Some people could drive for hours at a time – 10, 11 hours… no problem. Others max out at four hours, or three hours… or two hours. Some people love to drive. Others hate to drive.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans spend 84 billion hours driving each year, which breaks down to about 18 straight days per person each year. That’s a lot of driving!
After you vote, leave a comment and tell us your ideal number of hours driving per day. What’s the longest amount of time you’ve spent driving in one day?
If we’re on a 4 lane during a nice day and want to get some distance in, I’ve driven 600 miles but have a campground waiting. We start early and get in by 6 pm. We only do this for 2 days. But we’ve traveled only 17 miles one day.
On the Alcan we drove only short distances to view the scenery. We drove it twice and had missed some things.
I belong to the 3 to 3 club 300 miles or 3:00
Usually 3 to 4 hours is plenty taking our time. Sometimes less and sometimes more depending on where we are going and when we want to get there but 5 to 6 is maximum. We are both retired so there is usually no rush getting from spot to spot. We take it slow and enjoy the scenery.
We may push it a bit, but we take several short naps along our way since we have a small class C.
I plan on 300 to 350 miles when trying to get to a destination, otherwise, what ever feels right.
As regulated by the DOT, when I’m transporting an RV, 11 hours is all I can drive, after that, a 10 hour break is required. There also has to be a 30 minute break before 8 hours of driving is complete.
I pretty much follow those guidelines when traveling with my own 5th wheel.
We had heard that there is a “two thirty” rule: Drive no more than 230 miles or stop by 2:30 PM, which ever comes first.
Of course, some days we don’t start out until 1 or even 2 PM! We are retired full-timers and our first retirement motto was “start slow and taper off”.
5 to 6 hours actual driving time. We stop about every 2 /12 hours. The ‘safe’ fuel range on my pickup, 28 gallon tank, is about 200 miles, so it works out for us. We plan 300-350 miles between campgrounds.
We became full timers 8 years ago. The idea is to see the country. If you’re driving, driving, driving, you are not seeing anything. We drive no more than 150 miles (preferably 120) from one campsite to the next. There is a lot to see in between campgrounds and we want to see it all! We seldom stay anywhere for more than a week, then it’s on to the next adventure.
If I’m not with him, my husband will just keep driving, take a couple hour nap and continue on to where ever he is going. If I am with him, I keep it to 4 hours so I can see and camp at different places and wander around. To me, it is not all about the destination, it is everything between our brick and mortar home and our final stop. The way back is a different route with different stops.
We usually try for 6 hours driving time, we are spontaneous in our travels, if we find a nice place earlier we drive less. If we feel like it, we drive more, if our destination is 8 or 9 hours away we drive through, we’re in no hurry when pulling the trailer.
I wonder if they aren’t confusing comfortable with capable. Because of arthritis I need to stop every couple hours and get out and walk around for 10-15 minutes before getting back on the road. When we go to my daughter’s to visit, it’s over 1100 miles each way and we do it in 2 days but it’s definitely not comfortable.
As I get older I keep asking myself why push it and why get in a hurry, so 5 or 6 hours is plenty for me. That of course changes according to the distance to my destination. Big change from our earlier years traveling on our motorcycle. We had a few 16, maybe a little more, hour days riding home. Sun up to after sun down only stopping for gas and a quick snack. Ahhhhh, the young and foolish days.
I have driven 21 hours not pulling a trailer. I’ve also driven 19 hours pulling a cargo trailer and 16 hours pulling my RV. Each time swore I’d never do that again. I’m most comfortable at 6 hours and that’s what I shoot for now. Often, it’s much less. Driving more than 10 hours pulling a trailer is dangerous
For me it depends on the number of miles also. I usually try to stay
around 300-350 miles per day, however if my next destination is only a
few miles more I will drive that far.
Depends on traffic, congestion and available stop points. Being retired has it’s advantages. No rush.
As an over the road truck driver I drove 11 hours a day, admittedly I was tired at the end of the day. Today 12 years later depending on traffic I can do half of that. DW is a limiting factor in that also as she doesn’t want me driving to exhaustion. Going to FL we drive through Chattanooga then Atlanta, by the time we do that I’m ready to find a place for the night about 100 miles south of Atlanta.
