The Best and Worst Destinations For Truckers, Canada and U.S.

Life on the road as a truck driver isn’t always just about hauling freight.

It’s about the roads you drive, the stops you make and the sights you see along the way.

You may be lucky enough to be dispatched to a destination with a scenic route.

Some trips are nothing but a headache of traffic, narrow streets, and high stress trucking.

I’ve put together a list of ‘some’ of the best and worst destinations for truck drivers across Canada and the United States.

These contributions are from truck drivers who have been there and done that (and some sworn to never return to the spot!)

United States

Painted Mountains, New Mexico – Gorgeous at dawn heading west.
Highways and Scenic Routes:
- Highway 101 (Oxnard, CA to Salinas, CA)
- Northern Oregon along the Washington border
- I-80 (Omaha, NE to Salt Lake City, UT)
- Highway 35 (Dayton, OH to I-64 in WV)
- Crossing the Mississippi River @ St. Louis at night
- Painted Canyon, North Dakota and Black Hills, South Dakota (avoid during Sturgis in August)
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel
- Great River Road along the Mississippi River
- Highway 287 (Colorado to Dallas, TX)
- U.S. Highway 36 (St. Joseph, MO to Colorado)
- US395 (Reno, NV down to I-15, CA)
- Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River
- Back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee (including Campbellsville, KY)
- Upper Peninsula, Michigan
- Colorado Rockies
- New 99 corridor and Appalachian routes
- Highway 86 in Southern New York
- Highway 101 up to Astoria, OR
- Hoover Dam
- I-84 west in Oregon along the Columbia River
- I-40
- Highway 50 in Nevada
- RT 13 south from Delaware through MD & VA
- Route 191 through Moab and Monticello, Utah (Wilson Arch)
- Mount Rainier, WA
- Texas wide-open routes
- Mt. Rushmore area, SD

Urban and Congested Areas:
- Florida Keys, Miami, Jacksonville
- Boston, MA
- Northern New Jersey, Jersey City, Long Island
- Dallas, TX and Downtown Dallas
- Philadelphia, PA (low bridges and tight streets)
- New York City, NY and the Bronx (no need to say anything)
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Chicago, IL
- The Bronx
- Detroit, MI (Nolan Lumber area)
- Greenville, MS
- Canton & Akron, OH area
- Gloucester City, NJ
- Richmond, VA
- South Carolina and Louisiana urban areas

Niagara Falls – Iconic views make for a memorable stop.
Waterloo, Quebec – Easy to navigate and driver-friendly.
Hwy 17 (Nipigon, ON to Sault Ste. Marie) – Stunning drive along Lake Superior’s shore.
Hwy 11 North (Nipigon, ON to Beardmore) – Scenic route past Lake Helen and Lake Nipigon.