Restricted Routes, Designated Routes, and Length Laws..

[Hawkjr]

This is sure to bring out the best in Mr. Hobo and others but i have serious question... If a Stretch of is highlighted orange for an designated route but has an section that is restricted for motor carriers just what in the hell does that mean??

Also how do you suppose to tell if a road has an length restriction or not from a map?? In virginia there's Route 60 that everybody wants to take over the mountain but they can't because most are over 65 feet but it's no telling from a map until you get up on the road and it say no trucks over 65 feet and alot of trucks has gotten tickets anyways cause they take the risk and get caught instead of taking the long way around

[Flatbed]

Read all the information in the front of the map book, all the restricted route and length information is right there.

[cdswans]

. . try the internet. Really try.

From the VADOT website:

http://www.virginiadot.org/info/reso...kMapLegend.pdf

You can find similar resources for any state you plan on traveling through.

[Sealord]

"has a section that is restricted for motor carriers, just what in the Hell does that mean??" It means a commercial vehicle can't run the route unless a freight pickup or delivery has to be made. Checked my MCRA and there's no explanation why other than the color coding. I also notice that US-60 intersects the Blue Ridge Parkway and many parkways and their underpasses/overpasses aren't built for commercial vehicles, another example is the Natchex Trace Parkway in Mississippi. BOL

[Creek Jackson]

The MCRA is just a road atlas. It carries no legal ramifications. In other words, it is a guide, not the law. Just because a route is not highlighted orange doesn't mean it is restricted to truck traffic.

[golfhobo]

If a Stretch of (?) is highlighted orange for an designated route but has an section that is restricted for motor carriers just what in the hell does that mean??

Mr. Hobo is still trying to figure out just what you are asking.... and chuckling over the answers posted so far. But he'll get back to you when he gets off line 5!

[Hawkjr]

sorry Mr. Hobo if an Stretch of Highway is highlighted orange for an designated route but in the front of the atlas it has an Restriction on that same route, just what doest that mean??

[golfhobo]

sorry Mr. Hobo if an Stretch of Highway is highlighted orange for an designated route but in the front of the atlas it has an Restriction on that same route, just what doest that mean??

It means there's a restriction on that route!

Oh, and I wasn't REALLY chuckling at the other answers. Turns out, I'd bumped my funny bone and didn't know it!

Seriously.... the restriction SHOULD be explained in the front of your MCRA. Some are length, could be weight, and I suppose some are like 25E in Kentucky (or is it the Tennessee part?) that has a tunnel where there are restrictions for the types of explosives/hazmat allowed.

BTW.... MISTER Hobo is my dad! You can call me Hobo!

[b00m]

Yeah!That's why i always prefer the long route instead of taking my chances with some roads that aren't for trucks.Especially on the east coast!I have a friend that's doing car hauling and he has a lot of stories by being on the roads that trucks arent supposed to be in.

[BobBski]

Speaking of atlas's....today I updated my laminated Rand Motor Carrier from a 2002 to the new 2009 one Pilot at Buckeye Lake had them on sale for $23 and then gave me a $10 rebate form to send in...final price $13

[Fancy_Maneuvers]

If a Stretch of is highlighted orange for an designated route but has an section that is restricted for motor carriers just what in the hell does that mean??

Also how do you suppose to tell if a road has an length restriction or not from a map?? In virginia there's Route 60 that everybody wants to take over the mountain but they can't because most are over 65 feet but it's no telling from a map until you get up on the road and it say no trucks over 65 feet and alot of trucks has gotten tickets anyways cause they take the risk and get caught instead of taking the long way around

If a portion of a route has a restriction for motor carriers, then that portion will not allow truck traffic for whatever reason. The front of the MCRA states the portions that are restricted; you have to determine beforehand (by checking the front of the atlas and the actual map in reference) to see if you can make it to wherever you are headed without violating the restriction. For instance, the other day I was headed from Ocala, FL to Savannah, GA. I'm starting to HATE the interstate, so I had been interested in taking US 301 N to A1A to 95 N. The MCRA says that A1A is restricted between FL 312 and US BR 1. So, I attempted to find this intersection to determine if I could take the route I wanted to take.. Not as difficult as say US 50 in WVa by any means... but hopefully that makes sense

If I want to use a road bad enough, I will gather all of the information about that road and call the state to receive up-to-date information concerning weight and length laws (especially length laws in Virginia).

Sometimes taking the shorter route is not worth it. You may end up wasting more time than you are attempting to save (take my word for it); therefore the mileage you "save" isn't worth it...

[Skywalker]

For instance, the other day I was headed from Ocala, FL to Savannah, GA. I'm starting to HATE the interstate, so I had been interested in taking US 301 N to A1A to 95 N. The MCRA says that A1A is restricted between FL 312 and US BR 1. So, I attempted to find this intersection to determine if I could take the route I wanted to take..

If you want to go from I-95 on AIA to 301/I-10 at Baldwin...you can run that road without any problem...there are no restrictions at all. Biggest problem you will have is getting hung up at the railroad crossing in Baldwin...

If I want to use a road bad enough, I will gather all of the information about that road and call the state to receive up-to-date information concerning weight and length laws (especially length laws in Virginia).

Yup...especially in VA. The portion of US60 that has the restriction is because the road is curvy and it gets you past that scale on I-64. You damn sure don't want to take that restricted section of US58 over Hillsville.... A few years back I did it with a 53' trailer, and it wasn't any fun at all!!! There is a reason it is restricted. When I topped the hill at Hillsville....a speedcop had another guy stopped headed the other direction.... I got lucky and got the $%#$ out of there.... The look that the speedcop gave me wasn't nice at all!!

Sometimes taking the shorter route is not worth it. You may end up wasting more time than you are attempting to save (take my word for it); therefore the mileage you "save" isn't worth it...

This is very true.... I rarely will pull a tank over the same roads that I pulled a box, simply because of the lay of the land....and if I am carrying hazmat I will avoid certain "shorter" routes simply because of multiple railroad tracks and other topographical features....