Best route from Boston to Philadelphia area with rental truck (Washington: camper, prices)

[boston781]

I am moving from Boston(North Shore) to the Philadelphia area (think King of Prussia, PA) next month and trying to determine the best route to take. Will be driving a 16ft Penske rental truck, so know a lot of the parkways are off limits. Will be driving down on a Saturday, leaving between 6-7am the latest to try to avoid most traffic. I have read and been told to avoid 95 in CT and NY at all costs.

The route I was thinking was Mass Pike --> 84 --> 684 -->Tappan Zee Bridge -- >287 --> NJ Tpke --> PA Tpke (276).

I am unsure of the best way to navigate the NYC/NJ area with a truck, given the restrictions for trucks. I have done the drive before, but usually would take the Merrit and Garden State Parkways, two roads I know are off limits for trucks.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

[bostongymjunkie]

You shouldn't have problems on the route you suggested. Yes, the CT parkways are off limits even though they are usually better for traffic. I would use Google and set the appropriate truck settings for the best route on the given day you travel. NYC shouldn't be an issue if you're using the Tapanzee. On the NJ Pike you'll just have to stay on the side for trucks as opposed to cars only, which will be marked by signage.

[lrfox]

^I agree with the above. I've done similar trips in different sized moving trucks. Your route looks like what I would plan if I were doing it myself. You'll avoid the worst of the NY/NJ mess if you stick to it. There are a ton of interchanges around White Plains and the Tappan Zee, but manageable if you're alert and paying attention to signage.

I've never used truck settings (I actually don't know how to do that in Google or Waze) which probably would have been extremely helpful. If that's an option for you, great. I did it the old fashioned way and pre-planned my route to stick mostly to the interstate - just like you've done here. I understood that it may not be the quickest route, but sitting in some additional traffic is preferable to being ticketed for jumping on a parkway or wedging an 11 foot tall truck under a 10.5 foot bridge.

I still use Waze (with a programmed route) in the truck for alerts and updates, but I mostly stick to my pre-planned route, even if Waze is suggesting alternatives. It doesn't hurt to set a couple of in between stops along your preferred route too, just to make sure the navigation app doesn't try and deviate too much. For example, I usually punch in the Kings Truck Stop in Mahwah as a stop. While Maps/Waze will sometimes try to route you via the Merritt and George Washington Bridge if you just navigate directly to King of Prussia, if you punch in someplace (or a few) along your planned route like Kings, it'll almost certainly going to route you over the Tappan Zee (though just make sure you ignore any directions for the Sawmill Pkwy and stick to 684). Good luck!

[bostongymjunkie]

I want to correct a point in my post above. Apparently Google maps doesn't have truck route capability, so I was mistaken on that point. I really thought they did at this point. I know there are commercial applications but I doubt any of them are accessible at reasonable prices. You might want to check the app store and see what's there!

But I still think your route will work. Just don't stray off those major roadways.

[boston781]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

You shouldn't have problems on the route you suggested. Yes, the CT parkways are off limits even though they are usually better for traffic. I would use Google and set the appropriate truck settings for the best route on the given day you travel. NYC shouldn't be an issue if you're using the Tapanzee. On the NJ Pike you'll just have to stay on the side for trucks as opposed to cars only, which will be marked by signage.

Thank you!

[boston781]

Originally Posted by lrfox

^I agree with the above. I've done similar trips in different sized moving trucks. Your route looks like what I would plan if I were doing it myself. You'll avoid the worst of the NY/NJ mess if you stick to it. There are a ton of interchanges around White Plains and the Tappan Zee, but manageable if you're alert and paying attention to signage.

I've never used truck settings (I actually don't know how to do that in Google or Waze) which probably would have been extremely helpful. If that's an option for you, great. I did it the old fashioned way and pre-planned my route to stick mostly to the interstate - just like you've done here. I understood that it may not be the quickest route, but sitting in some additional traffic is preferable to being ticketed for jumping on a parkway or wedging an 11 foot tall truck under a 10.5 foot bridge.

I still use Waze (with a programmed route) in the truck for alerts and updates, but I mostly stick to my pre-planned route, even if Waze is suggesting alternatives. It doesn't hurt to set a couple of in between stops along your preferred route too, just to make sure the navigation app doesn't try and deviate too much. For example, I usually punch in the Kings Truck Stop in Mahwah as a stop. While Maps/Waze will sometimes try to route you via the Merritt and George Washington Bridge if you just navigate directly to King of Prussia, if you punch in someplace (or a few) along your planned route like Kings, it'll almost certainly going to route you over the Tappan Zee (though just make sure you ignore any directions for the Sawmill Pkwy and stick to 684). Good luck!

Thank you! My dad, who is helping, has a navigation app made for RVs, which should do the same job. Will run that app as well as Waze/Google Maps, specifically for their lane guidance features in those "fun" interchanges in the tri-state area.

[boston781]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

I want to correct a point in my post above. Apparently Google maps doesn't have truck route capability, so I was mistaken on that point. I really thought they did at this point. I know there are commercial applications but I doubt any of them are accessible at reasonable prices. You might want to check the app store and see what's there!

But I still think your route will work. Just don't stray off those major roadways.

Thanks! I wish they did. Luckily, my dad who drives a large camper, will be helping and has an app he uses for navigating with the RV. The app should be usable for a moving truck as well, as it's smaller than the camper.

Just hoping the weather behaves itself!

[Panda_life]

You go 90->84->95, pretty simple. Best is to drive at night, starting around 3-4 am, so you will avoid traffic in NEw York which is crazy around 8-9am

[Boston_Burbs]

Avoid sawmill parkway when you are getting to the Tap bridge. GPS will probably try and take you on it

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by boston781

I am moving from Boston(North Shore) to the Philadelphia area (think King of Prussia, PA) next month and trying to determine the best route to take. Will be driving a 16ft Penske rental truck, so know a lot of the parkways are off limits. Will be driving down on a Saturday, leaving between 6-7am the latest to try to avoid most traffic. I have read and been told to avoid 95 in CT and NY at all costs.

The route I was thinking was Mass Pike --> 84 --> 684 -->Tappan Zee Bridge -- >287 --> NJ Tpke --> PA Tpke (276).

I am unsure of the best way to navigate the NYC/NJ area with a truck, given the restrictions for trucks. I have done the drive before, but usually would take the Merrit and Garden State Parkways, two roads I know are off limits for trucks.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

Don't get Storrowed getting out of Boston!