Spend enough time behind the wheel of a big motorhome or dragging a fifth wheel trailer around the country and you’ll eventually pick up a lot of knowledge and ideas that will make your trips smoother and more enjoyable. Here are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned in fifteen years of fulltime RVing.
1. A safe trip starts long before you ever turn the key. The night before we hit the road, we map out our trip for the next day and write it down in a notebook. Included are the route we will be traveling on, distances between cities or points of interest, and location of any stops we might plan on making, by mile marker number. Any other noteworthy items are also included, such as a major climbs or downhill grades we will encounter. With the information all on one or two sheets of notebook paper, the co-pilot does not have to sort through a library of information every time the driver needs an update or directions. The evening planning session will also include looking for bypass routes around any major cities we will be entering. Usually the loop routes will help us avoid the worst of the metropolitan traffic congestion, though they might add a few miles to our trip.
2. Knowing how the mile markers are laid out on interstate highways is a handy skill. With few exceptions, mile markers begin at the southern or western state line and progress to the opposite state line. Where two routes join together, a guidebook such as The Next EXIT will tell you which route the mile markers follow. Any good map or atlas will include mile markers for all exits and rest areas, which is very useful information when you need a pit stop and don’t want to pull over on the shoulder of the highway.
3. Even though most RVs are self-contained, rest areas are very important. We prefer to use our own facilities, but the opportunity to get out and stretch our legs can be very relaxing. Too many drivers, myself included, get road fixation and do not stop often enough. Try to stop every hundred miles or so, if for no other reason than to get out and walk around the rig to check the tow connections and get a breath of fresh air.
4. We try to be off the road long before dark, but sometimes plans don’t work out. As we grow older, the eyes aren’t what they used to be. A pair of sun or shooting glasses
5. Driver comfort can go a long way toward safety on a road trip. Having a light snack ready to ward off the afternoon munchies is helpful. My co-pilot also keeps a cool, damp washcloth handy for wiping my forehead and neck on long trips to help keep me refreshed and alert. Little things like keeping a small cooler up front with snacks and a washcloth in a zip lock bag with some ice can make the miles go by easier.
6. On the subject of driver comfort, for years I had severe hip and back pain any time I drove several hours in a day. Then a chiropractor friend told me to stop carrying my wallet in my back pocket when driving. That lump on one side can cause your hip to shift enough to create short term pain and long term problems. Now my wallet rides in a desk drawer when we’re in the motorhome or in the console of our SUV.
7. Even with our Rand McNally RV GPS
8. Though the language of some of the truckers can get pretty rank, a CB radio is a valuable tool. We use ours in strange cities for directions if needed, and to alert us to traffic backups from accidents or road construction.
9. In heavy traffic, the driver has to concentrate on a dozen things at once. Having a co-pilot who watches the right side mirror for oncoming traffic and keeps an eye out for road signs ahead can be a tremendous help. RVs take up a lot of highway and changing lanes can be dangerous, especially at the last minute. Knowing ahead of time which lane you need to be in will give you the time you need to get there safely.
10. Last, but certainly not least, the co-pilot should also know how to assume the pilot’s position if needed. I think in most RVs, one or the other is the primary driver, often the man. But I am amazed at how many women we have met who have absolutely no idea of how to drive the rig. More than once we have seen situations where the driver of an RV has become ill or incapacitated, and the co-pilot had to find someone else to take them where they needed to be. While the co-pilot may not be the primary driver, spending some time behind the wheel is essential. Besides, the driver will come away with a better appreciation of your skills if you change jobs from time to time. Good training can turn a tentative co-pilot into a skilled RV driver. The RV Driving School has professional driving instructors around the country and at many RV rallies coast to coast.
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Thought For The Day – It’s a scientific fact that if you took all the veins in your body and laid them end to end, you would die.
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Nick Russell
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I was amazed to find Next Exit has updated and come out with a new version. Thanks for the information. We get ours in two days thanks to Amazon Prime.
I love the shooting glasses for cloudy dull days and they are great in the rain. We wouldn’t be without ours. I agree totally on the driving. Both need to be able to take over in an instant. I can’t believe the people we know whose wife is reading a book or playing with an electronic machine. A co-pilot is as responsible as the driver. They also have the job of knowing when the driver needs a shot of caffeine.
Nick these are excellent. We follow all of them and have never had a problem on the road. I as co-pilot, also read all the road signs. You can never be to safe on the road. Thanks. Kathy
You are absolutely right in that the co-pilot should be able to drive the rig, even if only during an emergency. Long before we ever owned an RV, we bought a boat. When I asked my husband to teach me to drive it, he said I didn’t need to drive it, he would! I told him that as soon as we got home it was going in the front yard with a For Sale sign
on it. When he wanted to know why, I told him that if I couldn’t drive it, we didn’t need it! Needless to say, I learned how to drive the boat, and anything else we bought!
Hello Nick:
1) I use Google Maps to layout my daily trips. I print the map and the directions.
2) I keep my handheld GPS with me with stops (gas, rest, meals) entered as waypoints.
3) As much as possible I use geographic coordinates instead of addresses to identify locations.
Google Maps is a powerful tool with a steep learning curve because the instructions stink. It takes some tenacity but I think it is worth it.
Good advice… if you have a co-pilot in the same vehicle. My co-pilot drives behind me in our car (I pull our fifth wheel). Many don’t agree with our system, but it works for us. We’re only “apart” for 4-5 hours, we’re in constant radio contact (we’re both licensed ham operators), and when we get to our destination we can park the truck and drive our thrifty Toyota around.
We have met many RVers that the female co-pilot would NOT drive the RV. One friend had a heart attack and she sat on the side of the road for 5 hours waiting for someone to move the RV for her. He actually talked a doctor into going out and driving the rig to a campground for her.
Nick, I have driven many miles with my wallet in my back pocket with no side effects, but I guess my wallet didn’t contain near as much cash and was a lot thinner so I didn’t have that lump on one side which would cause my hip to shift. (lol).
Great post! You should write a book!! LOL. You already have!!
We never leave on a trip with a copy of the “RVers Friend” a list of truck srops and their amenities. It has been invaluable in strange territory and the need to stop for the night.
Correction: We never leave on a trip withOUT a copy of the “RVers Friend” a list of truck stops and their amenities, It has been invaluable in strange territory and the need to stop for the night.