Exploring the West: What It’s Like to Drive Over The Road Out West

Last year I took on a new over the road position that had me run lanes all the way out west to California. My pickups were usually in Ohio or Indiana and the surrounding area. My deliveries were in the San Francisco or Los Angeles regions. I got to run all of the major interstates running out west from I-10 to I-80 back and forth multiple times. I can tell you one thing. Running out west is a lot different from running the eastern seaboard. For one there is a lot less traffic in general. When you picture the life of a trucker many people have an image of a truck on an open highway. Well in my experience the first time I really got to experience this was when I drove through the western states. While you will still run across an occasional city with traffic there are a lot fewer of them up until you arrive across the state line into California.

80 MPH Speed Limits

One of the first things you might notice driving your truck out west is the change in the interstate speed limits. Several states have limits up to 80 MPH. Luckily, I had a truck that had no speed limiter, so I was able to take advantage of the increased speed limits to make better time. Keep in mind these states are huge out west and if you are only traveling 60 MPH you are going to be in for a long trip. Of course, when I was around traffic, I would travel slower to be safe. But on open stretches of highway with an 80 MPH speed limit I would take my truck up to that speed if the roads and weather were in good condition. Keep in mind I had a had a brand new 2022 Mack Anthem, so the truck was up to the task.

Amazing Scenery

Driving out west allowed me to take in some amazing scenery even though most of it was viewed through my windshield. The first couple times driving out there I did make frequent stops and took plenty of pictures. The view almost never disappoints with the vast stretches of open land and endless mountains in the backdrop.

A Ton of Truck Parking

All truckers know how stressful finding a legal and safe spot to park your truck and trailer at the end of a hard work’s day can be. Rarely did I ever have a problem finding parking while driving out west. Not counting California of course. But all the way up to California truck parking was abundant. Expect to get a better night’s sleep also as these parking lots are not always full so you may actually have the option not to be parked in between two reefer trucks that are as loud as a freight train.

Scorching Heat

Of all the advantages I found driving out west one that I did not care for during the summer months was the temperatures being in the 100s. It was common to look down at my temperature gauge and see a reading in the triple digits. And a few times it even went into the teens. You are going to want to crank your AC up because the heat is almost unbearable out there. Even with a simple task of fueling it can be miserable when the weather is 115 at a truck stop in the middle of the desert.

Less Traffic

Expect to experience a lot less traffic driving out west. It is almost the complete opposite of driving east of the Mississippi in my experience. Often times you will have no traffic in your immediate vicinity during the middle of the day. Try finding a highway like that in the eastern part of the country and no driving at 2AM in the morning does not count.

Higher Altitudes

One thing your body may have to adjust to is being at a higher altitude. I know mine did. It was common to be at elevations of 6,000 feet all the way up to 11,000 feet driving and even sleeping in the mountains. The air is thinner up there. And I did feel like it affected the quality of my sleep on some nights. I am from a state that sits at sea level and prefer to have plenty of oxygen to breath.

High Winds

I never had any idea how windy parts of the country were until I started driving out west. The wind really kicks up especially on I-80. Expect to be blown around a little in your truck when it does. Oh, and tumble weeds are real and not just in western movies. Expect to see plenty of tumble weeds blowing across the highway especially when it is windy.

Roadrunners Abound

One day in Arizona I stopped at a Walmart for some supplies with my truck. When I walked out of the store, I spotted a couple of birds running extremely fast on the ground across the parking lot. I did not think much of it until later I realized I spotted a pair of roadrunner birds.

Desert Vegetation

If you like desert plants, you are going to like driving out west. Expect to see all of the plant life associated with it. Giant cactus, tumble weeds and Joshua trees. Endless stretches of the stuff. So much of it in fact that you will think you are stuck driving in the same place for two days straight.

Endless Mountains

Little did I know the country had so many mountains. We are talking about just a vast amount of them. Once you get to a certain point out west the mountains run all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Less Stress

The best part about driving out west is the stress factor. We are talking about having to deal with lower amounts of traffic, congestion and generally a lot fewer stops. My average trip was over 3 days on the road without a single stop. Versus where my southeast regional job had me stop up to ten times in a single shift. There were many days were I never heard from anyone including my dispatcher and just drove without a care in the world except for the safety of my truck and driving of course.

Driving Out West Summary

If you hate traffic, making multiple stops every day, talking to your dispatcher every hour, dealing with guard shacks day in and day out, fighting traffic until you are blue in face, unable to find parking then running out west may be just for you. There are few downsides at least in my experience and many upsides. Not only that but I averaged around $3000 a week for doing it and I never made that kind of money driving out east or with any other truck driving job with all of the added stress.