers, it will be easy to find places to stop easily with your truck/trailer. For fuel, I'd look to truck stops, which generally have larger fuel islands, which are easier to get around. When stopping at motels or anywhere else, make sure you've got enough room to drive through and turn around, before turning into the parking lot - Speaking from experience, it's not fun trying to do an "austin powers" 98-point turn-around in a truck-trailer combo.

Based on experience with both A and B and the Louisville and Cincinnati sections of C, I'd take the A route hands down.

Both I-40 and I-81 are somewhat more roly-poly than one might expect, but still not a bad drive when compared to I-64 in and around Charleston, WV. I'd give both Louisville and Cincinnati a wide, wide berth.

Both I-40 and I-81 carry a lot of truck traffic, especially I-81. Chances are you're going to be mired in the slow lane, anyway, so this is probably not an overriding concern. The great majority of tractor-trailers, at least the regional and national carriers, are "governed" at 65-68 mph, anyway, so you'll likely just find a sweet spot between rigs and go slow up the grades and max out at 68 mph down the other side.

From Nashville to all the way up I-81, a plethora of truck fuel plazas exist and will be the place for you to pull off for fuel, as noted.

I'd urge you to invest in a pair of inexpensive FRS hand-held radios for easy and instant communications between vehicles. This adds an element of safety in terms of not needing to so much as speed-dial a cellphone, and some ongoing chat with your SO can make the trip more enjoyable.

While I agree with the general notion that a full trailer is much preferred to a tow dolly, I wonder if such is available to tow behind a 16' truck. It could be you'd need to upgrade to a larger truck to tow a full trailer. If you were to do so, your drive could be rather more enjoyable in a larger, more powerful truck, in addition to the relative ease of towing a trailer rather than a dolly. But, if you've never driven anything of the length of the 16' plus dolly, you'll likely find it's a handful either way.

Foy

I'm going to agree with Michael, in that the car on a trailer will be easier to handle. I will also agree that the I-40/I-81 route will be much better than the other two, for precisely the reasons they stated. I'm glad that Foy made the suggestion about FRS radios. We've used those before. As long as you don't get more than a mile apart, they're nice ways to have conversations without wearing out your phones. For fuel, I'd further add that you might want to check GasBuddy before you leave in the morning, and check fuel prices along your route. My husband drove a U-haul 1800 miles and said that it cost him $70 every time he fueled up, the truck guzzled it. (About 5-8 mpg.)

Not sure about Penske, but U-Hauls have large engines and are generally able to tow. Their 15 ft and 17 ft trucks can tow an "auto transport" (car with all 4 wheels on a trailer).

Once you get your rig set up, take the truck/car-on-a-trailer set up to a large parking lot, such as a school lot on a weekend or summer day, or a church lot. Practice steering, pulling it into parking places, and backing up (if you have an auto-transport....don't back up a tow-dolly). It will take 15-30 minutes of practice to be more comfortable with it. Remember when you make a turn, "SWING WIDE" (we used to sing "swing wide, sweet chariot" when we first got our trailer). If given a choice between two left-turn lanes, take the right-most. If turning right, you will probably have to swing into the left-hand lane.

BTW, this is a 1700 mile trip. In a truck, that's going to take every bit of that 3.5 days you had planned, and will mean you are going to drive almost 500 miles for the first 3 days and then 200 on the last day. You will average about 55 mph because you are towing and you will have weight on your vehicle. So be prepared!


Donna

I wouldn't think that you'd have a problem with the 16 foot truck and a full trailer. That's generally considered a medium-sized truck, and usually only the very smallest trucks (10 foot) have towing restrictions. I've pulled a full sized trailer behind both 14 and 17 foot Uhauls.

Having said that, going up to a larger truck might make it more likely you'd get a diesel, which would have more power in the hills, and should save you on fuel too!

Foy's Idea about a pair of FRS radios is a great one. It makes a 2 vehicle trip much easier.

Thanks very much for the feedback; I-81 looks like the best way to go, and we're also looking at starting out as early as we can on the first day.

The dolly choice at the moment has a lot to do with cost -- upgrading to the full car carrier is nearly $200 extra, which would be a very significant chunk of the budget. We'll just have to be sure to be very literally forward-thinking.

Is there a good site to look at for truck/van-friendly hotels and other stops, or is it more a matter of doing lots of maps-based searches for "motel" or "gas" and then using an aerial view to check them out?