I was OTR as well. I drove the max hours allowable with no problem. Big trucks are actually much more comfortable than ANY RV – truthfully. Now that I’m retired, about six hours in the pickup (actual driving time) and I’m done. Trip time is much longer because we stop a lot, but driving time is around six hours. Most times it’s less if we’re just meandering.
You are absolutely right about semis being more comfortable, I’ve had two class A’s and they weren’t a third as comfortable as my worst big rig. There’s nothing on the road to compare with air ride chassis, air ride cab, and air ride seat! Oops I forgot that first cab over! Lol
Your answers are somewhat misleading… I try not to drive longer than 6 hours, but I am comfortable driving longer if necessary. 14.5 hours is my max to date. Emergency return home upon hearing of my dad’s stroke.
Back in the day…when I was much younger, active duty in the Navy, I would go on leave. Sometimes we had to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, because we rarely got more than 14 days of leave in one shot. This was after not being able to go on leave for a couple of years. Onboard ship, 18-24 hour days with 4 hours sleep was normal, so on leave, 12 hours on the road was a piece of cake.
Now, being older and retired, 6 hours is our normal day on the road unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
Also retired Navy, same situation, cross country 7 times besides up and down both coasts. Now a full time RV’er guess traveling in my blood.
Two tanks of fuel. Start with a full tank, drive 200 miles staying off the highway as much as possible, stop for lunch and refuel, drive to overnight destination arriving by 4 PM. Overall it is usually just about 7 hours of driving.
We follow this rule: No more than 200 miles per day, stop by 2 pm and stay at least 2 days. That lets you relax and breathe as you see the sights.
Didn’t have my choice of 6-8 hours, I like to drive about 300 miles per day so if on freeways, 6 hours figuring on 50 MPH average with stops included, can’t make those averages on two lanes so I figure 8 hours max mileage made by dark.
We started retirement going about 250 miles, camping, then driving 50 miles from the campsite in all directions holding something of interest. We still pretty much hold to the 50 miles, but now pull maybe 120 or less between areas of interest. Distance and length of stay are determined by what we “see” in the 50 mile radius ahead of us using the internet.
I usually plan 400 miles a day… so traffic determines how many hours I drive. And notice I said usually.
This is an interesting survey, but it makes no allowance for the driver’s comfort. Until I got the front end of our coach straightened out, after two hours a driver was shot. Now it is more like driving the recliner, but with a more interesting view than at home.
I prefer to drive no more than 6 hours in a single day while RVing, but I can go 8 or 9 hours if necessary and with sufficient stops.
As a retired logistical engineer (fancy name for a truck driver) I could drive 10 hrs with periodic breaks every so often. But now, WHY? I try to limit my wheel time to 2hrs drive time with a break to relax, use restroom and grab some refreshments. If the wife and I need to, we split the driving. We get up early the day we break camp disconnect and away we go. We like to arrive at our campsite early and enjoy the rest of our afternoon then watch a beautiful sun setting somewhere different. RV THERE YET?
Nowadays, we average about 300 miles when traveling. We have done 12hrs when the RV is homeward bound, hubby can’t seem to justify stopping so close to home😳. The longest was 19 hours!! We were headed to Tennessee from NJ for the total solar eclipse. Couldn’t find a campsite, signs posted no overnight parking, no rest areas or truck stops on our route, never again!
back in the day…35 years ago…driving 12-hrs was not uncommon. we had to beat feet to get where we were going. that kind of schedule took some of the fun out of RVing.
a few years after we retired we were still doing long driving days…habit, i guess. one spring day we were EB on I-40 out of Albuquerque and fighting a strong crosswind. 2-hrs later I was tired and saw a Flying J sign at the Tucumcari exit. my plan was to get off the road for 15-20 minutes and then continue. but then I saw an RV PARK sign about a mile north of the J. why not!?! so we checked in at 11 in the morning and had a very relaxing day. i don’t know why i hadn’t thought of shorter driving days before but ever since 4-hrs of driving has been the plan. 2-hrs drive, 1-hr lunch, 2-hrs drive and check-in at our stop by 3p.
