Stay on The "Big Roads" or Short Cut Back Roads?

On purpose,anyway..

 

it wasnt that bad of a road until i got about 1/4 mile in, then the tree's and mud and i wasnt about to back up.

 

When I was OTR, my truck was governed at about what you could average on a B-road anyway. So why hold up the 4-lane when you can go as the crow flys and at least feel like I'm moving. That company dispatched in "optimistic" miles anyway. So I ran as direct as possible.

Except for Route 40 in Western PA, map says it's 20 miles shorter than going though Morgantown WV. but it doesn't account for the 30 miles in vertical motions.

PS. NEVER EVER EVER go local in WV! Done it twice, and I'm still kicking myself.

 

Throw the GPS out the window and buy a map...

 

As long as your on this topic, somebody want to help me out? I'm laid off till spring so, I can't get a good route from work. I run local so don't have good maps/atlas. Moving my parents from St. Paul, MN to Lakeland, Fl at the end of the month. Can someone please give me a good route to take. I'm driving a Pick up pulling a car trailer. I tried yahoo and mapquest, but would like a professionals thoughts-thanks. One route took me down though Rockford, Il on the interstate and another took me down through Iowa on some 2 and 4 lane roads. A couple options would be great, if the weather is bad, I want to head south as soon as possible! Thanks.

 

I am a flatbedder. We get adventurous and get off the beaten path. Sometimes the load is going off the path or the road hasn't been built yet...

 

KY is the same way. The more numbers in the road name, the smaller the road. Just about any road with 4 numbers is a goat path.

Back roads whenever possible here. Big roads are for truckdrivers who like to stop at every truckstop and get stuck at every accident. Back roads are for those who can read a map (a paper one). GPS is good for one thing, showing you the address once you get to the correct city, and maybe showing your arrival time. But those who use them totally from point A-B are amazing. The few times I've used it (in my car or pickup) it ALWAYS takes the longest way possible regardless of the setting. You can set it on short and I can still take a ton of time off by reading a map.

 

There is a few states I think twice on cutting thru the woods. PA, The Va's, & Eastern KY...

 

I run them lanes all the time.

Take I-94E to I-90E to Rockford, IL, then catch I-39S to Bloomington, IL and catch I-55S. I-55S get off Exit 33 (IL-4). Turn left off the ramp and it's about 25 miles to I-64E. Go I-64E to I-57S to I-24E all the way to Chattanooga, TN and catch I-75S, go through Atlanta, GA. Take I-475S around Macon, GA back to I-75S. I would stay on I-75 down to Tampa and catch I-4E. Exit 31-33 is Lakeland. You can cut off I-75 to Lakeland but there are alot of red lights.

Hint: Nashville, TN on I-24E approaching town you'll merge with I-65S. Work your way to the left two lanes as I-65 splits right. Then I-24E merges with I-40E. You'll have to merge right when you do. Immediately work your way over to the right two lanes and I-24E will split back off to the right. Then stay in the left lane as I-440W splits right. Then it's easy cruising. To simplify it... Merge I-65S, then Left, Right, Left

 

dontcha mean you WAS a flatbedder?