Driving from NYC to Dallas the end of August. Any Advice? Best Route?

Once you get into the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there is construction everywhere.

Road Construction.

No matter which way you go your going to be running into Labour Day traffic so the sooner you leave the better off you maybe. Leaving on Aug 28th or 29th would get to Dallas just as the big rush started, or if you really put on the miles, before it starts.

The route using I78, I81, I40 and then I30 southwest of Little Rock to Dallas would probably be your fastest route. You'd miss most of the big cities and there are circle roads you could use around places like Nashville and Memphis.

Safe trip.

Drove form Long Island to Austin a few years back. Stopped for the night in Charlotte, NC. I should have gone further day one... No matter where you are, just keep all 4 wheels on the ground. I was 10-15 over the limit keeping up with traffic most of the time without issue... But again it wasn't amateur weekend.

Some routes that you might consider go through Louisiana. I would avoid it, stay north of that state, you can go south through Arkansas and reach Dallas without ever entering Louisiana. The corrupt cops in that state are well known for falsely ticketing out-of-state drivers who they know will not be around to defend themselves in traffic court. 60 Minutes even did a story about it.

Let the GPS pick a route and just take it, as long as it is Inerstates Hwy.

Personally I would verify the route on the paper maps just because the way the Garmin has been routing lately you don't know where your going.

About 5 years ago I drove into Louisiana from Houston, Tx on my way to Natchez and never had a problem.
This past spring again from Texas to New Orleans and then N/E toward the "Blue Ridge Pkwy" and again no problems whatsoever. Yes I have an out of state marker!

I-78 out of NYC, to I-81, to I-40 to I-30.

Saw it. Absolutely I will not be driving through Louisiana.

Makes sense, thanks!

Yeah, thanks for the heads-up on the Labor Day traffic. I won't have a place to stay until Sept 1, so maybe I should arrive in Dallas on Aug 31 and check into a hotel.

Great advice, all, keep it coming!

This is a good route. I've driven most of it before. Heading south on I-81 you will have some heavy truck traffic as it is an alternate to I-95. There are some places where the limit drops to 50, so watch those. Otherwise, you will find the "Eight's great but nine your mine" saying will keep you moving through with no problem. Your first night's stay will probably be in eastern Tennessee and I would plan on a second night in Arkansas. That way you'll be fresher when you run the stretch from Little Rock to Dallas. It can have some pretty heavy traffic.

Seemed to me the least congested route !

So is the the consensus, this is the best route?

I'd like to make it to Nashville my first day. I've got a radar detector but I drive cautious, I'll mostly keep it under 10mph of the limit unless traffic is moving faster, thanks for the warning.

Years ago I did a long-distance trip and stopped & slept in my car overnight at a thruway rest stop. Not planned, but I had made the mistake of drinking coffee during the drive - hey, we all make mistakes in our youth - and I finally had a last coffee letdown and felt I couldn't stay awake to find a hotel in time. This was obviously before cell phones and GPS. I'm surprised that I-40 in Tennessee doesn't allow for overnight stays and has a 2-hour limit on parking. Anyone know if that is that is enforced?

The use of a radar detector is illegal in VA. The state police do detect these things in use and they will stop and ticket for the offense. I have heard they will stop and ticket even if one is attached and not operating, but this also has the makings of an urban legend. Parts of I-81 have had the speed limit raised to 70, but coming from just outside Washington, DC and heading to San Antonio a couple of years ago it was all we could do to make it to Hurricane Mills (I-40 Exit 143) in about 17 hours. I would estimate my AVERAGE speed to be 5 to 7 MPH UNDER the posted speed limit, this if you only stopped for gas and fast food.

The one thing you can't predict is traffic and Knoxville and Nashville are notorious. That weekend is going to be a heavy traffic weekend and the police will be out in force so I wouldn't plan on being able to much more than 5, maybe 6 over the posted limit. If you make TN, then you are doing really good. Anywhere south of Roanoke is a good and obtainable target. I would plan on a second night around Arkadelphia, AR which should put you near Dallas around lunchtime.

Regardless of laws when I see the police I put my radar detector under the dash so it's not seen. Actually, it seems to work just as well under the dash. But thank for the warning about Virginia, I'm going to look into this but I'm pretty sure I'll have my radar detector switched off there.

