By Chuck Woodbury
The 2022 edition of the premier guide to off-limit highways for large RVs is a must-have for every RVer. While it’s designed for big rig truckers, all RVers who travel in unfamiliar territory with recreation vehicles over about 11 feet tall will find it incredibly useful.
We used this when we spent four months traveling from Seattle to Nova Scotia and back with our Winnebago View. In the Midwest and East, especially, some bridges and tunnels along old or minor highways are too low to even accommodate an RV of the View’s size (less than 12 feet). Our basic GPS did not warn us of low bridges, nor would a non-specialized smartphone app.
American truckers rely on Rand McNally’s Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas. Just like with trucks, there are roads where RVs do not belong — without slamming into bridges or tunnels.
One way to avoid these RV busters is with a specialized GPS. But they’re expensive. Many RVers these days use their smartphones to guide them. But smartphones don’t show low bridges.
That’s where Rand McNally’s Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas saves the day. It shows every highway in North America where trucks can pass. And if a truck can pass, so can an RV. Use this atlas as your guide and you’ll never go bump and grind, and end up with a tow to an RV junkyard. The Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas also includes a highway-by-highway list of all low-clearance locations.
We found the new 2022 edition on Amazon.
Wrong book is linked. Regular atlas is linked, but Motor Carrier version referenced is a different book.
Thank you very much, David. It’s been corrected, along with the image. Also, the Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas isn’t out quite yet, but you can pre-order it at Amazon. The expected availability(?) date is June 22. Thank you for calling this to our attention! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Link fixed (great) but book for 2021 not at a discount.
The post has been reworded/corrected. Also, the Deluxe edition and the Large Scale edition are at a discount. Sorry we got it incorrect initially. —Diane at RVtravel.com
Link to Atlas on Amazon.ca would be helpful 😊
Hi, Wayne. The link is there at the bottom of the post. When you click on it, it goes to the Amazon page and this is the second book listed. But here’s a link to it so you don’t have to search for it: https://amzn.to/3B0e17m Have a great day! 🙂 –Diane
Cliff just mentioned that there’s a more recent version of the Road Atlas. I’ve just updated the post and the link. Here’s the link to the 2022 version: https://amzn.to/3kRQrDV I apologize for our posting out-of-date info. Take care. 🙂 –Diane
Man, $67 seems awfully expensive for something that’ll be out of date a year later. Wouldn’t something like a Garmin RV-770 be a better value? Plus, the RV gps will constantly tell me, where as a map needs to be checked if I decide to change course on the fly. Just a thought…
Now that the new one is out, just look for the 2020 edition on clearance at your local truck stop. We would usually pay $25-#30 for ours and they don’t change much from year to year.
We have the RV Garmin 785. I would suggest that even with this Garmin you need another app or an Atlas as a double check. Our Garmin has at times given us some strange directions. We use a trucker app to make sure before we get on the road!
We always used the deLuxe edition which is spiral bound and has laminated pages. Very durable and we didn’t buy a new one every year. Also available at most truck stops.
We are 13’5″ and heavy. The Truckers Guide has been invaluable. It not only shows truck routes but lists state by state low clearances, weight restrictions and big rig prohibited roads. We have a truckers GPS and use Google maps, but we always check this too.
The 2022 edition is on the street!
Shoot! Thank you very much, Cliff. I’ve just updated the post and the link. Have a great day. 🙂 –Diane
I have the 2021 version and low clearance/restricted routes are listed in a text section but not marked on the actual map. Does the 2022 version show the low clearance/restricted items on the map?