Drove Through NYC This Week...

[Delta]

(Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island to be exact)...but in a 26' Penskee rental truck. So we had to deliver some big sort bins from South Philadelphia to Brooklyn and another trip out to Long Island. I figured no big deal, grabbed the Ez-Pass and the GPS out of my work van. This was my first mistake, as the GPS is for a regular passenger car. Drove up 95 on the NJ Turnpike and crossed into NY via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. After crossing my first hint I was going to be in for some fun when the GPS wants me to get off an exit (parkway) that is 10' 8". No biggie, I followed the sign for truck route detour, but my flaw was not paying attention to the signs and assumed the GPS would catch on. Nope, turned on a side road and a barrage of horns followed. You guessed it, almost went up the Parkway ramp. Ugh! Ok Tom-Tom GPS, you're useless, Google Maps on my phone. Found a truck route 27, but the only thing was it went strait down the heart of Brooklyn, oh joy. Double parkers, jay-walkers, other trucks, and narrow streets, what the heck did my boss get me into? Nobody would let you in, I just had to use the brute size of the truck. My co-worker riding shotgun was pretty much mortified. We finally found the place, unloaded and backtracked. I live in a town of about 1500-2000 people, I was severely out of my element! I've never seen so many cars and people. I've driven the 26' trucks before, but never in that much traffic. You basically have to barge your way through (air horn style BTW, lol). Got back to Philly in one piece and reloaded for next days trip to Long Island. This time I was prepared and mapped out a route, because I knew it was going to try and take me down the Parkway again. Crossed the George Washington bridge ($15, really NYC? The view of that part of the city from up there was pretty cool though) to 295 down across to 495. Traffic was TERRIBLE, but other than that uneventful. I will never drive a truck through NYC again, and I made my boss well aware of that. We're supposed to have a couple jobs to do there, but I'll be glad to be in my small Transit Connect! TL;DR: Take a country boy into the city in a big box truck with a car GPS and shenanigans ensue.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

That does not sound like a good time at all! But now you'll be able to handle anything in a box truck.

 

[KzMitch]

I’m an hour outide of Chicago. That’s as close as I want to get to any big city. Hey, if you heart NY, that’s great. Live where you want, and I’ll live where I want. But for me, I wouldn’t live in the city if the rent was free.

 

[Donald]

I avoid driving in NYC if at all possible. Bus or train would be my preferred method to get there. Obviously hard to deliver much taking a train.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Interesting, never thought about the need for special GPS settings with a truck. When I go to NYC now, I find a guaranteed garage spot near my hotel with the ParkWhiz app and don't touch my car again until it's time to leave...except maybe to take the car to Yankee Stadium if it is a baseball trip so I can leave straight from there. The first time I drove to NYC, I was totally clueless and actually got street parking almost in front of my hotel in Manhattan because the city was emptied out for a holiday...never going to assume that will be possible again. The one time I stayed in Williamsburg, the hotel had limited self parking and I grabbed the last open spot, pure luck again. I have stuck with Manhattan ever since then for convenience and find than arranging the parking with the app is cheaper than doing it through the hotel, if they will even get involved with finding me a garage...the places there that have their own parking are out of my cheapo guy price range. When I drop my car off at a garage, I give the attendant a very decent tip and tell him that I like to keep my modest vehicle looking pretty and that I hope I see him again when I pick it up. I have had the same attendant deliver my car back to me every trip so far and they get a nice tip again when I see that my car is unscathed. I figure it's a little insurance money in those super cramped garages and I also like to reward people who take nice car of my things.

 

[Delta]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi

Interesting, never thought about the need for special GPS settings with a truck.

Never thought about it either, until it was too late. Even the truck route I came across 2 overpasses that were marked 12' 4" (truck was 13'1"), but I seen oncoming tractor trailers going under it. Before going under I called my boss "You did get full coverage right? *pause* "Yes..." "Ok, nevermind" He wasn't impressed...

 

[exranger06]

You can probably change the setting on the GPS from "car" to "truck" and it will automatically avoid parkways and other places trucks can't go. You should find it in the settings menu. I once drove through New York on my way down to West Virginia, driving my pickup which isn't allowed on NY parkways. The GPS was going to take me on a parkway, so I quickly changed the setting to truck and it took me a different route.

 

[CharBaby]

I love visiting NYC, Chicago & Toronto. I'll take Toronto for easy of driving as the others are just waaaaaay toooooo busy for my skills. I much prefer the subway/rail system than to driving in their traffic. Cleveland, Phoenix, Tampa is easier indeed.

