Question on NYC runs.

Not to disuade you but I just left NYC yesterday. Took me 6 hours to get from Brooklyn to the lincoln tunnel (5 miles). Miss a turn and you can spend a lot of time getting back. I guess it gets easier if you go there enough, but the first time was a nightmare.

 

I'd be more worried about trying to deliver in Pittsburgh then NYC.

 

Looks as if some drivers have already given solid advice. Be sure to back up your maps, GPS, and whatnot by calling the receiver to SPECIFICALLY ASK FOR TRUCK DIRECTIONS... ask someone in the Receiving Department, as opposed to some secretary in the office who drives a Honda Civic to work. Do the same while getting unloaded, as the way out may be different. This policy works well in ALL cities, by the way, not just NYC. I've been to Brooklyn, Queens, and the Lower Bronx (South Bronx to locals) many times over the years, and I've always tried to time my entry for 0300-0400, not only to avoid traffic but to give me more leeway and less headache in locating the receiver's dock. You may not have any choice in dealing with traffic on your way out of NYC, but you can halve the problem by timing your entry, and you may luck out as you depart to reload in Metro Jersey, PA, CT, or wherever. Don't forget to load up on pocket cash before going anywhere near NYC: those tolls can add up fast, whether you're inbound or outbound, and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge is particularly expensive, although it offers a great view! Whenever I go to NYC or New England, I always take at least $200 cash with me, usually more, just to cover any contingencies which may arise. Unless your company is a bottom-feeding grinder outfit, you should be paid a little extra for your trouble in dragging a load to any of the five boroughs... be sure to mention this when your dispatcher slings one of these loads your way. Last but not least, here's a bit of advice for drivers pulling a restart in Metro Jersey: if your truck is fully stocked and you don't mind "camping out," you can park two short blocks from the Secaucus Railway Junction in NJ, hop a train and ride the rails on a 7-minute nonstop journey to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, then hop the subway to Battery Park (named for fortifications, not electrical storage cells), where you can trash around to your heart's content. I personally recommend the NY Water Taxi, which offers a cheap 2-day "Hop on/hop off" pass, including a harbor tour... you can disembark at any one of numerous piers, then pull recons into the concrete jungle. For a good view of the city, go to "Top of the Rock" (Rockefeller Center) instead of the Empire State---got that tip straight from a NYC local, and it was a good one. Oh, yeah, don't forget the free boat ride aboard the Staten Island Ferry... over and back, with heller views of the harbor, and they even sell beer aboard the boat! Well, those are my tips for now... gotta go get ready for the Auto Show, so I'll sign off here. Good luck, and "Happy Trails!!!"

 

NYC is a popular/heavy lane for trucks but from personal experience Pittsburgh, Pa is much harder as is Philly in a truck - Boston also.. NYC is huge and can be a pain but is much simpler to navigate thatn the other East Coast cities.. To me, Pittsburgh is 100% by far the hardest to get around because of steep hills and streets that simply make no sense - one way South in the morning but one way North in the evening..

Do a few NYC's and it's nothing - it's easier than Northern NJ or Westchester county by far IMO..

 

Already made my post when I saw this but I agree 110%..

Pittsburgh, Pa = the hardest city to navigate in a truck when dealing with surface streets hands down..

 

Forgot to add this: when trashing around NYC, that little inset map of Manhattan makes a great pocket reference! I usually buy a new paper trucker's atlas every year to keep on top of the scale situation; in the past, I've been known to carve that inset map out of the atlas with a razor knife, use it for a day-and-half while trashing around the Big Apple, then tape the map back into the atlas (cheap ####### that I am). Rode the rails back to the truck to spend the night, as it's much cheaper than a hotel room, but that's a separate issue...

 

That hand talking about Pittsburgh and other cities, don't forget Albany... plenty of low clearance locations there.

 

Been there but some are not really low..

Lets just acknowledge that all East Coast cities are hard but the Burgh gets my vote right..

 

That's just it... a lot of those bridges in Albany look (to a new driver) as if a big truck MIGHT just slide under 'em. Seen a lot of wagons made into convertibles there, if ya know what I mean...

 

Glad to see someone else that agrees with me.

My runs are all east coast, with most of them being north of Virginia. So, I see a lot of those cities that everyone hates.

Where I've been in Boston isn't bad, although I did encounter a low bridge on a designated truck route. Philly doesn't bother me, once I figured out their system of crossovers. I don't even mind Jersey, except for one stop I have where there is no route to my destination that doesn't put me on several streets off limits to trucks. Of course, different locations in those cities might change my attitude quickly.

Only been to Pittsburgh twice, but it was terrible both times I was there. Routes in that put me on roads that a truck has no business on, which suddenly have "no trucks" signs pop up out of nowhere with alternate routes being even less truck friendly. Not to mention at least one unmarked bridge on my route out of town with what I doubt is even an inch of clearance above my trailer. Makes no sense to me that you can have an industrial park with no clear route in or out for trucks. Other than one stop I have in DC where I have to U-turn then blindside off a busy street into a tight and busy parking lot, my Pittsburgh stop is the only one I stress over.

However, I do a lot of stops in the areas near Pittsburgh and they are all easy and very truck friendly. Always strikes me with just how big of a contrast there is with just a few miles down the road.