CHAINING...are you ready?

As far as Donner Pass goes, if you're willing to go out of your way a bit to save time or avoid weather when the pass is getting slammed, head north on 395 from Reno, pass through Susanville, and then take 36 west to Red Bluff.

It adds on a fair bit of mileage, but it's a much easier drive, has a lot less traffic, sees much less extreme weather, and if I recall correctly should be open even if Donner is closed.

Plus there's an indian casino in Susanville with a smoke shop in the parking lot that sells off brands for dirt cheap.

One word of warning though; It gets really windy between Reno and Susanville at times. I've seen a number of Walmart trucks upside down on the side of the road in Janesville before.

 

Uh....You might want to check the updated STAA routes....CA 36 is now "Black" West of Chester...

 

Black means CA legal. What's your point?

 

Are you over 65 long?

 

Uh....Not for STAA trucks it isn't....

 

Hell.....You can't run from Scotia down to the Bay Area with a rig over 63'....

Richardson Grove length restrictions....
I lost a load from the mill in Scotia because of that....

I even ran 36 West from Red Bluff....Passed up 4 DOT...Didn't get pulled over once.....

The mill loaded me about 3/4 and then the Super came out...Took one look at the Spreads....And told the Forklift driver to pull the load off....I was 13' too long....And they won't allow you to take 36 back to the 5 either.....Only STAA loads that can go back...Are to OR destinations from Scotia........

So I had to DH back to Red Bluff and get a load of Steel to Bakersfield....

 

Correct, I doubt that he is running a 110" cabover with a 48' trailer, unless he has dedicated run over to the coast on 299 thru Whiskey!

 

Most of the mills out there now are telling the brokers to send out Daycabs with 45' flats now.....

CALTrans has been tightening up and enforcing length restrictions on those narrow highways.....


That 36 narrows way down before Mad River IIRC......It goes to one lane for about a half mile or so.....And there's a section there where I darn near could jackknife going through the hairpin before it went to one lane.....

A few locals were pissed because they had to back up and let me through twice....Both W/B and E/B.....

 

Yeah, been thru most of those roads, got caught about 8 years ago, spread axle 53' with my 385 Pete and 63" had to hire a cabover daycab out of Eureka to take my trailer back to I-5 last time I was on the coast.

 

Holy Sheyat.....It's bad enough running on 36 with a 48' Spread.......