 

[Chris142]

I got sent there on my first run out of truckdriving skool. Me and a guy I dont know in a semi! The other guy freaked out and ran off!left me holding the bag @178th and broadway. They paired me up with a guy that had managed a baskin robbins for the last 25 yrs and the traffic was too much for him I guess.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: exranger06

You can probably change the setting on the GPS from "car" to "truck" and it will automatically avoid parkways and other places trucks can't go. You should find it in the settings menu. I once drove through New York on my way down to West Virginia, driving my pickup which isn't allowed on NY parkways. The GPS was going to take me on a parkway, so I quickly changed the setting to truck and it took me a different route.

You could set it to "truck" and "Flinty Old New Englander Giving Directions" so it could tell you, "You can't get THEAH from HEAH!" ;^) I actually had a local tell me that once, I was desperately trying to find a baseball field for a practice with bad directions and finally saw it behind some houses from a residential street. There was a group of neighbors chatting between houses and I asked them how I could get to that field and got the classic New England response. I just about bust a gut laughing! (they did finally tell me how to get there)

 

[eljefino]

My car toll on the GWB was around $14 so you got off easy with a huge truck at $15. Are you sure EZ Pass knows it was a truck? You could be in for a minor rude bill from the rental people. I've come up to New England through the heart of NYC even though there are cheaper detours upstate. For all the tolls it's at least a neat-o show.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: Donald

I avoid driving in NYC if at all possible. Bus or train would be my preferred method to get there.

I lived about an hour north of NYC for my first 30 years and never drove further south than White Plains. No thanks. That's what Metro North is for.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby

I love visiting NYC, Chicago & Toronto. I'll take Toronto for easy of driving as the others are just waaaaaay toooooo busy for my skills. I much prefer the subway/rail system than to driving in their traffic. Cleveland, Phoenix, Tampa is easier indeed.

Yeah, when I lived near Chicago I avoided driving downtown at almost all costs. The suburb I grew up in had a spur off the L that was just wildly convenient, about a mile walk from our house to the station. I had a brief afternoon appointment in the Loop once that I could not avoid and found a surface lot nearby...I told the manager (who seemed to be the only guy there that spoke English) that I would be back in half an hour, no question about it, please don't park me in. He says OK, no problem. Come back in half an hour, my car is blocked in by half a dozen other cars. I remind the guy of our conversation and he tells me, "You wait for 5 o clock! You wait!!" We start screaming at each other and he calls me about every name in the book, but his guys finally got my car out while staring daggers at me the whole time. No tips for anybody with that noise!

 

[SeaJay]

The joys of technology. GPS can be helpful but it is not all telling and can lead you astray. Several times a year (maybe more!) there is a truck stuck that hit a low bridge on one of the parkways. Probably from a trucker following the GPS and missing signs. Brooklyn is a difficult borough to drive around in commercially. The only limited access highways for commercial vehicles or passenger vehicles towing a trailer is the BQE. The Bronx is a lot easier with I87 and I95 going up either side. Queens has I-495 going though the middle.

 

[nickaluch]

Welcome to the big Apple.Live on Long island own a company in greenpoint Brooklyn.My guys make deliveries in Manhattan challenging to say the least.Tons of money to be made but cost of doing business very high. Need to pay my guys good to keep them. Wear tear on trucks, parking tickets brutal. U can download a NYC truck map put out buy the city I highly recommend it.I had one driver go around a double parked car and hit a big tree branch ripped the box open on the truck. The phone call was interesting when he told me he hit a tree in Manhattan. Didn't think it was possible lol.

 

[beanoil]

Can't say what I want to say, but lots of courage on your part to take it on. I've driven in Chicago, SanFran, LA, Atlanta, STL, (every day), Boston. No way I'm driving in NYC. Just ain't happening.

 

[pbm]

I can't count the times I responded to accidents where tractor trailers hit the overpass because the GPS put them on the Hutchinson River Pkwy or some other road that's 'passenger cars only'.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: beanoil

Can't say what I want to say, but lots of courage on your part to take it on. I've driven in Chicago, SanFran, LA, Atlanta, STL, (every day), Boston. No way I'm driving in NYC. Just ain't happening.

Really shouldn't been a big deal if you've been through SF and LA. Most frustrating driving situations I've ever had to deal with were in those areas.

 

[JHZR2]

Ive driven a box truck through Chicago, no big deal. Wouldn't really care to do so in NYC, but there are tons of busses and trucks that get around, no big deal. I have no issue driving a car through NYC, done it more times than I could count. I would drive a 26" truck, but not if I could reasonably avoid it.

 

[earlyre]

If I had to go to NYC, my plan is to drive as close as i can pick up a train. I wish there was a train to the city from Scranton. I have a friend who lives outside Scranton. (Free parking!) years back the friend who's vibe is in my sig talked me into going to trucking school with him (we were gonna be a team). i flunked out, he lasted a bit longer than me,but also eventually washed out, his training driver took him to NYC, and let him get lost in Brooklyn, twice,apparently running in circles, before stepping in/offering assistance