Posted on 12/24/2001 9:15:37 AM PST by KQQL
A different sort of commuter -- the long-haul, 18-wheeled type -- has a few things to say about Texas roads.
Namely, thanks. A new survey by about 500 readers of Overdrive magazine, which caters to the professional 18-wheeler driver, rates Texas roads fourth-best in the nation.
The top rating for roads goes to Tennessee, followed by Florida. (Hmm. What else do Texas, Tennessee and Florida have in common, Longhorn, Volunteer and Gator fans?) Ohio ranks third, and Indiana comes in fifth.
The truckers rank a state's roads based on number of potholes, cracks and patches, amount of traffic and construction.
Consequently, the truckers drubbed Arkansas, saying its roads were the worst in the nation, for the fifth straight year. Pennsylvania, which held the worst title for seven straight years before Arkansas took over, comes in second-worst. Missouri, Louisiana and New York round out the bottom.
Texas also ranks among the top in a category the state's marketers probably aren't going to start putting on bumper stickers. The truckers rank Texas as having the second-weakest law enforcement and truck inspections, behind Alabama as the weakest. Oklahoma, West Virginia and South Carolina follow Texas in that category.
California ranks as the toughest inspection and enforcement state, followed by Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Texas also ranked second-weakest in last year's rankings. This despite the 142,264 truck inspections Department of Public Safety troopers did in 2000. Those checks found 672,679 violations, and troopers immediately declared 27,698 trucks and 10,682 drivers unfit for the road. A DPS spokeswoman, saying the agency hadn't seen the survey, declined to comment on the rankings.
Alabama police checked trucks about 33,000 times in 2000. But, even factoring for its huge size advantage over Alabama, California did more checks last year, Overdrive notes, with 450,000 inspections.
Texas also gets raves from truckers on the state's abundance and quality of truck stops. Wouldn't be hard to think this would make all the four-wheelers -- as truckers call the rest of us drivers -- happy, because it gives big trucks more reason to pull off.
Texas rates No. 2 for its rest stops, which is actually a bit of a downer for the state -- it ranked No. 1 in last year's survey. This time, Iowa -- that hotbed of traffic! -- edges out the Lone Star State.
The corn-filled state's stops are apparently more attractive because of Iowa 80, which bills itself as the world's largest truck stop. While truck stops in Central Texas can't brag of a movie theater, Iowa 80 does, with surround sound, no less. The two-story truck stop also has a barber, a community den with a fireplace, a laundry and a giant warehouse filled with items to buy.
"We carry a large selection of items, especially chrome accessories!" the Iowa 80 Web site brags. (Bet they don't have chicken fried steak, though.)
And finally, the truckers traveling through Texas like the abundance of overnight parking they say is available here. The state ranks second-best of the 50 states in that regard.
Makes you wonder whether they counted all the hours being stuck on Interstate 35 as free parking.
I remember thinking Texas roads are strikingly well maintained, and Florida was pretty good. California (where I live) is surprisingly bad considering the kind of weather we hvae here. Anyone know where California was in the rankings?
D
Question Last year's Worst Roads rankings WORST SEGMENT OF ROAD 1. I-40 through Arkansas 2. I-94 in Chicago 3. I-10 through Louisiana 4. I-70 from Kansas City to St. Louis 5. I-30 from Little Rock to Texarkana, Ark. FACTORS THAT MADE THESE ROADS THE WORST FOR DRIVING 1. Potholes 2. Patches 3. Cracks 4. Congestion and traffic 5. Constant construction STATES WITH WORST ROADS 1. Arkansas 2. Illinois 3. Pennsylvania 4. Louisiana 5. New York BEST SEGMENT OF ROAD 1. I-75 through Florida 2. I-75 through Georgia 3. I-10 through Texas 4. I-40 Memphis to Knoxville 5. I-39 Bloomington, Ill., to Rockford, Ill. STATES WITH BEST ROADS 1. Florida 2. Tennessee 3. Texas 4. Georgia 5. Pennsylvania MOST IMPROVED SEGMENT OVER LAST YEAR 1. I-80 through Pennsylvania 2. I-20 through Louisiana 3. I-55 through Illinois 4. I-10 through Texas 5. I-81 through Pennsylvania MOST IMPROVED STATE OVER LAST YEAR 1. Pennsylvania 2. Louisiana 3. Texas 4. Illinois 5. Florida MOST SCENIC 1. Colorado 2. Tennessee 3. Pennsylvania 4. Virginia 5. Oregon WEAKEST ON TRUCK INSPECTIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT 1. Alabama 2. Texas 3. Indiana 4. Wyoming 5. Illinois TOUGHEST ON TRUCK INSPECTIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT 1. California 2. Ohio 3. Tennessee 4. Connecticut 5. Maryland MOST OVERNIGHT PARKING 1. Pennsylvania 2. Texas 3. Indiana 4. Florida 5. Georgia LEAST OVERNIGHT PARKING 1. New Jersey 2. Connecticut 3. Illinois 4. Virginia 5. New York BEST REST STOPS 1. Florida 2. Georgia 3. Indiana 4. Pennsylvania 5. Ohio BEST TRUCK STOPS 1. Texas 2. Iowa 3. Georgia 4. Ohio 5. Pennsylvania WORST CAR DRIVERS 1. New York 2. California 3. Illinois 4. New Jersey 5. Connecticut
I drive there frequently and the roads are bad. Hey, does anyone know who put the bullet holes in all the "Clinton" signs along the highway?
I can tell you that the metropolitan area most in need of wider roads is Minneapolis/Saint Paul, which still features a four lane beltway around an area with 3 million people in it. (Minneapolis is exactly the size Atlanta was in 1990.)
Oklahoma, West Virginia and South Carolina follow Texas in that category.
California ranks as the toughest inspection and enforcement state, followed by Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Texas also ranked second-weakest in last year's rankings. This despite the 142,264 truck inspections Department of Public Safety troopers did in 2000.
Those checks found 672,679 violations, and troopers immediately declared 27,698 trucks and 10,682 drivers unfit for the road.
A DPS spokeswoman, saying the agency hadn't seen the survey, declined to comment on the rankings.
The truckers should be happy about another big gap in Texas DPS traffic law enforcement and that is their absolutely unacceptable shying away from the strict enforcement of the speed laws on trucks in Texas especially on the Interstates.
There seems to be a large lack of "controlling legal authority" in this area in Texas.
LOL..... Don't want them clogging up the IH traveling along at 65 MPH don'tcha see..... Gosh they'd get run over or have traffic stacked up for miles....
It's gonna get interesting around the Houston area (8 counties) where they are reducing the speed limit to 55 mph.
The truckers are always knocking four wheelers for their lack of concern for the rights of the 18 wheelers.
What do they think 18 wheeler drivers drive when they are not on duty driving trucks?
These 18 wheeler "chicken chokers" cuss each other just as vehemently as they do 4 wheelers.
When these "professionals" get in the cab and shut the door they become a law unto themselves and are not to be questioned concerning their driving "boo boos" by other drivers or lawmen alike.
FLAME AWAY!!
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