Theoretical heights.
I was looking up the legal DOT heights (13.5ft) as well as the minimum recommended clearance between truck and bottom of the 5th wheel overhang (6in) then crossed it with the most recent height measur...
Forum Discussion
TXiceman wrote:
One time we had an oversize load hit a bridge (it was over height, width, length and weight). It was winter, so we had to watch the axle load limits on certain roads coming from Toronto to the Texas Gulf Coast. The driver decided to get off his designated route and visit a girlfriend and found a bridge he would not fit under. It cost his insurance and trucking company about $350,000 for repairs on the equipment in 1977. The trucking company said he would never drive again in North America.
On the positive side, when an RV meets a bridge beam, it's just a matter of sweeping up the RV pieces and maybe a little paint to touch up the steel beams.
Now a big excavator with the arm up too high...that insurance company got to buy a new bridge as he was well into the 3rd beam before the arm ripped off. Even worse, it was put an expedited schedule because the freeway was being shut down. I was only involved in the traffic control for the response but I'm sure it was several million before it was all done.
Stay within 13.5 (13ft 6inch, etc...) and it's generally not a big issue. The rare bridges that are below that are typically heavily signed.