I was given a hardcopy publication entitled "Next Exit" about 4 years ago. Scarcely used it since. I recall it provides some details as to relative ease of access for large/long vehicles. It's geared towards RV'ers, so perhaps some searching around RV sites could produce a some online info.

Given that you must go with the dolly, which you can't back up a single foot (believe me, I've tried), you're wise to scout out your fuel and overnight stops ahead of time. Chances are you'll need to combine food and fuel since there will not be a lot of places for you to get the truck/dolly in and out of which are purely food-related.

Best of luck,

Foy

I would really see what you can do to get the cost of the full trailer down. Usually Penske/UHaul will price match each other, and the guys at the counter usually have a pretty good amount of flexibility when it comes to adjusting the price. While you might not think of it, the rental truck business is a place where there is some room for haggling, especially when it comes to extras like trailers.

Gas stations will be easy to tell which ones you'll want to use and which ones you want to avoid. Like I said, Truck Stops will often be the best place to look, and as Foy mentioned, they'll typically have a few food options to pick from too.

For motels, looking at online images is a good idea. Many motel listings will make note of being trucker friendly, but you can always call the hotel directly (not the 800 reservation number) and get the lay of the land.

Dealing with a dolly will make you wish you spent the extra $200, trust me.

Where in NJ are you going? The tolls on I-76 when towing are considerable, I'd look at taking I-78 then dropping south if necessary when you get to NJ. Also, the last thing you want to do is take I-76 through Philly, I won't even do that in a car. The Schuylkill Expressway is a miserable old road with awful traffic. Let us know exactly where you are going and we can recommend the easiest way.

"The Next Exit" still lists RV and truck friendly facilities in red. In this house right now are 3 copies -- 2010, 2014 and 2015. (The latter belongs to my daughter; she learned to read one when she was 13 years old and asked for one for her birthday, for their trip.)

All you have to do is make one wrong move with a tow dolly, have a repair to deal with (perhaps expensive) and it will make the $200 extra seem like small chunk change.


Donna

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Originally Posted by glc

Where in NJ are you going? The tolls on I-76 when towing are considerable, I'd look at taking I-78 then dropping south if necessary when you get to NJ. Also, the last thing you want to do is take I-76 through Philly, I won't even do that in a car. The Schuylkill Expressway is a miserable old road with awful traffic. Let us know exactly where you are going and we can recommend the easiest way.

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So the final target will be between Trenton and Princeton, although -- depending on other factors -- we might only tow as far as some convenient place on the PA side of the Delaware with easy access to 95 or US1. Since our destination is that far south, I've figured to this point that swinging up and around on I78 probably couldn't do much for us, especially since we'll be looking to stay on controlled access roads as much as possible.

Google's algorithms don't have a particularly strong view of the route to take in any case (I can actually move the destination 10 feet and get sent through DC and Baltimore rather than PA at all). At the moment, around Philadelphia we're looking at 76 to 276 to either 95 (the western route around Trenton) or US1.

If you use paper maps, you wouldn't need to play wit Google's algorithms at all. No paper maps? Go to a big box store and buy a Rand McNally atlas for about $10. Or go to AAA (if you're a member) and ask for the maps you need. You NEED paper maps.


Donna

A hearty X2 on the paper maps. Software will all too often have you do some mighty silly things. On occasion, some downright dangerous things, too. "Death by GPS" is more often a winter travel phenomenon and is almost solely a Western US tragedy story, but the point is there no complete substitute for maps and the ability to use them.

Foy

This advice is from a former resident of the area - take I-78 into NJ, then I-287 to US-206 south to Princeton. Trust me - it's only 20 miles longer and no tolls (your tolls on the PA Turnpike would probably be over $30 for both rigs from Carlisle to Bensalem).

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Originally Posted by glc

This advice is from a former resident of the area - take I-78 into NJ, then I-287 to US-206 south to Princeton. Trust me - it's only 20 miles longer and no tolls (your tolls on the PA Turnpike would probably be over $30 for both rigs from Carlisle to Bensalem).

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Thanks for that tip; I did see that that for just the van/car rig would be ~$22-23, so I'll definitely check out how 206 looks.

