Colorado Springs, CO to Inglis FL PENSKE HELP (rental, trucks, cheap)

[lovindawata]

I'm moving back to Florida for some good reasons but I'm renting a 16ft penske truck and this will be my first time driving one of these. I'm a pretty good cautious driver and I've done this same trip in my car last December and it wasnt bad, made it in 24 hours. However, I'm worried about coming across overpasses and bridges thats shorter than 16ft. I stumbled across of youtube vids of a bunch of Penske trucks driving into these and wrecking pretty bad. Although I've done this trip, i recall going under bridges and tunnels but i dont know if any were under 16ft clearance. I will driving the same route with my truck and i was wondering if would be wise to do so or is there a route i can go to get their safely??

I will be taking the Texas, MI, Alabama route into Florida with google gps because we felt it was way less brutal than the kansas route and saved more gas due to lower miles driven. How do i go about finding out what roads to avoid have have low clearance for 16ft truck Please help really worried about this.

[reed303]

What Penske truck is 16 feet tall ?

A bigger issue could be gas station and motel overhangs.

[Rabrrita]

You are going to have to do some very specific planning. Have you already arranged for a Pilot Car and route mapping? You'll need that along with a special oversize permit for each state you travel through. I think you also need a CDL A in order to drive a vehicle that large. I wasn't even aware Pensky's commercial division had items above the legal interstate height; I always thought the largest thing they had in their inventory was only 13' 6" high. You may want to forget about driving ti yourself and contract with a heavy hauler who does this on a regular basis and knows the routing.

(Please disregard if you meant a 16 foot long truck which is only 10 1/2 feet tall)

[sipes23]

I'm in the process of moving now. I think the Penske 16 foot truck has a 16 foot long box and not 16 feet tall. The clearance is much lower (and should be printed on the side of the truck so you can see it in the side mirrors). I think it's like 11'6" or something (but don't take my word for that!).

In any case, just go to the rental place and ask the people there. They should know.

[Meemur]

Sipes has it right. I'm not sure the height is 11' 6" or 10' 5" but I'll bet that's close.

OP, Yes, there are several bridges in the US with low clearances. One is in Ohio. We called it "The Can Opener." I'm not sure there are any low ones along your route, but you could contact AAA if you are a member or look on the state web sites for bridge heights.

[lovindawata]

LOL! Wow, I thought that's what it meant. Wow I'm a fool. Yeah i got the 16ft truck but i see now that does not mean the height. Okay I guess should be fine then. 10.5 feet tall? That's good. I do have AAA so i will contact them about that, thank you!

[aludden]

I used to work for Penske for 9 years. You will not have issues driving a 16ft truck. Their clearance is much lower than any bridge you'll come across on a major road. However, you do need to be aware not to take it through a drive through for fast food/banks and parking garages. They have a much lower clearance and this will not fit.

Side note, I'd recommend taking the LDW insurance. It's cheap and has zero deductible. Plus most car insurance and credit card policy's do not cover rental trucks because of the gross vehicle weight being so high.

[dixie223]

Why are you leaving colorado ? i am going to the same area. Can you give me your pros and cons. i am in NWFL.

[zelavie]

Originally Posted by dixie223

Why are you leaving colorado ? i am going to the same area. Can you give me your pros and cons. i am in NWFL.

Not the OP, but I can give you my take on FL vs CO. I grew up in NWFL (Panama City), lived in AL for a bit, spent 2 years in Colorado Springs, and moved back to FL. Obviously, these are my opinions only. For others, a pro may be a con and vice versa. My pro list is longer than my con list, but the lack of beach and the cold weather were the deal breakers for me.

Colorado pros:
-It is BEAUTIFUL. It looks like nothing that exists in FL. Waking up, looking out my bedroom window and seeing Pikes Peak every day was just amazing. And as much as I love a good beach sunset, the front range sunsets are a million times more gorgeous.
-No bugs!!! I think I saw one roach in two years there, barely got mosquito bites, and gnats/noseeums don't seem to exist there.
-If you're outdoorsy, it is heaven.
-The people were wonderful. I work in retail, and the best overall customer base I've dealt with was in CO. I don't know what made the difference, but they were just delightful.
-It's very pet-friendly. So many stores that allow dogs, people walk their dogs/cats/birds all over the place.
-No humidity. My hair never looked better!

Colorado cons:
-No beach. I'm a water person, and I felt almost claustrophobic because of the lack of water.
-SO COLD and for SO LONG. One of the reasons I moved there was to see if I would like living in a place that gets snow. I learned that I do not. It didn't actually snow that much in the Springs, but it got so, so cold. And winter basically lasts from September through May. By the time I left, I was going a little nuts just needing to feel the sun on my skin.
-It's a mile closer to the sun. Doesn't seem like much, but it turns cars into worse ovens than in FL. And summers can be pretty killer with the heat.
-No humidity. My skin never felt drier.
-So much wind! I had no idea before I moved there just how windy the Springs is. It gets old.

[dixie223]

Thanks so much! I am staying here ,for now anyway. there are few 4 letter words i use ,snow,is not one i want to be acquainted with either.Wecome back!