Most departments use laser now. I have been caught when the trooper was on the far side of a berm and he tagged me when I was driving away from his location. Those 2 facts render the old fashioned Fuzz Buster an archaic boat anchor...

Staying as far away from the I95 corridor from NYC to Richmond, VA is the smartest thing you can do. As reported about VA, the speed limit is 70 mph, but be very aware that speeding in excess of 85 mph will get you a reckless driving ticket. And many an out of stater has found himself with a revoked license because of it. Not by VA, but by their own home state, depending on your state's definition of reckless driving.

As far as the radar detector is concerned, staying 8 or less above is the safest way to avoid a ticket. You don't need the radar detector. Never used one myself and never got a ticket. If you are in that much of a hurry, fly.

Agree with other post to avoid I-95 through DC/Northern VA. I work in DC and live in NoVA and everyone and their brother on vacation has to take I-95 to go to the beaches or south and it is a 60 mile parking lot to say the least. Labor Day weekend is even worse.

We take I-81 through Roanoke to Knoxville and yes there is a lot of truck traffic but for the most part it moves steadily. Just watch for the 60 MPH through Roanoke and you'll be OK.

I-95 through DC/Northern VA doesn't appear to be on the route, but thanks anyway.

So hey - I'm doing this before/on Labor Day weekend. What can I expect for traffic at what times?

I can safely assume that traffic on Aug 30 Friday night is going to be horrible. What about Friday during the day? Driving Friday midnight to dawn Saturday?

If the sun is up, the traffic will be heavier than it will be when the sun goes down. More trucks come out to play when the sun goes down.

Anytime Friday will be bad. You have those that take the day off as vacation, others that leave work early, so mid-day will be like a peak period and the peak periods will approach gridlock. The best time to get south of DC (Hagerstown, MD) is Thursday. On Friday, traffic will back up starting around Bristol, VA and be heavy to stop and go until after leaving Knoxville where I-75 splits off I-40.

You can expect heavy traffic again around MM 226 east of Nashville and heavy to stop and go till around MM 200. Memphis traffic will start building around Exit 24 and be heavy until you get past West Memphis in AR. It should be pretty smooth sailing until you reach 440 around Little Rock, then I-30 can be hit or miss till Texarkana where it can be heavy all the way to the Metroplex.

The best days to travel will be Thursday, Saturday and Sunday with Saturday being heavy because of those that didn't leave Friday. Expect heavy traffic anywhere near a recreational area like lakes and rivers. The stretch between Bristol, VA and Knoxville is the jumping off point for Gatlinburg and the Smokies. All the states you are traveling through have 5-1-1 service. Pull into the Welcome Centers and use it mainly for road closures and construction information as it will affect you. Don't rely on traffic reports on your GPS as much as doing an Internet search before starting out and finding radio stations with traffic reports in the congestion areas I've mentioned. These can be a real time saver but remember, the reports are for locals so they may use street names rather than route numbers. Look for signs announcing Traveler Information Radio stations. These are low power AM and usually run by the state. They will have good information and use route numbers you can find on your GPS.

you can access this information from home before you leave to get construction information, you also might want to see if any of the states you will be going through have smartphone/iPhone apps you can use to keep track of traffic and road closures.

I'm going to be more dependent on my Android phone than my radio. I'd rather use the headphones on my Android phone. I have the TuneIn Radio app which allows me to find any radio station in the USA.

The Waze app looks very interesting, seems to have lots of good info on traffic, gas, police, construction.

Using earbuds in both ears or headphones will guarantee you a ticket for impaired driving. I believe every state has laws against having both ears "covered" as you can't hear approaching emergency vehicles as well. I would invest in an adapter that could be plugged into the phone and either the CD or cassette slot if you don't have an AUX jack.

Just drove from the Poconos to Charlotte last weekend (was up for the NASCAR race).

If you take I-78 to I-81, watch for some construction in the Harrisburg area on I-81 (near where the two routes intersect). There was also construction on I-81 through the parts of Maryland and West Virginia you pass through. Nothing major, at least two lanes open, but may be some delays, especially if traffic is already heavy for the holiday. I took I-81 south until it met I-77, and didn't run into any other problems.

Speed limits through much of WV and VA were 70mph, and I usually set the cruise to 5-7 mph over without any trouble - even passed a few troopers at that speed.

Have a safe trip!

