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#1
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looking for long distance truck driving safety tips
Hi, I am the guy who started this thread a month ago.
Well, I rented a Budget truck with a car carrier and made it to Seattle before Christmas. The trip took me 2.5 days (I stayed overnight in Williams, CA and Salem, OR). There were couple of close moments, but nothing I'd say was dangerous. Here I just want to make a few comments from a first timer point of view. 1. Drive during the day if you can. I usually go to bed around 2-3am and it's hard for me to change my clock just because I was moving. So I ended up driving half-day and half-night. Driving during the day felt a lot easy. 2. When you need to stop for food, gas, etc, choose small towns if you can. They tend to have larger parking lots and less crowded roads. How can you tell? If you see 5-6 signs of fast food restaurants or gas stations, that's probably a small town. On the other hand, if you see "Springfield, Next 3 Exits", avoid. This is particularly important if you are also towing a car like I was. 3. Don't be too cheap on lodging. A good overnight sleep is critical for your next day's driving. If you don't smoke, be sure to avoid cheap motels. They always ask you smoking or non-smoking. But in some places, there is little difference. I had to change motels at midnight (in Salem) and in retrospect, that was one of the best decisions I made during the trip. The Motel 6 in Williams, however, was fine. But it's got its own problem. There is a big parking lot right next to it. During the night I was staying, there was this big truck running its engine all night long and the whole motel was shaking! Overall, I enjoyed the trip (took more pictures of myself than I did in the last 6 years in LA). I think this experience has also made me a more careful driver. Once again, thank you folks very much for all your kind helps. P.S. I bought the ratchet straps from Kragen. Budget rental doesn't carry them. They only carry 3 items: rope, box, ... I can't remember the 3rd item. I bought a rope there but ended up not using it. Overall, my experience with Budget was pretty good. I'd choose them again. P.P.S. One of the concerns I had before the trip didn't happen: lower back pain. With my car, after 2 hours of non-stop driving (like from LA to San Diego), I'd get this pain on my lower back and thighs. But with that Ford truck, I felt absolutely nothing! Now I know my car seat is the problem. P.P.P.S. There is a fish & chip restaurant in Williams, CA (on the east side of I-5) run by a Korean couple. Had my best meal in the entire trip there. |
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#2
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Hi, I am the guy who started this thread a month ago.
Well, I rented a Budget truck with a car carrier and made it to Seattle before Christmas. The trip took me 2.5 days (I stayed overnight in Williams, CA and Salem, OR). There were couple of close moments, but nothing I'd say was dangerous. Here I just want to make a few comments from a first timer point of view. 1. Drive during the day if you can. I usually go to bed around 2-3am and it's hard for me to change my clock just because I was moving. So I ended up driving half-day and half-night. Driving during the day felt a lot easy. 2. When you need to stop for food, gas, etc, choose small towns if you can. They tend to have larger parking lots and less crowded roads. How can you tell? If you see 5-6 signs of fast food restaurants or gas stations, that's probably a small town. On the other hand, if you see "Springfield, Next 3 Exits", avoid. This is particularly important if you are also towing a car like I was. 3. Don't be too cheap on lodging. A good overnight sleep is critical for your next day's driving. If you don't smoke, be sure to avoid cheap motels. They always ask you smoking or non-smoking. But in some places, there is little difference. I had to change motels at midnight (in Salem) and in retrospect, that was one of the best decisions I made during the trip. The Motel 6 in Williams, however, was fine. But it's got its own problem. There is a big parking lot right next to it. During the night I was staying, there was this big truck running its engine all night long and the whole motel was shaking! Overall, I enjoyed the trip (took more pictures of myself than I did in the last 6 years in LA). I think this experience has also made me a more careful driver. Once again, thank you folks very much for all your kind helps. P.S. I bought the ratchet straps from Kragen. Budget rental doesn't carry them. They only carry 3 items: rope, box, ... I can't remember the 3rd item. I bought a rope there but ended up not using it. Overall, my experience with Budget was pretty good. I'd choose them again. P.P.S. One of the concerns I had before the trip didn't happen: lower back pain. With my car, after 2 hours of non-stop driving (like from LA to San Diego), I'd get this pain on my lower back and thighs. But with that Ford truck, I felt absolutely nothing! Now I know my car seat is the problem. P.P.P.S. There is a fish & chip restaurant in Williams, CA (on the east side of I-5) run by a Korean couple. Had my best meal in the entire trip there. |
#3
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Hi, I am the guy who started this thread a month ago.
