I-40 vs I-26 - Boat Hauling through Blue Ridge Mountains

I-40 is down to 2 lanes at the Tenn/NC border and will be for a long while. the East bound lanes washed out last year during hurricane Helene

 

Yes ^^^ and I think you're too wide for that section of I-40 anyway. Are hills any problem? If not I-26 from Johnson City to Asheville has a couple of solid climbs but the bridge work (also from Helene) is complete and you won't have a width restriction.

26 is a good road, beautiful too. There are NO truck stops on it. Well, there's a tiny one called Black Diamond off exit 32 but that's about it. If you are taking a full 34 I strongly recommend either stopping on 81 before you get to Johnson City or hitting one of the beautiful rest stops through there. They are two of my favorites, at exits 46 and about MM5 in NC north of Asheville.

There a huge Petro on up at Glade Spring VA before you get to TN if you need a complete truck stop, restaurant and all.