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

If you use paper maps, you wouldn't need to play wit Google's algorithms at all. No paper maps? Go to a big box store and buy a Rand McNally atlas for about $10. Or go to AAA (if you're a member) and ask for the maps you need. You NEED paper maps.
Donna

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foy

A hearty X2 on the paper maps. Software will all too often have you do some mighty silly things. On occasion, some downright dangerous things, too. "Death by GPS" is more often a winter travel phenomenon and is almost solely a Western US tragedy story, but the point is there no complete substitute for maps and the ability to use them.
Foy

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I think there are really two separate issues here, though. There's the question of how much faith to put in auto-generated route calculations. I think they are a great general tool for offering suggestions and providing statistics and other information for different possibilities. But of course we ultimately do our own route planning and wouldn't blindly follow them -- or else I wouldn't be here asking questions and poking around different options!

But I'm not sure that really says anything about whether to have a go-to preference for static maps inked on dead tree matter. I enjoy flipping and scanning through them for fun, and they're important emergency-backups to your emergency-backups, but in most cases in North America, I don't think they hold a candle to the accuracy, completeness, and feature-set offered by major digital mapping projects like OSM, Google Maps, Bing, and MapQuest. And that's even when using cached data without live internet connectivity and without using any automated route guidance. Like two other loves of mine -- cursive handwriting and classic manual-transmission driving -- static mapmaking is a beautiful and storied craft that still has niches of practical utility, still plays some significant role in shaping new development, and still has a long-term future in art and in specialty projects. But also as with those other two, we are now entering a time when replacements are overcoming initial limitations/reputations and becoming truly mature.

The ability to play with online maps has certainly gotten better over the past decade, although there are still advantages to paper maps that I've yet to see duplicated on electronic maps. That's especially true when you don't have access to a data connection - which severely limits the capabilities of most electronic maps - and while on the road, the places you most need help from a map are the places you're least likely to have a reliable signal.

But the most important thing is that you have access to real maps, that you can work with yourself, and make decision about where to go yourself. Even if most people on the forum probably wouldn't argee with you, it's ok If you think you can get enough information from maps in an electronic form. It's the blindly following the directions of a GPS or an Online Mapping program that can and does lead people into very dangerous situations.

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Thanks for that tip; I did see that that for just the van/car rig would be ~$22-23, so I'll definitely check out how 206 looks.

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While I definitely see the usefulness of US-206, as described by glc above, it is completely because it is toll-free. My husband detested that highway in that area, because it was like driving on street surfaces (including stop signs and traffic lights) for lots of miles. Perhaps we would have found it better if we were avoiding huge tolls. We just used it because it went where we needed to go (Princeton to Stanhope).


Donna

Hi MoPac,

While I agree with you on the online maps and/or GPS being accurate and very helpful, the paper maps can be (and often are) crucial. I can see that your trip will be Interstate mainly, but it is still worth considering, if you happen to venture outside of the Interstates.

Just a couple of examples:


1) On a recent big trip (our first) our GPS did not work at all (until we bought a new one a few days into the trip), which means we put our paper maps to very good use and could not have done without them. We REALLY depended on the paper maps.

2) the brand new TomTom that we bought, on very many occasions, would have sent us through some ridiculous roads (e.g. Private, small road, dirt road, farmland, etc...) - so it was only through maps that we learned this.

Another couple of examples about GPS (Google Maps on an iPhone, to be exact):

1) When my oldest daughter was arriving here a little over a week ago, Google Maps took my daughter home via a circuitous route. She hadn't driven around here in about 7 years, so when it took her down a certain road, she was puzzled about where she was.

2) Even after that experience, they lost the caravan-of-three (which happens when 2 vehicles try to follow the leader in a city) and decided to program in our address, trying to get home from Sea World. Again, it took her another way than she would have recognized. She termed it "the longer, scenic route". I rolled my eyes when she got home -- it took her 4 miles out of her way. And this is technology "at its best"???

My own experience with a GPS: I was testing out our newer Garmin. I programmed in my work address, it was set to avoid certain things and use others. If I had listened to it, I would have added 2.75 miles to my commute.

Finally, a colleague was hosting the staff end-of-year party. She put directions to her home in the staff room, with a big warning: DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR GPS!!!! She said later that most GPS units and Google Maps, along with the iPhone map program, would send people over a cowpath with a locked gate across it, to get to her home.

