Here is the deal with I-80: this corridor will humble you if you are not ready for it. Nearly 2,900 miles from the New Jersey area all the way to San Francisco, though the trucking heart runs from Pennsylvania to Nevada. It crosses the Appalachians, the Great Plains, the Rockies, and the Great Basin. Wyoming alone accounts for more weather-related truck closures than most entire states combined.
This is the corridor where winter driving separates experienced operators from everyone else. If you run I-80 between October and April, you need chains, you need patience, and you need the willingness to shut down when conditions say shut down. The drivers who push through advisories are the ones who end up sideways in a ditch.
Pennsylvania — 311 Miles
Pennsylvania’s I-80 is an Appalachian mountain road disguised as an interstate. The grades are real, the curves require attention, and winter conditions arrive early and stay late. From the Delaware Water Gap westward, you climb immediately into the Pocono Plateau and then push through central Pennsylvania past State College and the Nittany Mountain area.
The grades are not Colorado-level, but they are steep enough that an overloaded truck or weak brakes will find trouble. Runaway truck ramps exist here for a reason. Check your brakes before Pennsylvania.
Truck parking is limited. Rest areas fill up early, especially in winter when smart drivers shut down rather than push through. PennDOT treats the roads aggressively with salt and plows, but mountain valley fog and black ice near freezing temps are recurring causes of multi-vehicle incidents. Slow down when temps hover around 32 degrees.
Ohio — 237 Miles
Ohio’s I-80 is the Ohio Turnpike — a toll road managed well. The OHGO system provides real-time traffic and weather information worth using. Download the app before you enter Ohio. It shows incidents, construction, and camera feeds for the entire turnpike.
The Turnpike is flat, well-maintained, and heavy with truck traffic. Toll plazas accept EZ-Pass and rates are not cheap but not outrageous. The Cleveland area around the I-80/I-77 and I-80/I-71 interchanges sees the heaviest congestion. Ohio Highway Patrol takes commercial vehicle enforcement seriously — be compliant and you move through quickly. PrePass works here.
Indiana — 152 Miles
Indiana gives you 152 miles where the first half is easy agricultural land and the second half is a different story entirely. Gary, Indiana — the Borman Expressway — is one of the most truck-congested stretches of highway in America. Steel mills, refineries, intermodal yards all converge here.
If you can time Gary for off-peak hours between 10 PM and 5 AM, do it. The road surface takes a beating from truck traffic and potholes cycle through regularly. The transition into Illinois at the state line is seamless on the toll system but traffic density increases immediately.
Illinois — 163 Miles
The I-80/I-94 merge through Chicago’s south suburbs is, mile for mile, the worst truck congestion on the entire I-80 corridor. Multiple freight corridors converge: I-80 east-west, I-94 from the north, I-57 from the south, I-55 from the southwest.
Joliet is the epicenter. Intermodal facilities generate enormous truck traffic, and construction is perpetual. West of Joliet, traffic thins as you head toward the Quad Cities and the Iowa border. Illinois fuel taxes are high — if you can fuel in Indiana or Iowa, your per-gallon cost drops noticeably.
Iowa — 306 Miles
Iowa surprises people. They expect flat and they get rolling terrain that is gentle enough to be deceptive but real enough to affect fuel economy. I-80 crosses Iowa diagonally through Iowa City and Des Moines. The I-80/I-35 interchange around Des Moines requires lane discipline — know your exit before you enter.
Spring weight restrictions are the operational reality here. When the frost comes out in March and April, Iowa posts weight limits on many roads. I-80 itself is generally exempt, but secondary highways for deliveries may not be. Check before you commit.
Winter blizzards shut down I-80 multiple times per season. Iowa DOT uses physical gates to close the interstate when visibility drops. The Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, near the eastern border, is the largest in the world. It has everything you need.
Nebraska — 455 Miles
Nebraska is 455 miles that looks simple on a map and will fool you in winter. Flat to gently rolling through the Platte River valley. In good weather, easy driving. In bad weather, Nebraska tries to kill you.
Winter blizzards close I-80 here multiple times every season. The state uses a gate system, and when those gates drop, you stop. Ground blizzard conditions blow snow sideways at 60 mph across flat terrain with zero windbreak. Visibility drops to literally zero.
Plan your winter crossings around the weather forecast. If a system is moving in, wait it out. Omaha, Kearney, and North Platte are your reliable service points. Nebraska State Patrol runs a professional enforcement program — fair and focused on safety.
Wyoming — 401 Miles
Wyoming is the single most dangerous segment of I-80 for trucks. Not traffic volume, not road conditions — wind. The stretch from Cheyenne to Rawlins, particularly through Elk Mountain and Arlington, regularly sees sustained winds above 50 mph with gusts exceeding 70. Empty van trailers are sails at those speeds. Trucks blow over on this stretch every winter — not occasionally, regularly.
When Wyoming DOT closes I-80 to high-profile vehicles, get off the road. No load is worth the risk.
Chain requirements are enforced at chain-up stations. When the chain law is in effect, you chain up or you do not proceed. Carry chains and know how to put them on — practice in a parking lot before you need to do it in a blizzard at 7,000 feet. You cross the Continental Divide twice. The grades combined with wind, ice, and altitude demand respect.
Rawlins, Rock Springs, and Evanston are your reliable service points. Between them, options are limited.
Utah — 196 Miles
Utah greets you with Echo Canyon, and it is not gentle. The descent from Wyoming involves significant grades and curves. In winter this stretch is icy. In summer it demands brake management.
Salt Lake City means construction. The I-80/I-15 interchange is under near-constant expansion with lane shifts and concrete barriers. Drive through with full attention. West of Salt Lake, I-80 crosses the Bonneville Salt Flats toward Wendover on the Nevada border — desolate and a long way between services.
Nevada — 410 Miles
Nevada’s I-80 runs 410 miles from Wendover to Reno through high desert basin-and-range terrain. Distances between services are long. Elko, Winnemucca, and Lovelock are your reliable stops. Do not push it between them.
The terrain looks flat but basin-and-range topography creates subtle grades affecting fuel economy. Elevation varies between 4,000 and 6,500 feet. Summer heat hits in the basins, winter snow in the passes between Elko and Winnemucca can close the road.
If you are continuing to the Bay Area, the Donner Pass section west of Reno is one of the most notorious mountain passes for trucks in the West. Chain controls, steep grades, and closures are routine November through April.
Running I-80 end to end is a four-to-five day commitment. Wyoming is the crux — respect it and the rest is manageable. Push through when you should not, and I-80 will remind you that the highway does not care about your schedule.