Low Underpasses

Went under a 13'6" yesterday and puckered a little as it was a dip. Was in Des Moines I think.

Must have been on East University off I235?

Was heading west or nw to get on 235, not sure which road tbh. I think fairgrounds were on it. Yea checked map was E University.

I usually have no worries 😁. Skateboard life. Cab is like 12'

A few months ago I went under a bridge marked 13'3". That is what I would call a G.O.A.L. bridge, which is what I did and then proceeded at a creep. Just getting into that situation was a rookie mistake, but if I hadn't been able to go under it, I would have had to back up about a half mile. And yes, my butt got so tight that if I had farted, only a dog would have been able to hear it.

Next time, I'll just let air out of the tires to give me extra clearance.

I'm with neek on this one. Our tall tanks can fit under 13' and I've seen our low ones make it under a 12' 3" with the bags dropped. Dont even think twice about a 13,6.

Yup life is good being short, lol. My pipes are at 12’3 so I rarely worry about anything

Was driving rented box truck to move yesterday. Paperwork showed it at 13' (I admit to not checking). Not indicated on truck. Came to a 12' 6" bridge underpass. Didn't know if I could clear or not. Put on flashers, pulled over to right and GOALed! Mover helper my Sister hired for me in 2 trucks stopped and we assessed situation. They watched as I slowly proceeded under to the far left where the 12' 6" arrow was. But when I got out to look the first thing I noticed was low hanging wires (which got lower going forward) just touching the top front of the box!

So good: Stopped, flashers, GOAL.

Bad: Did not know my (overstated) height.

Perhaps load made a difference. (She sure bounced like crazy empty!)

Going home I saw a 12' 5" warning sign and took an alternate route!

Truckers Road Atlas should show any low clearance on any road. You did the smart thing by stopping when in doubt. Plenty of YouTube videos on those that didn’t. Best thing to always keep in mind with a possible low clearance: Don’t Make The News! Stop, Look, and call the police if needed.

I always duck my head on those. Really don't think it helps!

But it definitely can't hurt!

Trucks and trailers are 2-3" or more under 13'6" so that they clear Bridges and overpasses that actually measure 13'6". Many 13'6" overpasses are actually over that height. Put your truck and trailer on level ground and measure from the top of the trailer (which sits higher than your truck) to the ground if you don't believe me. Engineers do sometimes do things right.

I still don't recommend going under anything marked less than 13'6" for the reasons already listed.