These are reasons why I would rely on someone else's directions, or my paper maps, rather than electronics. Electronics cannot be beat for finding exact mileages, that is true. But when I'm sitting here at my computer, my atlas sits next to me, so I can help someone with their routing.


Donna

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

While I definitely see the usefulness of US-206, as described by glc above, it is completely because it is toll-free. My husband detested that highway in that area, because it was like driving on street surfaces (including stop signs and traffic lights) for lots of miles. Perhaps we would have found it better if we were avoiding huge tolls. We just used it because it went where we needed to go (Princeton to Stanhope). Donna

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It's only 20 miles from 287 to Princeton on 206. Princeton to Stanhope is 45 miles. Big difference. NJ-31 from Clinton south is also an option, it multiplexes with US-202 for a while which is multi-lane divided. That would take you to I-95 north of Trenton with an easy connect to US-1.

Money saving note: PA just raised their gas taxes considerably, gas is considerably cheaper in NJ. However, note that you are not allowed to pump your own in NJ, it's attendant service only.

My litany of being led astray by the gps could add to the above. Suffice to say that at one point, late, I called 911 for help, as *I could not find my way to my rural destination. On his arrival, the first thing the officer did was have a good look at my gps, and then warned me about its routing limitations.

Furthermore, I was astonished when he told me that calls like mine were quite common in their district. I have not used a gps since.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by glc

However, note that you are not allowed to pump your own in NJ, it's attendant service only.

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Depends on where you go and how determined you are to pump your own. At Pilot the manager has always let me pump my own.

Lifey

If caught, the manager would be heavily fined. It's state law.

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Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

The ability to play with online maps has certainly gotten better over the past decade, although there are still advantages to paper maps that I've yet to see duplicated on electronic maps. That's especially true when you don't have access to a data connection - which severely limits the capabilities of most electronic maps - and while on the road, the places you most need help from a map are the places you're least likely to have a reliable signal.

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Why not just cache the map data before the trip? Even with Google Maps, this is fairly easy to do, so you can get a local copy of everything in the areas you define (which can be pretty big) and then don't have to worry about whether you have a signal. I used this to great effect driving through Bosnia and Croatia. And since your phone/tablet/whatever's GPS still works fine and for free, your current position and other details can still be overlaid live on the cached map. OSM applications are built to allow you to download big tiles full of the latest everything for states or other regions, and it's all pretty seamless.

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

Google Maps took my daughter home via a circuitous route...
If I had listened to it, I would have added 2.75 miles to my commute....
...would send people over a cowpath with a locked gate across it..

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

...have a good look at my gps, and then warned me about its routing limitations.
...I have not used a gps since.

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Why not take advantage of all the great mapping detail and the actual GPS function (the satellite positioning) and just not the route guidance? This is the thing that sort of makes me scratch my head (and I work a lot with mapping systems, so I'm also interested to know how people think about maps). Why do problems with automated route suggestions cause people to ditch unrelated things -- the whole electronic map database/display and the live satellite positioning -- in favor of paper maps, which are generated from the same or similar kinds of databases? Is it a response to the fact that the route guidance came from the same device that displays maps while not doing routing or displays the GPS position fix, and so the frustration is directed at the device rather than the routing algorithm, and the device is just sort of seen as a tainted source of information?

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Originally Posted by Subman

1) On a recent big trip (our first) our GPS did not work at all...We REALLY depended on the paper maps.
2) the brand new TomTom that we bought, on very many occasions, would have sent us through some ridiculous roads (e.g. Private, small road, dirt road, farmland, etc...) - so it was only through maps that we learned this.

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I admit I don't have much direct experience with those dedicated units like TomToms or what mapping engines they use -- that experience sounds like a nightmare. Having a simple dash/windshield mount for my phone has meant never really being tempted to invest in one, although I guess a lot of new cars still have dedicated navigation systems that are similar.

I think that you, whatever happens, have the ability of reading a map, which is great.

I guess my point was that countless people will set out on cross-country / otherwise ambitious trips with only the electronics to guide them. And that's ok, but what if your phone gets out-of-charge/lost/stolen? Or your GPS decides to call it a day?

It is at moments like this (I was leaving New York when this happened to me) when the good old paper map - and the ability to read it - has its day. The people who don't have one/cannot read it are in serious trouble at this point.

Technology, as great as it is these days, has a habit of breaking down, in my experience. So one should have the old fashioned back-up, always.

Have a safe trip!