Watch that bridge!!!

[btilfan]

All I can say is WOW!
click

[rgatijnet1]

Besides low bridges, you have to watch for low tree branches, especially if you are in the curb lane. The facts are that no GPS can warn you about everything. You have to know your vehicle's exact height, be able to read and heed warning signs, and instinctively know whether your coach will fit under that low branch.
If you don't or can't do those things, you will eventually have to pay for repairs to your coach.

[SabreCanuck]

down home wrote:
We've used the Truck option on the Garmin and Rand Mcnutty both.

I'm thinking of buying a Goodyear, I think, Trucker's GPS. It has to be more accurate as any Trucker depending on it would have to file a tremendous claim on bad info.

If you use the trucker's option you should be good by about a foot.. Truck heights are 13'6", I'm not sure what you measure at but I'd guess you aren't over 13'...

''m guessing you might get routed around some places you would fit fine but the nice thing is the re-routes are usually scenic. 🙂

[J-Rooster]

That low overpass has been on RV.Net before several years ago!

[down_home]

We've used the Truck option on the Garmin and Rand Mcnutty both.
Neither of them have all the bridges and underpasses. Co Pilot keeps careful watch in towns for these things and elsewhere. In Indiana Truck bypass on small town on 31 nearly caught us. In Indiana just over the river from Louisville a park is located with one route under a lo overpass and no here to trun around,, at that time. I think they ere working on the road. A friendly guy, from the park drove over and helped keep traffic clear so we could turn around and make a circuit loop to the park.
There is ancient RxR underpass that has caught thousands of truckers and Mhs over the years. Police are regularily there to stop traffic and help them back up. The major hwy north and south the Dixie Hwy is it and no trucks got caught until 30 years ago when they started making them so large.
I'm thinking of buying a Goodyear, I think, Trucker's GPS. It has to be more accurate as any Trucker depending on it would have to file a tremendous claim on bad info.

[prstlk]

I know it may seem stupid but as full timers, often in uncharted territory, there is peice of tape above the drivers seat that says 12'9". Whenever I see a low bridge sign I look up and know within seconds if I'm good or not. We love the back roads and thats were the problems are.
38.5 dp pulling a 20 ft enclosed trailer.
Don't forget to duck!
Jw

[DrewE]

smacdiesel wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

smacdiesel wrote:
The local city/state municipality really should fix this problem, I feel for all those drivers.

What is the problem that needs fixing? The clearance is 11' 8", if you are taller, go around.

Obviously not everybody does so, it seems most collisions with this bridge are rv people or rented vans, and a lot of commercial trucks. Why not fix it, improved roads means more jobs and more efficient commerce. In my opinion this should have been fixed years ago, unless you like 3rd world situations like this one. Been to India lately?

How exactly do you propose to fix this?

You can't really raise the height of the railroad a couple feet without a whole lot of work because railroad grades are quite limited. It would involve raising hundreds of feet of railroad track and interrupt rail traffic for some time.

Lowering the street roadbed would also be expensive, perhaps very expensive depending on the local geography and geology, and disrupt road traffic for some time.

Likely the most practical way of fixing it is to simply close the road and force everybody to go around, which hardly seems like a real improvement to me; it inconveniences everybody who normally uses the underpass uneventfully.

[smacdiesel]

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

smacdiesel wrote:
The local city/state municipality really should fix this problem, I feel for all those drivers.

What is the problem that needs fixing? The clearance is 11' 8", if you are taller, go around.

Obviously not everybody does so, it seems most collisions with this bridge are rv people or rented vans, and a lot of commercial trucks. Why not fix it, improved roads means more jobs and more efficient commerce. In my opinion this should have been fixed years ago, unless you like 3rd world situations like this one. Been to India lately?

[ferndaleflyer]

That bridge is in fact in Durham, NC and is still like that today. Another reason I like my basement a/c in my DP.

[OutdoorPhotogra]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
One thing seems apparent......on the 5th wheel forum if someone asks about why their AC doesn't work, the first thing we can tell them is to look on the roof and see if it is still there. :B

I noticed that and commented on the 5er earlier but I'm eating dinner while I read this and almost choked laughing at your comment.

[rgatijnet1]

One thing seems apparent......on the 5th wheel forum if someone asks about why their AC doesn't work, the first thing we can tell them is to look on the roof and see if it is still there. :B

[msmith1199]

FIRE UP wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

smacdiesel wrote:
The local city/state municipality really should fix this problem, I feel for all those drivers.

What is the problem that needs fixing? The clearance is 11' 8", if you are taller, go around.

EXACTLY!!!!
First off, this bridge and, all the misshaps that have happened due to it's low-level height, have been on here, time and time again. Second, 99.9999999999% of the truckers on this planet, are pretty responsible drivers, one, because of the fact that a very large percentage of them are operating their own rigs and, two, even if they're not running their own rigs, it's still their livelihood and so they're pretty cognizant of routing, stops, freeways, clearances, scales, detours and the like.

The "Box" truck drivers most likely are not nearly as aware of the limits they must operate in and, in many cases are lower paid drivers and delivery folks. So, while the city/county/road department etc. have done their part in notifying drivers approaching that particular bridge of it's clearance/height, it's also the RESPONSIBLITY of the drivers to KNOW THEIR RIGS AND, LIMITATIONS!!
Scott

I haven't watched the video posted here, but I think it's the one I've seen dozens of times based on the description. If so then you'll notice that the majority of the box trucks in the video are rental trucks. And although it's possible some of those drivers were professional truck drivers, it's more likely they were just people off the street that rented the truck to move their furniture and don't have a clue about how tall it is or what it will fit under.

[D_E_Bishop]

PastorCharlie wrote:
There are about 5,000 bridges under the height of 13'.6" I have seen a couple 13'.6" on Interstate highways. The federal limit was set to 16' in 1960.

Discovery Owners publishes a website with the Low Clearances that can be downloaded to GPS as POI.

HERE

What does limit mean? Max Clearance or minimum clearance?

[D_E_Bishop]

That is why when I measured the height of our rig I laid a 2X4 on edge and measured to the ground on both sides. Averaged the two measurements(11'6" and 11'5") and figured 11' 6" would suffice, until I got to Quebec, ON, CA and the clearance was in meters(just meters, no feet and inches). A very friendly(not) French-Canadian highway worker yelled and screamed until I entered the tunnel. He was right, it was higher than my rig. My appologies but I was worried and not thinking straight.

[cbshoestring]

btilfan wrote:
I've always wondered... does that sign mean 11' 8" will fit, or 11' 8" is the actual hight?

What should fit, not the height of the obstruction. The CLEARANCE sign is suppose to read what will CLEAR. So, an 11' 8" truck should fit under an 11" 8" bridge.