Don’t Risk Your Life. Follow these Critical RV Driving Tips When You Travel.
Driving or towing an RV is an exciting experience, but it’s a totally different ballpark compared to driving a car. You’re dealing with a lot more weight and bulk, which will give you less control and precision on the road.
Many people have been driving RVs for years, so it’s almost like second nature to them. But we should never be too confident in ourselves, because accidents can happen to anyone. The RV driving tips below will help any driver stay safe, whether they’ve been driving for years or are just getting started with their first RV.
1. Don’t overload your RV
This first tip leads into a lot of the others, but it’s very important. Every RV is built to be able to carry a certain amount of weight. This measurement is known as the cargo carrying capacity (CCC). This usually includes all water, cargo, passengers, and anything else that is stored inside the RV.
RVs are naturally pretty heavy, with even the lightest ones weighing about 2,000 lbs. If your car isn’t built for heavy-duty towing, this weight can make it extremely difficult to build up speed, control your path, and stop. Even if your RV is drivable without a separate vehicle (like a Class A, B, or C motorhome), you still need to be mindful of the overall weight.
Heavy and overloaded vehicles put a lot of strain on the frame, axles, engine, and wheels. You’re much more likely to have a tire blowout or experience major vehicle malfunctions if you regularly push your RV beyond its CCC limits. You’ll be able to protect your RV and your tow vehicle if you stay under the recommended weight limit. In fact, giving yourself about 15% less weight than the maximum is ideal.
2. Take your time on turns
If you’re looking for RV driving tips, this is probably one of the most common ones you’ll hear. RVs add a ton of length to your usual vehicle and it’s easy for a routine turn to turn into a disaster if you’re not careful.
You’ll need to slow down a lot before you try to turn. Turning while driving too fast is a great way to tip yourself over. Make sure you give the people around you plenty of notice before you turn. Turn on your blinker about 1 minute ahead of time because your fellow drivers will need to know that you will be slowing down and possibly making a wide turn.
Give yourself plenty of time to make the turn because rushing across an intersection is one of the riskiest things you could do. You’ll also need to take the extra length into account and make a pretty wide turn.
3. Brake early
This is another essential pillar of RV driving tips. Because your RV adds so much weight to your usual rig, speeding up and slowing down will take much longer than you’re used to. You’ll need to plan out your actions ahead of time so you can slow down in time to avoid hitting someone.
If you’ve ever driven on icy roads, you’ll be somewhat prepared for this aspect of RV driving. In those road conditions, you need to take plenty of time to speed up and slow down. Rushing into things can be disastrous because you can’t just slam on the brakes and expect all of your momentum to stop instantly.
4. Be ready to use runaway ramps
This is directly related to the advice above. If you try to brake and find out that you can’t slow down or stop, you may need to look for the nearest runaway ramp. These are often placed on steep roads and are designed for the use of semi-trucks and RVs that have accelerated out of control.
If you find yourself losing control and see a runaway ramp, brace yourself and your passengers for impact. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Signal to surrounding traffic that you are not in control by using your horn and hazard lights.
Aim for the center of the ramp and keep the vehicle as straight as you can. Once you go far enough up to stop, cut your wheels to one side to prevent rolling, immediately put your vehicle in park, and engage the emergency brake. This experience might not be pleasant, but it could save your life.
5. Prepare for trailer sway
Trailer sway is a potentially deadly situation that every RV owner needs to know about. If a trailer is hit by side wind or caught in a nearby vehicle’s slipstream, it may begin to sway back and forth on the road.
Many drivers panic when they notice this and try to turn to minimize the swaying. If it continues and gets worse, the entire RV can end up flipping, which causes major damage to everyone and everything involved.
Trailer sway is a major culprit of many RV accidents, but there are ways to combat it. First of all, don’t try to turn, speed up, or hit the brakes. Any of these actions can make the situation worse. Instead, take your foot off of the gas and hold the wheel straight. This will enable you to gradually slow down until the swaying stops and you regain control of the situation. It is also well worth your money and safety to invest in a trailer sway bar.
6. Accept help with parking
This is one of those RV driving tips that may be overlooked, but it can still be very important. Parking an RV is no easy feat, and you’ll have to look out for tail swing. In many cases, your mirrors won’t give you a full view of the situation, so you could end up hitting something that was in your blind spot.
Getting help from an outside observer is very useful when you need to park. This could be a fellow passenger or even someone in the campground or street you’re on. Have them stand next to you while you slowly move forward and backward. Roll down your window so you can hear their instructions. With practice, parking will get easier, but it never hurts to have someone to help!
