Low Clearance - Almost a big OUCH! - RV-Dreams Community Forum

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Low Clearance - Almost a big OUCH!

jrzygrl64 · RV-Dreams Family Member

OMG - thank goodness you were watching the signs! How scary! I'm not sure if I had told you about when Bill and I stopped at a gas station and for diesel fuel and the awning height wasn't marked, so I got out and if he had tried to get under it - he would have hit! I hope someone here has reliable source for low clearances because it is a HUGE issue, especially b/c we are as high as an 18 wheeler!

Glad we only had to hear about an almost disaster! You have already had more than your fair share of "stuff"!

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Do you use this? I was planning to buy it as soon as we bought the rig. I'm hoping you're going to say no, otherwise it may be wasteful.

http://lowclearances.com/

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

WestWardHo wrote:
So we're driving on US 20 in New Yorl near little town called Alden. We researched clearances, double checked All Stays but came over a little crest and a sign sayng 12' 6" clearance under a RR overpass. There had been no warnings anywhere That we could see in advance and our Truckers/Garmin's warning just popped up at the same time we saw the sign.
Fortunately there was a wide space on the other side of the road where we could turn around once traffic cleared.
Does anyone have advice on how to check clearances better when planning your travel?
Thanks,
sherry & Jesse

That's one haircut I'm glad you missed. WHEW!!! Hope you didn't have to detour too far.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have found a decent Trucker / RV GPS and an accurate height measurement of your RV plus 6"..(5Ver must be connected to TV) will always work just fine..........DO Not Trust someone elses measurement of your height....Measure it yourself and add a safety figure to it to compensate for bumps and inclines (6" is normal)

WhiteCloud · RV-Dreams Family Member

Motor Carriers Road Atlas- Rand McNally. You can buy it at truck stops.

CJSX2fromCT · RV-Dreams Family Member

New York is the ONLY State where I will do a 12'6" clearance, I run 13"6" I ran NYC and Long Island for 8yrs. New York measures from the center (middle of hub) on front axle up, NOT from the ground up. Why they measure this way I have no idea. A good laminated Commercial Rand McNally atlas is the best you can buy. Up in the front it list every State with low clearance and weight limits. My 94 altas is still being used almost daily.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

How often do they update the paper maps?

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Unfortunately even with our Truckers GPS we have been routed on Parkways, and low passes...we use different sources to check our route out before we leave.....but, eyes wide open and paying attention is still your best bet...trust nothing but your own eyes when it comes to this....

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

And pray that you have enough space to turn around!

Jo and Ben · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yikes Sherry & Jesse! It's a good thing you were paying attention and had room to turn around. Sheesh. Thanks for posting, we can all learn from this--check multiple sources for clearance info, and most importantly stay alert!

lindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

The reason NYS marks their overpasses a minimum of 1' less then they are is 2 fold, 1) for insurance purposes, and 2) to allow for snow build up on the roads in winter. That being said there are SOME overpasses that ARE marked with the actual clearance height, those overpasses had a sign that says "ACTUAL" along with the height sign.

DEWhit · RV-Dreams Family Member

" Old roads have old underpasses "

It is good that you caught yourself before an accident.
I guess that is why I am partial to using the old fashioned road map to check routes before routing trucks if no one is available with first hand knowledge.
The rule has always been with most trucking companies that any driver wedging a overpass would most likely be terminated.

The same type of situation happens a lot with trailers bottoming out on railroad crossings and steep climb entries to roadways at some locations. Lowboy trailers are the most guilty culprits in bottoming out.

I have seen numerous RV and rental truck accidents on store and gas canopies.

Many drivers will refuse to operate in certain parts of the country and metro areas due to short overpasses and one way streets.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

We're not excited about travels up here in the NE. If it wasn't for family I'm not sure we'd be here. We'll stop and buy a good motor carriers road atlas at the nearest truck stop! Wish the mountain directory listed clearances! We've seen quite a few bridges with no sign indication of height but if we've seen 18-wheelers coming toward us we've guessed we're safe. This makes me very nervous.

Using our truckers GPS, it wanted to route us on Turnpikes and we prefer smaller interstates thru small towns. Today forward in the NE, we're taking the Thruways and Turnpikes to be safer!

Cheryl, I looked briefly at the low clearances.com site. Not averse to purchasing it but on first glance it appears it might be a software add-on to GPS programs? I need to look further.

Thanks, everyone for your input and suggestions. That WAS a haircut we didn't need!

Sherry

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Motor Carriers Atlas has the STAA routes marked. These routes are for trucks and should have no low clearance obstacles. Your best offense is to read signs and approach suspect clearance with caution. I suppose knowing the height of your unit is good but, if you don't, just assume it is 13'6". This is the maximum legal height.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Stopped and bought the Motor Carriers Atlas at a truck stop less than 4 miles from our campground. I know it could have been ordered cheaper by almost half online but I didn't want to go another day without it!

