Chicago to the Jersey Shore in a Day

[Jen80370]

Hi there!

This is my first trip to the forum and I have learned alot already.

I am helping my boyfriend move from Chicago to NJ (at the Shore) and we will have a 16' truck and a car.

Any suggestions for the best route? I was thinking 80/90 through Indiana, then Ohio Pike...I am stumped with Pennsylvania...should I use I-80 or the PA Pike? Once I hit NJ, I know where I am heading...

Thank you so much for any help you can give me. Have a great day!

Jen in NJ

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the Forum!

Let me first give you a strong word of warning. You will NOT want to try and make this trip, in a moving van, in one day.

You will be making more than a 800 mile drive. In a car, you'd be looking at a 15-16 hour trip, minimum. Driving a truck while towing your car will take significantly more time, particularly since I'm guessing you don't have experience driving large vehicles like this.

Its hard to say which route you should take, not knowing exactly where you are going. I-80 will probably be the best route if you are heading to Northern NJ, the Turnpike will probably work better if you are heading to Southern NJ.

[Jen80370]

The truck is a smallish one...it looks like a Van with a small box on the back. We are not towing the car because the truck is small. I will be driving the truck (as I do have experience driving this size-just not on a trip like this) and my boyfriend will be driving his car.

Worst case scenario is the traffic is bad and we stop around either Cleveland or Pittsburgh for the night.

I am in Central NJ...halfway between NYC and Atlantic City.

How bad are the tolls for taking the entire Pennsylvania Turnpike?

Thanks so much for your help!

[Midwest Michael]

A 16 Foot truck would be a medium sized truck (although I actually can't think of any major company that offers this size, Uhaul has 17 foot, Budget and Penske's are 15 foot).

That sized truck is perfectly capable of towing a car - which would likely be less money than spending gas/tolls for two vehicles. Not to mention you'd be able to split up the driving.

Regardless, my strong recommendation is to still plan for at least 2 days of driving. 800+ miles is way too much for one person to safely drive in one day even with good traffic.

I'd guess the Turnpike will probably be a slightly faster route for you. But you could consider I-80 if you want to save some toll money and you can find a good way to cut down to your final destination.

I don't know the tolls for PA or any of the other states on your route off hand. I imagine the individual states have the information on their websites that you could probably find with a google search.

[Jen80370]

I didn't think a truck that size could tow a car. It is a Penske truck. Maybe it is the 15...I'll have to check the reservation.

Thanks so much for all of your help.

[Midwest Michael]

I guess my memory was wrong, 16 feet is the medium size for Budget and Penske.

But yes, you can tow with this sized truck without any problems. It is only the Smallest 10 Foot Sized Trucks that you can not use to tow.