Freaking Out A Little

Ok so I sent in for my next pre plan after doing my first 8/2 split.

Two pickups. The first is about 40 mins away in Clinton CT. The next is in Elizabeth NJ. Which means crossing NYC....

Uh oh! Even small cities still terrify me! And I would be going thru around 4 pm.

Give it to me straight guys and gals. How bad is NYC for just passing through??

Uhhhh. At 4:30? I wouldn't call it "just passing through."

I've never done it in a tractor trailer but I'd say expect it to take some time. Have all your stress-reducers ready. For me that would be listening to the comedy station and keeping lollipops handy.

I hate advising someone to not drink fluids but don't have your kidneys over-hydrated. If you're stuck on a bridge or in a tunnel, there's nowhere to pull over, run and hide for a minute.

Watch your signs, bridge heights, weight limits, etc. Like I said, never dime it as a trucker but I've heard signs and limitations are important there.

Let us know how it goes.

-mountain girl

Cross Bronx Expressway (i95) is no big deal, except that the traffic sucks. Stay in the middle lane if you want to avoid the "12 foot" clearance on the arch overpasses, but I've seen trucks go under those in the right and left lane and not hit.

Going across the Tappan Zee adds some miles, but can sometimes save time.

And by traffic sucks I mean it's the only interstate in the country where I've seen people pan-handling on the freeway. It's really, really bad there most of the time.

Cross Bronx Expressway (i95) is no big deal, except that the traffic sucks. Stay in the middle lane if you want to avoid the "12 foot" clearance on the arch overpasses, but I've seen trucks go under those in the right and left lane and not hit.

Going across the Tappan Zee adds some miles, but can sometimes save time.

-Matt

Yes-yes!

What MATT said!

Right ON!

-mountain girl

Just passing through? No big deal. You'll be on the expressways, let me rephrase that - you MUST be on the expressways. No parkways for you. You'll hit a bunch of traffic. Expect it. Once you get to Elizabeth, depending on where in Elizabeth, that will probably be your more challenging part of the trip. Truck 1&9 can be confusing with all the construction. Take your time and pay attention to the signs.

Tune into Jersey 101.5 for info on any construction or bridge shutdowns. They cover all the major bridges in the greater NYC metro area. They have 10 or 15 minute fast traffic updates.

It will be a learning experience. Don't stress out.

I'm ok with traffic. It means I don't have to rush to stay out of people's way!

I could refuse this load.

But I'm not going to. It's nearly 1700 miles and I can get it done before pay cutoff on Thursday. With the trip I just finished I will have over 3000 miles on this check!! Boom!

I'm already stressed out but my dispatcher believes in me and so does my husband so we are gonna make our first trip to the Big Apple!

Urgh...

Well at least you've got the hubby to use as a spotter. LOL!

Good Luck! JJ

Well at least you've got the hubby to use as a spotter. LOL!

Good Luck! JJ

Oh yeah he is a huge help when it comes to changing lanes! He can see what I can't in my blind spot.

On a rather funny note, we are going back to the DC in Oklahoma where Teddy broke down... All I gotta say is he better behave this time!!

Going through is easy - just slow going. I go through the Bronx usually twice a week.