There is a reason the speed limit drops around Roanoke; the road has steep climbs and steep drops and tight curves. Just what you would expect when you punch through the mountains at the top end of the Shenandoah Valley. I lived in Roanoke for six months when my Dad was dying, and there were few days where the news did not include a report of a fatality up on the mountains.

I don't care if you speed to "keep up with traffic" anywhere else, but the recommended speed on 81 between Roanoke and Tennessee is there to save your life.

Having said that, I have driven the route you will follow and it is the way to go.

No, only in Virginia and Maryland is it illegal. It's perfectly legal in the rest of the states I'll be driving through:
http://lifehacker.com/5902802/ever-wonder-if-its-actually-le...

http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/17/2012/04/infograpgic_fina...

You know, I'm beginning to wonder if it might be better to avoid Virginia and go through West Virginia and Kentucky instead (I81, I70, I68, I60)? It's 31 miles longer but I avoid Virginia radar detector laws, speed traps, and earbud laws.

Or I can go through Columbus, OH, and Kentucky, that's 24 miles longer than Virginia (I76, I70, I71)

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to take the shortest, fastest route which I and others have suggested and just keep to the speed limit and forget about your eyebuds which are dangerous to use, law or no law.

Besides, my experience is that Ohio maybe one of the top 3 states for speed traps in all of the US. Reason, nobody stops in Ohio they are just passing through so the states gets the tourist revenue from fines.

I have spent plutonium in my right foot. I have never been pulled over in VA on I-81 and believe me, I usually only have 3 wheels on the ground.... Perhaps it's luck, but either way, I think VA is OK.

There are no speed traps on I 81 in VA. What is there is the normal high enforcement rate that is practiced every holiday weekend. Even when the No Tolerance weekends are being held, speeds under 10 over will very rarely be ticketed.

As far as the earbuds are concerned, well, I just hope you can hear that tractor trailer blowing his horn at you just before he runs you over.

That's good to know.

My earbuds don't' block out external noise and I don't blast my music. On a long drive I mostly listen to eBooks and comedy anyway - lots and lots of comedy on long drives!

BTW, can anyone tell me if Virginia or any of the other states I'll be driving through) have draconian windshield obstruction laws?

I'll have my Garmin suction cupped to the dash and my mobile phone hanging from the visor. New Jersey seems to have laws against it.

Unless recently changed, the reckless driving limit was 80mph in VA. Nice how they raised the speed limit but not the reckless limit. I would guess they used to be 25mph apart and now it is only 10mph. Sounds like it is good for revenue.

And probably good for saving lives !

Yes Louisiana is famous for that, but it depends on the municipalities you are in. It is not the whole state and the State troopers do have orders not to do this. We do get a lot of drug traffic running between gulf coast ports, and the cops look for reasons to stop and search for drugs. This is part of the reputation of false stops.
The main reason to avoid La., is road conditions. My company avoids shipping by road because it was causing delicate instruments to break or lose calibration.
South West La. Resident

About 15 years ago I was in New Orleans for a sales conference. We had a great time downtown, but we were told that if we got into any trouble to not call the police because Louisiana police are a criminal organization unto themselves.

BTW, from all the advice I've gotten here, I will be leaving NY Tuesday Aug 27 early morning, one overnight stopover in Tennessee, for arrival at Dallas Wednesday evening Aug 28.

Leave early !!!!

Brief overview of my trip:

I had my Garmin c580 with the c380 as backup. Good thing because I suddenly discovered that the c580, unlike the c340, can't both charge and navigate at the same time. Or maybe I had the wrong cable.

Left Long Island on Tuesday 9:30am. Had a Garmin on the dash, except for Virginia when it was on an anti-slip pad on the console. Used my Android Tablet to run Waze, and also to go to Google Maps to check my position from the top level.

Nice trip, enjoyable. I bypassed Baltimore and DC. In Virgina, yeah, I hit that construction on I-81 but I detoured way before the official detour so I saved the I-81 parking lot.

Got as far as between Nashville and Memphis before I felt I'd gone as far as I could go, so at Wed 4am pulled into a rest stop. Saw lots of other people sleeping in their cars so figured it was safe. A few pleasant conversations with other long range travelers, and then I was asleep.

Woke up at 9:30am, stretched and got going. Arrived in Dallas Wed 6:30pm.

Lots to do today, I'll write more later.

Ahhh, the memories...