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It’s summer time; time for camping, fishing trips, days at the beach and summer vacations with the family. It’s also the time of year that our roadways become crowded with family packed mini vans, trucks pulling campers and boats, and of course every trucker’s favourite, the RV.
We all know that it can be frustrating for truck drivers to deal with four wheelers at any time of the year, but this frustration increases as the population of passenger vehicles increases on the road ways. The thing to remember is to stay calm. A frustrated or angry driver is many times more likely to be involved in an accident than a relaxed one. Keep calm and carry on!
Expect Delays
You are going to run into traffic congestion, slow drivers and RV convoys; it’s unavoidable. The only thing you can do is plan for your trip to take a little longer than normal. Knowing that you are going to run into obstacles that reduce your speed will better prepare you once you’re in the thick of it. It’s a perception thing, expect delays and be happy when things run smoothly.
Troublesome Areas
We’ve talked to a few of our long time drivers to see if there were some specific areas where summer traffic seems heavier and this is what they said:
When traveling in Canada, Highway 11 and 17 in Northern Ontario and through the mountains on Highway 1 and 3 are jammed pack of summer traffic. If your run is going to take you through these areas, you will need to tack on extra hours. When planning their trips our drivers’ generally plan on 80 to 90 KPH instead of the usual 90 to 100 KPH.
You won’t get caught out in the States too often, on the Highways that is, but city traffic is definitely increased on Friday’s, as people head out for the weekend, and Sunday’s when people come home. If you’re traveling through Wisconsin or rural Minnesota you’ll need to plan for extra time. Our drivers’ suggest planning on an average speed of 55 MPH instead of the more utilized 62 MPH.
If you liked this article and want some more helpful information with driving on the busy summer highways check out A Reminder about Summer Safety. Remember to drive responsibly and stay safe.