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FMCA Road Atlas--Big Rigs question

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We are new members and recently ordered the 10th Edition Road Atlas, which is a great product!  We were wondering about how to use the information about the campgrounds for Big Rigs, which are labeled on the maps.  We found the information about the FMCA campgrounds, but we also need more information about campgrounds which are big rig friendly.  Is there a listing or directory of those labeled B?  Maybe we missed it.  Thank you for your help!

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Welcome to the forum. We use several apps to check out places to stay. When in doubt just call. There is no governing body that polices what the places say. My fav is a place near Watkins Glen a couple years ago (I can't find the name right now). They had Big Rig Friendly all over their site. When I called and asked they said "Yes we are Big Rig Friendly we can handle rigs all the way to 30'. :o We didn't stay there.

Bill

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I've been told, "they don't make coaches over 41 foot!"  3 weeks ago, in Utah...We never assume, just call at least you don't have to look for a pay phone anymore! 😂

We also carry the Truckers Atlas...really saves on low underpasses & helps to find Truck Stop's.

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You can also go on campgroundreviews.com and look at an area or specific campground by name and see the info about the campground, reviews and a link to the campgrounds website. 

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Good to remember that some campgrounds printed their advertising literature decades ago and are still using the original batch. When a campground said it was 'big-rig friendly" 40 years ago, things were decidedly different than today. Always good to check if you have a "big rig". Even with our 35-foot coach, there have been some really tight places which claimed to be "big rig friendly".

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2 hours ago, hermanmullins said:

For years there have been discussions on what the definitions of big is. :rolleyes:

It all depends on who is answering the question.:lol:

 

IMHO the driving skills of the person making the comment have a lot to do with it, also.  And whether or not they are the kind of RVer who goes nuts when tree branches touch their vehicles!  As an admin of CampgroundReviews.com I've seen plenty of people complain about places I've been to and where I've had no problems with my 40' MH.  

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Yep and the 45 is chassis length...mine is  47' 4", that includes front cap & end cap!  My AC Tradition was the same!

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10 hours ago, docj said:

IMHO the driving skills of the person making the comment have a lot to do with it, also.  And whether or not they are the kind of RVer who goes nuts when tree branches touch their vehicles!  As an admin of CampgroundReviews.com I've seen plenty of people complain about places I've been to and where I've had no problems with my 40' MH.  

There is a BIG difference in touching and leaving scratches in the paint all down the side. Why would you not keep the branches cleared out if your are catering to RVs? Most are about the same height and width so that should be pretty simple to keep brush and limbs cleared out so they don't touch/drag on the RV. So tell me how driving skills can compensate for a poorly maintained RV park.

Bill

Edited by WILDEBILL308

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I looked a couple years back at the FMCA Atlas with the thought of buying it. At the time and still do have the "Truckers Atlas" sold by Walmart which was by far superior to the FMCA product. In the front, it has a sizeable and lengthy section of information related to by state, of weight, low overpasses, restricted bridges and the like. Print on the pages is considerably larger and many of the maps are multiple pages like that of Texas which are 4 pages and then the city maps took up another several pages. Even small states like Utah are a lotted 2 pages. All major  and secondary highways/roads are marked as to being big rig friendly. Is the new Truckers Atlas from FMCA done in this manner.

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Are you thinking of the Motor Carrier's Atlas?

Best reference I've seen for big rigs, but has nothing specific to RVs. Great for things like weight and height restrictions.

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Thanks everyone for the replies. We have been in a poor reception area for the last few days. We have a 40 ft Foretravel u320.  I think it will probably be best just to ask and be cautious even then.  The atlas just had a lot of places labeled as big rig friendly, but no way to identify. I suppose the intent was to let the user know that that were places like that in the area.  Appreciate all of the help!

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On 9/9/2020 at 10:55 AM, richard5933 said:

Are you thinking of the Motor Carrier's Atlas?

Best reference I've seen for big rigs, but has nothing specific to RVs. Great for things like weight and height restrictions.

Well, I clicked on the link in Joe's post and viola!

Serving the RV community since 2001 with a user friendly spiral bound guide -  500 pages, lays flat, quality paper and large print. All parks personally visited by the authors. Also included are satellite views of all the parks along with Google Map features embedded.

This for some reason looks like it has something intended for RV'rs 

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I'm an online member, and I see no app avaiable, but the online version can be viewed from any device that has an internet connection. It is geared for 40 feet and higher but you can search for smaller.

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I think I have the book, the authors live in Kerrville or Frederiksburg...I did not like it.  It gave site # in each park that was bad and those that was "Big Rig!"  Most of those parks, I would not bother calling unless I was caught in a bad storm!

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On 9/9/2020 at 11:55 AM, richard5933 said:

Are you thinking of the Motor Carrier's Atlas?

Best reference I've seen for big rigs, but has nothing specific to RVs. Great for things like weight and height restrictions.

FWIW, Rand McNally has their 2021 Motor Carriers Road Atlas on sale for $14.96.

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On 9/8/2020 at 11:22 AM, docj said:

"As an admin of CampgroundReviews.com ..."

Hi Doc,

I sent a question to support at CR and haven't heard back yet.  I'll ask it here so others can benefit ...

I subscribed yesterday for $49 and got access to campgroundreviews.com, 2 other websites and a cellphone app.  You get a lot for your money!  There seems to be some common information/data in the 4 choices.  Can you offer advice on when to use one vs. the other?

  • Campground Reviews (PC)
  • RVTripWizard (PC)
  • RVLife (PC)
  • RV Life (iPhone app)

Thanks,

Brooks

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