We forgot to ask Mor/Ryde our measured height after we had the install done but we assume 13'8" to be safe!

Sherry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Do not trust any GPS, especially in the northeast. A couple I know was using their Onstar guidance to route them and it kept wanting to put them on the routes that were ONLY for passenger cars. They ended up in downtown and lost. Even the Onstar operator kept trying to get them on the forbidden route. Finally, between the Onstar operator and a local police officer, they got on a route to avoid the automobile route. However, their new route took them to an eleven foot overpass that they had missed. Definitely peeled back the top of their fifth wheel.

They told me all this in confidence because they didn't want to be embarrassed on the forums. I can't say I blame them.

Terry

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Terry, it is so scary! Made it safely to our destination. We've had our share of mishaps in our year on the road, we didn't want this one!

Sherry

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yeah my trusty GPS sent me on an interesting trek through St. Lois one time. It was directing me through places that a 40' coach should not be. Sent me down a street that I can't remember, it was so steep of a grade, I was practically "Standing" on the brake going down the street. Went up an off-ramp at night once. It had about a 3' concrete edge wall/curb along both sides. Once started through that there was no turning back. The wife closed her eyes, she said she thought she was going to see sparks. It was so narrow, decent for small vehicles but not so for 8' wide x 40' long.

cheryls-other-half · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry and Jo wrote:
Do not trust any GPS, especially in the northeast. A couple I know was using They ended up in downtown and lost. Even the Onstar operator kept trying to get them on the forbidden route. Finally, between the Onstar operator and a local police officer, they got on a route to avoid the automobile route. However, their new route took them to an eleven foot overpass that they had missed. Definitely peeled back the top of their fifth wheel.
They told me all this in confidence because they didn't want to be embarrassed on the forums. I can't say I blame them.
Terry

...snip and repeat... here....Onstar guidance to route them and it kept wanting to put them on the routes that were ONLY for passenger cars.

...DOY... I wouldn't EVER (forgive me) trust ONSTAR (or a built in, dedicated GPS for updated stuff. (the built in GPS, likely may not have ever been updated, and onstar is CONSUMER oriented...)

cheryls-other-half · RV-Dreams Family Member

cherylbrv wrote:
Do you use this? I was planning to buy it as soon as we bought the rig. I'm hoping you're going to say no, otherwise it may be wasteful.

http://lowclearances.com/

Oh yeah, Just to clarify the lowclearances.com deal appears to be an ADD-on to a GPS, that is actually a POI (point of interest) database. It comes as a CSV (comma separated value, excel/lotus)spreadsheet.

that works to import to most GPS's.

I once worked for a company that had a POI database of every single walmart in the country (they did I.T. Services for them...) Made it easier for the folken to find the store they were going to.

wish I had that now for planning...

... oh yeah, apparently the Rand McNally GPS also has the Walmart database in it!

PS: PM me if this was too technical.. I sometimes get carried away

-- Edited by cheryls-other-half on Sunday 1st of June 2014 06:06:24 PM

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

I just ordered the paperback version of the Atlas. It should arrive around the same time we get our new home.

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

We live in the NE and have used the Rand MCNally RV GPS very successfully. But yes we spend most of out time on the interstate ...in no small part because the gas is so expensive up here it cuts down on costs and it takes forever to get places on the 2 lane highways.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

PS: PM me if this was too technical.. I sometimes get carried away.

Mitch, appreciate the explanation! Now if we can just find the cables to update the GPS.....

Sherry

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

your missing all the fun Trace!!!....LOL I'll be passing thru your neighborhood soon on the way to Mt.Snow Via Rt. 9 then off to the Nat. forest areas in Vt.

Found that a GPS isnt as good as a compass and a map up here!!! biggrin biggrin wink smile confuse biggrin biggrin

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

NICE mike!!!

cheryls-other-half · RV-Dreams Family Member

WestWardHo wrote:
PS: PM me if this was too technical.. I sometimes get carried away.

Mitch, appreciate the explanation! Now if we can just find the cables to update the GPS.....

Sherry

Most likely (my last 2 garmins) were both Mini-usb ends. but you can take it into a radio shack or Best buy, and they can get you a cable in 25 seconds. Just show them the end on back of the GPS...

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Mitch, and if you're coming this way, even close we'd better hear from you. We are Lucky Mike Groupies as well as uthorized RV-Dreams groupies!

Sherry

cheryls-other-half · RV-Dreams Family Member

PC/General help-- WAS: Low Clearance - Almost a big OUCH!

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

RE: Low Clearance - Almost a big OUCH!