16 yrs FT – “Normal” day of cross country travel is 6 hrs., 350-400 mi. Leave after 8am, stop around 3pm. This in the attempt to miss various rush hours. Under duress I have driven 12 hr days but would not try to do it consistently.
Driving hours vs Traveling hours, our experience:
Driving hours 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 typically means a 6-7-1/2 “traveling hours”.
With meal stops, stretches, scenic views, restroom breaks, fuel,construction and number of cities traveling through it generally an estimate at best.
As a retired long-haul truck driver, there were days many years ago when I drove for 16 or 18 hours, my longest day was about 21 hours driving. Now I prefer to keep it under 4 and usually closer to 2 so I can see all of those places that I used to drive by.
When I worked I drove for 10 hours but now I’m retired I try to drive a little less!
I’ve never gone more than 18 hours straight.
I marked the 5-6 but honestly it falls in the middle at 3-5. Like many folks used to drive all day and half the night, don’t have to anymore. Absolutely love slowing down and enjoying the view, and some days it takes 8 hours to drive 3 hours.
We try to do around 6ish hours of “travel” time. Usually amounts to 4-5 hours drive time. That is a nice relaxing enjoyable day!
It’s kinda odd with me, the earlier I get going, the longer I can drive. In other words, if I start out at 6 and drive til 3 I feel the same fatigue than if I start at 9 and drive til 3. Doesn’t make any sense, I know.
Hitting the road at 8am, stopping for an hour for lunch, and then off the road at 5pm.
I have driven over 12 hours, stopping for gas and potty breaks, several times, but usually only do that on days where we are taking a two day trip before stopping for a day or two off the road.
Chuck, is that your old VW camper bus ?
You must clarify the question. When I tow my RV, I max out at 3 to 4 hours per day. If I am driving and not towing anything, then I will do 5 to 6 hours. I answered as if the question pertained to towing only.
We prefer about 5 but will drive 7-8 occasionally when the roads or limited options on campsites requires a longer drive.
A TOTAL of about 10 hours actual driving / day.
For me, two ~ three hours of driving works well. Then, I generally stop to stretch, relax a bit, use the rest room and set up bottled water, snacks and check the GPS for the next two ~ three hour driving leg. As for TOTAL driving time for any given day, I listen to my body. If I’m tired, I’ll stop at the next Rest Area, Truck Stop, Denny’s or Cracker Barrel etc. I’m a Solo so, I can stop or continue according to how I feel. My Super-C floor plan allows my rig to be 98% useable with BOTH slides IN. I can pretty much set my schedule any way I’d like and, if a nap is needed, I just need to find a safe place to park for a few hours. I don’t mind driving at night (I actually prefer it). My MAIN consideration is to BE SAFE. I’d rather arrive hours (or a day or two) late than to do something stupid which could prevent me from reaching my destination at all. In years past, I have done 14 ~ 17 hour driving days. I simply don’t do that anymore.
5-6 hours driving time. Then there are the potty breaks for all. Lunch stop as well. 300-350 miles a day average. That’s enough now years ago think of nothing to jump on the car and leave on Friday after work and drive Portsmouth NH to Pittsburgh PA and back just for the weekend. Those days are long gone.
Life-long road salesman and used to put on as much as 750 miles in a day (not including work time!). THAT SHIP HAS SAILED!! 5-6 hours behind the wheel is now my maximum plan, giving plenty of sightseeing time and arriving at destination without being used up.
72 years old
Coachman Goal to class C diesel.
I can drive 5-6 hours a day with breaks for lunch and bathroom breaks.
For the past two years we have been locked into our state with no crossing the border with our motorhome. Consequently, all camping has been accomplished in state! We live in Palmer, Alaska and have friends and family in Fairbanks which is about 325 miles from here. Travel time in motorhome takes between 5-7 hours depending on traffic and construction (which is a never ending story!) It is a beautiful drive no matter which route we take. And in the summer, we do not worry about driving in the dark as we usually do not get dark until August!!! But driving to Fairbanks is not an issue even with the long hours as we take several breaks! I doubt we could do the same in the lower 48 due to your traffic and driving in the dark!