7. Stay at or under the speed limit
Following the speed limit will keep you safe from a variety of problems. It can be tempting to keep up with the flow of the cars around you who are probably going above the recommended speed limit. But when you’re driving with a large and bulky RV, you need to keep safety in mind. Speeding often leads to turning issues and trailer sway, so it’s safest to just follow the recommended speeds.
If you have a particularly large RV, you may even want to follow the semi-truck recommendations, which are usually about 10 miles under the regular limit. You should also stay in the right lane so faster vehicles can pass you without issue. It’s courteous and it’s easier for everyone.
8. Use an RV-safe GPS
Finally, make sure you use an RV-specific GPS like the RV LIFE App to ensure you have RV-safe directions wherever you travel. An RV GPS provides turn-by-turn directions based on your vehicle’s specifications, so you never have to worry about running into an overpass or going down a road that is too narrow and potentially unsafe. The RV LIFE App also makes it easy and convenient to find campgrounds and other points of interest along your route.
For all of your camping and trip planning needs, look no further than RV LIFE Campgrounds and RV LIFE Trip Wizard. RV LIFE Campgrounds is a trusted source of campground and RV park reviews offered by camping and RV enthusiasts just like you. With its accompanying RV LIFE App, RV LIFE Trip Wizard gets you to your camping destinations utilizing RV-friendly routes specific to your RV and travel preferences.
Related articles:
- How To Avoid Trailer Sway and a Possible Accident
- Tips For Getting On The Runaway Ramp In An RV
- 7 Things You Need To Know For Safe RV Towing
- RV Beach Driving Safety Tips – Don’t Get Stuck In The Sand
Regarding trailer sway, I have encountered that and successfully used the trailer brake only and this works best.
Mostly good information however when using a runaway ramp there is Zero concern for turning your wheels and applying your e-brake. When you use that method of stopping, plan on having a wrecker come to pull you out. You will not be able to back out.
Before you start downhill you should always be aware of how your brakes on you complete unit are preforming, if unsure pull over and resolve the issue before preceding. Your safety and the safety of everyone else on the road depend on you being aware and taking action before an emergency can arise.
I would just add that it is important for the driver (passengers too) to take regular breaks from driving along the way. While at the rest stops, consider walking or other exercise to keep the blood flowing. Drink plenty of water also. We had to end our trip early and I had to go to the hospital because of a dangerous and painful blood clot called deep vein thrombosis. I was driving our rv about 5 hours per day. I didn’t follow the advice above. Just wanted to share this in hopes of saving others from making this mistake
The key way to stop trailer sway wasn’t mentioned.
Manually engage the trailer brake on your tow controller.
That will bring the trailer back in line and under control.
If you don’t know those things then don’t have an RV
All of these are solid tips. The one thing I disagree with however is the advice to turn on a blinker a minute before making a turn. Since one could travel a mile or so in that minute, it could lead to confusing other drivers about what your intentions are. Is this guy turning here? How about here? Did he just forget and leave his blinker on?
Signal early? Sure. But lets use some common sense and not do it a mile before ones intended turn.
You can also help get control of trailer sway by applying your trailer brakes only (after letting off the vehicle gas) by actuating the trailer brakes using the trailer brake controller – as anyone trailering a beast (over 2,000 lbs usually, if I remember correctly) should have an OEM proportional braking system installed or an aftermarket system, in addition to an anti-sway bar/weight distribution kit (like the Fastway e2 installed by the RV dealer where I bought my 8,000 lb pull-behind travel trailer).
Good info, additions? When crossing Windy Midwest states SD, Wyoming, try to be prepared for sudden wind sheer that pushes RV into the next lane(semi trucks too). Have partners help backing using cell phone on speaker and a good video backup helps= use passenger/driver side descriptions instead of rt/left will avoid arguments! Lol. Each state have visitor/travel centers when crossing state lines that provide free state maps. Review your destination Before you get there avoids confusion when coming to any crossroads in unfamiliar territory. DG
Use caution with regard to turn-by-turn directions given by your “RV-ready” GPS navigation unit. My Garmin has sent me down a “paper road”, which is not a real paved or even passable road but rather is just a line on the county’s road map. I was in Arizona and it sent me on a dirt road that made me cross a deep dry gully where my tail bottomed on the dirt. There wasn’t width to turn around. I was lost, but my Google Maps app on my cell phone saved me and got me onto a real road. Another time the same GPS sent me down a road with a low-clearance old railroad bridge that it didn’t know about. Fortunately there I could turn around and use Google to find a real road into that campground with no overhead obstacles. And finally, although I set it with parameters for my motorhome, it doesn’t know that a 2-axle motorhome qualifies in California as a passenger vehicle rather than a truck so it tells me the wrong speed limit.