rkkwan: How long ago were you trucking over Donner Summit? There are now designated brake check/brake cooling areas areas on I-80. Plus several runaway truck sand pits. (those always make me cringe when I see them but I'm sure glad they are there)

Once as a little girl I saw a runaway logging truck careen down the grade between Mt Shasta and Dunsmuir - before it was I-5. Not a sight I'll ever forget.

I agree with the I-68 and PA Pike posts. The PA Turnpike is old and narrow compared to newer interstates. They are redoing a lot of it, which for now adds to the misery.

I hated the WV turipike when I drove trucks. The top third was a thrill ride for me. Beautiful scenery, but they should pay me to drive on that.

I-80 thru PA sucks in the winter. Road will be just fine til you a mountain...then watch out. Deer are everywhere.

I live in OHio and we have that god awful dual speed limit...65 for cars and 55 for trucks. Makes a moderate traffic situation a bad situation. They've increased truck speed on the OH Turnpike to 65 to increase traffic and revenues.

Not an interstate by any means, but what is the highway into Uniontown, PA? US 30? Wow what a ride.

janisj - I was a trucker from 1995-98. I've also driven a car on I-80 a few years ago, but not recently.

If I remember correctly, there are brake check areas before coming down Donner Pass. But not 1/3, 1/2, or 3/4 down, where trucks can pull off to cool their brakes. Maybe they have them now, I don't know.

There are always sandtraps. So do I-64 in WV and other grades. But I don't want to try one. :D

SamH - I actually don't mind WV Turnpike (I-77). Its grades are actually okay. No particularly scary stretches unlike I-64 and I-68.

Every trucker hates OH. No question about it.

I didn't have to go to Uniontown, PA; but I guess you're talking about US40. Anyways, there are lots of very steep grades in Western PA. One <b>upgrade</b> that kinds of get me is on PA153 off I-80 up to the Wal-Mart warehouse in Clearfield. I don't know whose idea is to build a large warehouse there. It's a grade right off the interstate exit, and with a heavy truck, there's no way to get any speed to get pass 2nd gear. And the grade is too steep to upshift as you lose too much vehicle speed while waiting for the RPM to drop. So, it's 5MPH in 2nd gear all the way up 2 miles. Crazy.

Yes - that is what I meant. There are now signed break check areas w/ long wide shoulders for truck parking on I-80 between the summit and Colfax