We left Crawfordsville, Indiana one morning just before sunup and pulled up to our house a few minutes before midnight that night pulling our 24 ft toy hauler.
Where is your house, Mike? And I’m curious how many miles that was? Thanks. Have a good afternoon/evening. 🙂 –Diane
MJ, what in the world is in Crawfordsville In? Just kidding, I was born and lived there.
Some nice history there at the Lew Wallace Study. That’s where Ben Hur was written.
Depending on the trip that we are embarking on, dictates the amount of driving that I will be doing for the day. My wife and I, do stop for meal breaks, bathroom breaks and of course, fuel breaks. We do travel 600 miles in a day a few times a year, when we travel to Kansas City for the Nascar races from our home in Denver. Most of our trips though, consist of 2-4 hrs of driving time to our destination.
I am comfortable driving 10 to12 hours without towing a trailer. With my travel trailer we count by mileage and try to keep it between 200 and 300 miles. Some roads are more mentally taxing than others and require different concentration levels. So some days are 4 1/2 hours while others are 7.
Several trips of 20 hours until the age of 82. After all it was only 1005 miles door to door.
Sounds like my son when he got out of the Marines almost 20 years ago. He drove from North Carolina to Florida to California to Seattle in three days. I think he was anxious to get home. 😆 Piece of cake, compared to fighting in Iraq. Have a good night. 🙂 -Diane aka Proud Mom (not because of his driving 😆 )
We drive a 2019 2500HD, pulling a 30’ travel trailer 7000 lbs from central Florida to the Smokies straight through. 11/12 hours.
Well I have been disabled for many yrs now and I often cringe at a 1 hr trip! Esp if it’s a 2 way trip meanin an HR there and an hr back that makes 2! 2 hrs esp if I gotta drive that 2 hrs big ways means a 4 he trip! And I have damned sure had it at 4 hrs!!
But I do intend to travel across the US to see many things and I think going in one direction I could do 2to4 hrs at a time with a big rest and then maybe 2to4 more?? Had to do 6 st one time and it nearly killed me!!! So no way in hell I could do more than 4 alone with no one to take over and drive some!
I mean if ur traveling with more than 1 driver u can switch off! 1 drive a while while the other rest or naps etc.! But if ur the only driver and u got babies riding with u u gotta play the safe card! For me driving makes me sedated and sleepy! And my dogs get real upset if traveling very long also! So for me and them I think 4 hrs max with like an hr break for us all at 2 hrs!
NOOOOO WAYYYY IN HELL I COULD EVER ANYTHING MORE!!
It depends on a lot of things. Weather, traffic, how much physical work I’ve recently done, and what I’m driving are all factors. Besides, I want to enjoy the journey as much as the destination so why rush to get there.
For me there is a difference between preference and comfortable driving times. I prefer to drive no more than 4 hours to give us time to see sites and relax touring the route. As far as comfort I set my max at the 7 to 8 hours per day and only when necessary to escape bad weather or meet a self imposed deadline or distant destination.
I agree with the 4 hours. We are not in a hurry. To get anywhere. Like to get to our next stop set up and relax.
Depends on how the drive conditions are. I HATE I-95, especially around DC, Baltimore and I NEVER go near New York and the GW bridge at any time of the day.
I moved from LI to northern NY. Drive over the GW bridge when I visit my family. Just have to avoid going at certain times. Otherwise, it’s a breeze. (been doing it for 30+ years)
I just returned from Pennsylvania last week and got stuck in DC smack at rush hour. It was a three-hour pain in the donkey.
After that was smooth as silk down 95…..until we got to South Carolina where the worst roads in the US are located.
5 to 6 hours includes rest , fuel, and meal stops along the way.
We shared the driving, so each did about 4 hours.
I drive from CA to MO to OK and back. Either direction it is 27 hrs gas, food to go, puppy breaks. I drive at night through the deserts due to heat and no scenery then save the beautiful mountains for day. The only time I get sleepy is Kansas. Same cow, same barn, same crop for miles and miles.