Bridge clearance

[rcurtis226]

We're somewhat new to cross country trailering and am wondering if there's an app or map we can purchase to find out if the route we're traveling has tall enough over-passes. We're just under 13'6 inches tall. Thoughts?

[SteveJ.]

Truck stops carry Rand McNally and other brands of atlases that show low clearance roads. Allstays app also shows them.

[xrated]

Or you could buy an RV specific GPS that allows you to enter the height, width, and length of your RV into the GPS and when you route a trip, it automatically routes you around any possible issues like low bridges/overpasses, unknown clearance roads, etc. Garmin makes several of these type of GPS models....the 760, 780, 785, and so on.

[Lt Dan]

There are some GPS units such as the Garmin RV series that you program your height, length, etc into it and it will avoid known low clearances. No GPS or map is perfect so you still have to be aware of heights.

[DKRITTER]

First off, you’ll be fine most of the time. It isn’t as big a concern as you might think, pay attention to the signs before you come to the bridge. I can think of 1 time we went around a bridge in over a decade of RVing. Be aware of newly paved roads under bridges, they may have added several inches to the road and not updated the signs.

When we start a trip we use Google Maps and Allstays.com (it’s like $10.00 a year). We tend to travel from home to a destination then back home. Google maps gives us a good route for us usually and then we tweak it. Allstays shows everything, bridges, rest stops, camping, truck stops, and on and on.

Lastly, we have a Garmin RV specific GPS system in our RV. When we got it, we told it all or the dimensions of the RV and it will alert and route us away from hazards along the way.

If you plan to travel for an extended period and have many stops along the way you might look at RV Trip Wizard. There is a subforum here on IRV2.

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by DKRITTER

First off, you’ll be fine most of the time. It isn’t as big a concern as you might think, pay attention to the signs before you come to the bridge. I can think of 1 time we went around a bridge in over a decade of RVing. Be aware of newly paved roads under bridges, they may have added several inches to the road and not updated the signs.

When we start a trip we use Google Maps and Allstays.com (it’s like $10.00 a year). We tend to travel from home to a destination then back home. Google maps gives us a good route for us usually and then we tweak it. Allstays shows everything, bridges, rest stops, camping, truck stops, and on and on.

Lastly, we have a Garmin RV specific GPS system in our RV. When we got it, we told it all or the dimensions of the RV and it will alert and route us away from hazards along the way.

If you plan to travel for an extended period and have many stops along the way you might look at RV Trip Wizard. There is a subforum here on IRV2.

All good advice above, from everyone.

Some other things to think about...

In NY, the state DOT tells me all state roads (including interstates) have 12" subtracted from the actual clearance when it's posted. That way, paving and snow or ice accumulation still leaves the posted clearance, or more. They remeasure them once a year and update them when they have changed. So you should always be able to trust the signs on state-maintained roads in NYS. They use the minimum clearance for the span from white line to white line, so do NOT trust that the shoulders will have the same clearance if the bridge (or whatever) is arched or has a grade (i.e. is slanted across the roadway on which you are traveling).

I don't know what other states do, though, or whether there's a Federal standard for interstates.

At 13'6", the OP is very close to the minimum clearance here for *unmarked* overhead obstructions on state-maintained roads, which I'm told is 14'.

[MSHappyCampers]

Go to any truck stop and buy a Trucker's Road Atlas!

[WTB]

I use two apps, the first is a subscription and it is RVTrip Wizard. A great comprehensive app that shows everything. The second is free, sign up for https://www.truckrouter.com/. It allows you to input your rigs height, weight, length, etc. Put in your starting and ending point and any stops in-between and it will give you a route that can accommodate what you have. I use the second all the time to double check any route I might have planned in Trip Wizzard or Google.

[Petesflhtk]

Watch out for the tunnel heading east out of downtown Mobile. I didnt hit anything but there were other motorists that were not impressed with my inadvertent miss of a road sign or 2. lol... Get the RV GPS....

[Mile Marker 42]

I would triple check your measurement and then put a sticker of sorts inside your windshield at the upper left corner of it so you can see it easily. You are very close to federal bridge heights.

[twogypsies]

We full-timed 16 years traveling constantly on the secondary roads constantly including up to Alaska. We never encountered a bridge/tunnel/underpass that we wouldn't fit and we never used a GPS or other means. If we questioned the road in general we did read up on the road but never encountered a road we couldn't drive. Interstates no issue; trucks of all sizes drive them.

[rcurtis226]

Thank you everyone. We really appreciate the advice. We've been watching a lot of YouTube video by KYD. They chronicle everything. We are taking a trip from Fort Myers FL to San Diego this summer, then back through Vegas, Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Amarillo, Memphis, Florence SC and then back home. It appears to be around 8500 miles. I guess we'll just be getting broken in this year, cuz next yr we intend on heading to Alaska. Whew!!

[rcurtis226]

How tall is your rig? We intend on passing through the Mobile tunnel from east to west.

[rcurtis226]

That makes sense. Didn't realize Garmin had those,,,and my boat has Garmin everything on it!!