Trucker Route: 511 Alerts & Weather
Live 511 road conditions map built for professional truckers
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Live 511 road conditions map built for professional truckers
5 followers
Every US state runs its own 511 site. Trucker Route reads 40+ of them every 15 minutes and puts closures, crashes, construction and chain controls on one map, with National Weather Service alerts on top. All data comes from state DOTs and federal agencies, not user reports. You also get 65 mountain passes (34 with a live DOT feed), a list of Interstates closed right now, and the truck rules for any spot you right-click. Free on the web, iPhone and iPad. No account.
Which mountain pass should we add a live feed for?
Colorado's chain rule for trucks on I-70 started on September 1. Between Dotsero and Morrison, a commercial vehicle has to carry chains until May 31, snow or no snow. Chain controls on the other passes start with the first storms, so we're getting the passes page ready now.
It lists 65 passes, highest first, starting with Loveland Pass on US-6 at 11,990 ft. Each one has a written guide: overview, known hazards, and how chain controls work there. For 34 of them the state DOT also sends a live reading (road condition, temperature, chain or traction controls), refreshed every 15 minutes. The other 31 don't have a live reading yet.
If you run a pass that's missing, or one where our reading looks wrong, name it in a reply. We'll pick the next feeds to add from this thread.
https://trucker-route.com/passes
A closed ramp is not a closed Interstate
Our closures page answers one question: which Interstates are shut right now? When I took the screenshot in our gallery at 10:10 PM ET, it listed 47 full closures across 14 states.
Most of the work went into what the page leaves out. State 511 feeds call a lot of things "closed": an off-ramp, a weigh station, a rest area, one bore of a tunnel, a work zone, an overnight closure that hasn't started yet. None of those means a truck has to reroute, so the page drops them. Feeds also name an Interstate when the closure is really on a side road ("SR-51 closed from I-10"). That doesn't count as I-10 either.
What stays:
- Full mainline closures at the top.
- A second section for crashes and lane blockages that slow a heavy load but don't stop it.
- A one-tap filter for winter routes: I-5, I-15, I-25, I-29, I-70, I-76, I-80, I-84, I-90 and I-94.
- A map pin on every row, so you see the exact spot.
A report with no milepost, exit or landmark is hidden by default, because "I-80: closed" doesn't tell you where. One checkbox brings those back.
It's still what the DOTs report, and they don't always clear old entries fast. Confirm with the state before you reroute.
Question for drivers and dispatchers: which state's closure reports do you trust least? That tells us where to look first.
https://trucker-route.com/closures
Only 13 states have a truck chain law
There is no federal chain law. 49 CFR 392.2 says you follow the law of the state you're driving in, so the chain rule changes at every state line. Of the 50 states and DC, 13 have a chain law, and they don't agree on much.
California uses R-1, R-2 and R-3 internally, but the sign you see just says "Chains Required." Colorado posts its Commercial Motor Vehicle Chain Law. Wyoming posts Level 1 or Level 2, and Level 1 accepts adequate snow tires. In most other chain states, snow tires don't count for a heavy truck.
The rule that catches people is carrying versus mounting. Washington makes vehicles over 10,000 lbs GVWR carry chains from November 1 to April 1 on 12 listed routes, including I-90 from North Bend to Ellensburg (WAC 204-24-050). That applies on a dry day too. You only mount them when WSDOT posts the sign. Colorado's carry rule for trucks 16,001 lbs and up started September 1 on seven corridors, including I-70 west of Morrison.
The chain law page has a row for every state: when chains are required, who the rule binds, whether AutoSock or another device counts, and a link to the state's live chain status. Chain orders go up and come down storm by storm, so the page explains how each state's system works. For what's posted right now, check the state 511 or the live map. Use the page as a reference. It isn't legal advice.
https://trucker-route.com/chain-laws
Truck rules change at the state line
Cross from Nevada into California and the truck speed limit drops to 55 mph on every highway. In Colorado you can idle a diesel for 5 minutes in any 60-minute period, and no longer. A driver who runs five states in a week is expected to carry all of that in their head.
We put it in one place. The regulations section covers 22 rules for all 50 states and DC: weight and length limits, truck speed limits, left-lane restrictions, chain laws, studded tire seasons, idling limits, rest area parking, move-over laws and more. Each page gives the rule and the statute behind it, and the fine where the state sets one.
On the map you don't have to look anything up. Right-click any spot and a card shows the truck rules for that state, with a separate tab for winter.
This is reference, not legal advice. Laws change. If you spot a rule that's out of date, reply with the state and we'll check it against the statute.
Question for drivers: which rule catches you off guard most often after a state line?
Rules by state: https://trucker-route.com/regulations
Live map: https://trucker-route.com
10 states make every truck stop at an open scale
Whether you have to pull into an open weigh station depends on the state. Across all 50 states and DC, the rule falls into three groups.
In 10 states every commercial vehicle stops when the scale is open: Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Other states only pull in trucks over a weight threshold, and some only when a sign directs your class of vehicle. Whatever the statute says, the lit sign at the station is what you follow.
Bypass coverage is uneven too. PrePass and Drivewyze both run in most states, but Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are Drivewyze only, Oregon has its own free Green Light transponder program, and Hawaii has neither. A green light keeps you on the mainline. A red light means you pull in, even with a transponder.
Passing an open scale is a violation of its own, separate from any weight problem. Depending on the state, the fine runs from about $100 into the several hundreds, and an officer can turn around and bring you back.
California's Border Protection Stations are a different stop. They sit on the main highways into the state, and trucks stop there when directed whether or not a scale is open.
https://trucker-route.com/weigh-stations