Whats Texas like ?

The traffic is kind of a pain, mostly in the Dallas area and the roads are weird. They don't have "normal" exits like you would see in the midwest or just about everywhere else, but rather frontage roads that run alongside the interstates that you exit on to and off of to get to roadside amenities and other destinations. Not really bad, just different if you don't know what to expect. Rest areas and truck stops are few and far between sometimes. DOT isn't too bad, but if you go down south, border patrol likes to pull people in to inspection stations and question your citizenship. If you're governed to 65 or lower, you're going to feel like you're sitting still. I don't think any of that stuff would really dissuade drivers from going down there, but there may be other reasons, specific to the shippers/receivers.

On the plus side, the speed limits are high, the weather is usually pretty decent and the people are pretty nice as long as you don't insult Texas. I spent a week there running around and enjoyed it. I'd go back again for sure. I'd guess that the problems with those loads are with the loads themselves, not with Texas.

 

I used to know a guy that went to truck driving school, and his very first load was across Texas, West to East or visa versa, and when he got to where he was going, he slammed the door shut, quit and never drove again....

Another guy leased a truck that had the iconic 425 Cat, and use to cross Texas with a broom stick wedged between the seat and the accelerator pedal, and run flat out in the days before Cruze Control......

 

Houston to Dallas would be 45, a very boring interstate. There are two coops but usually the one going southbound is closed. The northbound one is usually open and they can be strict but nothing to crazy. Texas is pretty easy altogether. Sure there are tight spots and weird roads but where isn't there? Both Houston and Dallas are major cities with major traffic but Houston is worse. You want to be on the east and south side of Houston for less traffic and in DFW you want to stay South if you can. Don't run the north freeways at all, unless you like sitting. Of course if the customer is up there then you have too. All in all Texas is nothing to worry about.

 

Triad is right, to a degree; the roads are kind of weird.

However, I've met a lot of drivers that preefer the spoke and wheel like setup of the road system in DFW, this includes myself.
Very easy to learn, and I've been all over Dallas, not too many roads in those metros you can't strictly speaking; take a truck down. And by that I do mean, roads you can't FIT a truck down, now Huston is weird with their road restrictions to trucks- they like to ban trucks from them but only tell the drivers they're through prohibited on a sign, 2 miles down said road.

What I can tell you is, Ft.Worth had good reefer freight coming out of it, Dallas had great flatbed/dry van freight coming out of it and Huston I'm told, is all pipe stakes. That's a generalization, and a bit of a joke. Reality is, those cities do A LOT of manufacturing and processing. A lot of crap needs moved out of those circles- and some is bound to be moving at decent rates.


EDIT: I forgot to mention, Huston is home of the Devil. He will make you sit in traffic in that city; regardless of what time you show up. Think you're gonna beat the traffic and sneak in at 0400? WELL SURPRISE! Tanker truck fire on a major exit!

 

You may need to learn Spanglish !!

 

A lot of really dangerously short on ramps accessing interstates is the thing that sticks out most to me about Texas.

 

Texas is just like Oklahoma but it has allot more Texicans !!!

Texas is like Oklahoma but it has Lone star beer !!!

Texas is like Mexico but it has fewer Americans !!!