Well, I rented a Budget truck with a car carrier and made it to Seattle before Christmas. The trip took me 2.5 days (I stayed overnight in Williams, CA and Salem, OR). There were couple of close moments, but nothing I'd say was dangerous. Here I just want to make a few comments from a first timer point of view. 1. Drive during the day if you can. I usually go to bed around 2-3am and it's hard for me to change my clock just because I was moving. So I ended up driving half-day and half-night. Driving during the day felt a lot easy. 2. When you need to stop for food, gas, etc, choose small towns if you can. They tend to have larger parking lots and less crowded roads. How can you tell? If you see 5-6 signs of fast food restaurants or gas stations, that's probably a small town. On the other hand, if you see "Springfield, Next 3 Exits", avoid. This is particularly important if you are also towing a car like I was. 3. Don't be too cheap on lodging. A good overnight sleep is critical for your next day's driving. If you don't smoke, be sure to avoid cheap motels. They always ask you smoking or non-smoking. But in some places, there is little difference. I had to change motels at midnight (in Salem) and in retrospect, that was one of the best decisions I made during the trip. The Motel 6 in Williams, however, was fine. But it's got its own problem. There is a big parking lot right next to it. During the night I was staying, there was this big truck running its engine all night long and the whole motel was shaking! Overall, I enjoyed the trip (took more pictures of myself than I did in the last 6 years in LA). I think this experience has also made me a more careful driver. Once again, thank you folks very much for all your kind helps. P.S. I bought the ratchet straps from Kragen. Budget rental doesn't carry them. They only carry 3 items: rope, box, ... I can't remember the 3rd item. I bought a rope there but ended up not using it. Overall, my experience with Budget was pretty good. I'd choose them again. P.P.S. One of the concerns I had before the trip didn't happen: lower back pain. With my car, after 2 hours of non-stop driving (like from LA to San Diego), I'd get this pain on my lower back and thighs. But with that Ford truck, I felt absolutely nothing! Now I know my car seat is the problem. P.P.P.S. There is a fish & chip restaurant in Williams, CA (on the east side of I-5) run by a Korean couple. Had my best meal in the entire trip there. |
#4
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On 5 Jan 2005 20:04:41 -0800 j.pod wrote:
> Hi, I am the guy who started this thread a month ago. > Well, I rented a Budget truck with a car carrier and made it to > Seattle before Christmas. The trip took me 2.5 days (I stayed > overnight in Williams, CA and Salem, OR). There were couple of > close moments, but nothing I'd say was dangerous. Here I just > want to make a few comments from a first timer point of view. Nice to see you got there in one piece. Sounds like you did just fine considering what you were doing to get there. Why do you hate big cities? I've never had a problem moving with a simple straight truck any where. Wheel base isn't any more than a full size car. One time I drove a Ryder 15foot truck with a 10ft tow dolly. Talk about some fun. Good job on the move. |
#5
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On 5 Jan 2005 20:04:41 -0800 j.pod wrote:
> Hi, I am the guy who started this thread a month ago. > Well, I rented a Budget truck with a car carrier and made it to > Seattle before Christmas. The trip took me 2.5 days (I stayed > overnight in Williams, CA and Salem, OR). There were couple of > close moments, but nothing I'd say was dangerous. Here I just > want to make a few comments from a first timer point of view. Nice to see you got there in one piece. Sounds like you did just fine considering what you were doing to get there. Why do you hate big cities? I've never had a problem moving with a simple straight truck any where. Wheel base isn't any more than a full size car. One time I drove a Ryder 15foot truck with a 10ft tow dolly. Talk about some fun. Good job on the move. |
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