RV height and weight: avoiding low bridges and weak roads

Every year, motorhomes and caravans hit bridges, tunnels and overhangs they could have avoided. Almost always the driver had guessed the vehicle's height, forgot the roof box or air conditioner, or trusted a navigation app made for cars. Weight limits are less dramatic but just as real, especially on old bridges, mountain roads and in the legal small print of your driving licence.

Measure once, properly

Park on level ground with the vehicle loaded as you travel. Measure from the ground to the highest point on the roof, including the air conditioner, antenna, satellite dish, solar panels and any roof box or bikes. Add a few centimetres for bouncing on rough roads. Measure width including mirrors and length including the bike rack or tow bar. Write the numbers on a label in both metres and feet and put it on the dashboard where you can see it.

Where low clearances hide

Main highways are usually built for trucks, so trouble starts when you leave them: old railway underpasses in town centres, stone bridges on country lanes, historic tunnels on scenic roads, hotel and fuel-station canopies, car-park barriers and ferry decks. Some park roads also limit length and width; on Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Road, vehicles over 21 feet long, 8 feet wide or 10 feet high are not allowed on the central section. In Europe, many old towns and Alpine passes have height, width or weight restrictions marked only at the last junction.

Weight: the number most people forget

Your registration document lists the maximum authorised mass. Water, gas, food, bikes and passengers add up quickly, and many motorhomes leave the dealer close to their limit. Overloading affects braking and insurance, and in many European countries a standard car licence only covers vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Above that, tolls, speed limits and some road restrictions change too. Weigh your loaded vehicle once at a public weighbridge; it is usually cheap and often surprising.

Plan with a profile, drive with your eyes

Save your vehicle's height, length, width and weight in a vehicle profile. CampingSpirit checks your route against known restrictions and marks stops with tight access, so you can choose another approach before you set off. But no map knows every low branch or temporary roadworks gate. Read the signs, slow down at underpasses, and when in doubt, stop and look before you commit; reversing a motorhome out of a narrow street is far harder than walking ahead for two minutes.