Driving in the NE

Oh my god!! Its not that bad in the Northeast Mass and PA are a piece of cake. NYC can be confusing the first time out. Only problem out here is the parking. Mass pike rest areas are dated and just not big enough. PA same deal. New England is very old roads can be tight if your not used to it take your time and you will be just fine

 

I'm dedicated Midwest to northeast. Its nowhere near as bad as people make it seem. Just make sure if you go into the highly populated areas that you have hours and fuel.
After a month you will know the good spots to park, and how long you need to get there. Also keep track of diners with truck parking.
In the high population areas Wal-Mart's won't let you park, but in the sticks around there, there are plenty of diners.
As far as the right roads go, thats blown way out of proportion. Just make sure to call ahead for directions near NYC, and Boston. There is ussually a truck friendlier way that the distributor can give you.
As a Midwestern guy, give me Jersey over the mountains in Montana any day!!!

 

Been driving for 9yrs OTR and never ever got a load to the northeast?

 

If you have a problem or issue find a city driver like myself most of us are willing to lend a hand. I've helped people all the time get around NYC long island Rhode Island and Boston. Most of us can give you some good local knowledge to help. Don't be afraid to ask

 

I see a lot of this in your future lol

It's really not the nightmare many make it out to be.....well, it can be.....but 60-70% of the time it's manageable. I just spent this entire week up there from Pa to Ma and still will manage 2800 by the time I get home on 5 days out.

Best advice besides learning where to park, especially the other than usual places along your route......is start early park early whenever possible. Time/clock management takes on a whole new meaning up there.

Local radio is good for getting almost real time traffic to get a heads up on conditions once you learn the roads.

101.5 in northeastern nj is a good one and 880am running around NYC up into Ct is good for solid traffic reports every 10 minutes.

For me the consistent worst is 95 through Ct. Especially on the bottom end.

Good customer directions are a must. Cross your fingers you have at least some customers you can park at.

 

If your coming in from Ohio on 80 no tolls until you get on 287 heading toward the tappan zee bridge I would avoid the GW at all costs there is a toll on the tappan zee I have ez pass not sure how much it is now the tolls seem to go up every 6 months or so. You will get a free ride through CT until you hit Mass Pike. The Pike is a toll road

 

Start with this thread:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/threads/truck-info-for-nyc.50710/

Trucking in the North East is as close to Heaven as you'll find anywhere ...... good food, good people, etc etc.

As has been said, once you get your feet wet, learn where to eat, park, fuel, you'll never look back. I can even show and tell you places to park a big truck in Manhattan - FOR FREE !

Remember this first and foremost for ANYWHERE you drive - if you're lost and confused, DON'T make it worse by continuing to drive blind. You'll end up down a dead end or under a 10' bridge. STOP ! Park illegally or double park. Try to let traffic flow by as safe as possible. That'll keep the cops and the DOT off your case. Turn on the four ways, even put out the triangles ! Who's gonna argue you to move a broken down truck ? Take a breath, take a walk, take a coffee, take a smoke .... the point is relax and re-group with your map. GPS and Google Maps on your smart phone are wonderful, but a paper map won't loose it's signal between buildings !!