I-5 through California

[Blain]

Hello,
Concerned concerned about driving 40 ft diesel pusher pulling 20 ft trailer on I-5 through California. Concerned for safety and looking for advice.

Thank you in advance,
BB

 

[sheridany]

What safety concerns do you have? It’s a decent road and the south is flat until LA and the north starts going up near Redding. Otherwise it’s uneventful until you get to Portland and Seattle. You need to be comfortable using the engine brake/retarder for the graded descents. There are some decent places to stop overnight if interested.

 

[Blain]

What safety concerns do you have? It’s a decent road and the south is flat until LA and the north starts going up near Redding. Otherwise it’s uneventful until you get to Portland and Seattle. You need to be comfortable using the engine brake/retarder for the graded descents. There are some decent places to stop overnight if interested.

I've just heard the truckers can cause problems.

 

[Rich W.]

Work with the truckers. Find one that is going your speed and stay 4 to 6 seconds behind him, and you’ll have a friend for the journey. You’ll miss him when he turns off. None of them are a “problem” (other than the few that aren’t good drivers), they are very accepting of good RV drivers, but they are out there making a living, just like merchant ships vs pleasure craft. So be considerate, back off and let them by, don’t get in their way, find a rhythm that works for both of you, and remember that you don’t have a schedule but they do. Make them the priority, and you will be very well received, for good reason.

Here’s an example: you may be able to climb hills faster but say your target speed is 65. They may be slow on the climbs but they might want to roll along at 75 when they can. The result can be a lot of unnecessary lane changes for both of you. If you find that you are constantly passing a truck that is then constantly passing you, figure out a solution. Time is money for them but probably not for you. So if you can manage to stay out of their way, work with them, not slow them down, and not cause a lot of unnecessary lane changes, all will be well.

 

[sheridany]

@Rich W. is spot on. I go up and down I 5 every year and I have never had anything happen with truckers. Some of the friendliest folks you can meet. They appreciate the consideration given as time is money to them. If I see them coming up behind me moving faster when I am passing in the left, I get out of their way.

I stopped at a rest area near Modesto a couple of weeks to take a break and one of the truckers came up to me and we chatted for about 15 min. He was a super nice guy.

 

[DennisT]

Above is correct with regard to truckers. A bunch have started up conversations asking about the rig etc.

Most wave on the way by - now that we are in a super c we can actually see them

I still do the light flashing thing when they are comfortably by me. Have had them do the same when they knew we needed over. Some have even slowed down to let us over when needed.

They are trying to make a living so we just stay out of their way the best we can.

We try to not stay in rest areas over night even though we could. The truckers have no choice when they hit their limit for the day - they have to stop legally. We have options to stay other places and normally do.

Heck, on our most recent trip, we had one start passing then he slowed down for some reason. When he finally came by we saw he was holding his phone taking a video of our rig while passing. Not the safest thing but I appreciated it and gave him a smile and wave.

 

[Blain]

Thank you all for your input have a great day,

BB

 

[J&JD]

Compared to many of the interstates in this country I5 is in very good shape. And because of lower speed limits for truckers it actually feels much safer than many other interstates. The big concern is the price for diesel along the way……crazy high right now.

 

[sheridany]

@J&JD. The news says the prices are receding again after a big spike? You are not seeing that in your travels?

 

[Scooterfan]

We travel the Central CA section of I-5 about six times a year. Sections of it are in (very) poor condition while the remainder is acceptable. Much of what has been discussed concerning truckers is spot on. In my opinion, YOUR travel speed dictates how to cooperate with the semis. Although the posted speed limit is 70mph, I like to travel at 65 mph...and bring up the cross winds or fog that much of that area is famous for and I may drop it down to 60mph. Truckers (usually) travel between 65-70 unless hauling produce (i.e., tomato transports typically go 60-65). Most agree that I-5 should be three lanes to give truckers two lanes to jockey for position. And if we used the billions of dollars spent on the "bullet train to nowhere", or some of our high "road taxes" we could have it...but alas; I'm singing to the choir Just go slow and listen to an audio book because there isn't a lot to see! Blessings