Asked by Overdrive News Editor Matt Cole for the stretch of road they felt could be described as the absolute worst in the nation, all but one owner-operator at Shell Rotella's SuperRigs show two weeks back in Wyoming didn’t flinch in singling out I-40 in Arizona. Others are calling it the absolute worst they’ve ever seen.  

Danville, Virginia-based owner-operator Joey Slaughter, who runs the route routinely on cross-country step deck hauls, was the man who brought this subject to our attention this Spring. Clearly, it’s not hard to find similar viewpoint on the stretch between Kingman and Flagstaff. The road’s condition has translated to hard dollars and lost time with equipment repairs. 

Slaughter's hopeful for movement on new pavement soon, but questions why the road was allowed to get so bad in the first place. Rough nature of the freeze-thaw cycles this past winter has something to do with, but that can’t be all, he feels. 

Other owners you'll hear in this edition: 
Cody Davis, coast-to-coast independent livestock hauler based in Cokeville, Wyoming, with three trucks in Davis Trucking
 
Jake Bast, Shoshone, Idaho, leased to RAM Transportation pulling a flatbed
 
Nichole “Nikki” Cheek, hopper hauler based in Rozet, Wyoming, leased to North Country Logistics out of Wyndmere, North Dakota

What gets your vote for the worst stretch of road in the nation? Tell us via the podcast message line at 615-852-8530. 

As mentioned in the podcast, there is at least some good news for the stretch of road in question. Here's a link to Arizona DOT's State Critical Pavement Repair projects, including some in the problem area: https://azdot.gov/statewide-critical-pavement-repair-projects

More I-40 projects are shown in the works in the recently released five-year project plan for improvements statewide: https://azdot.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/2024-2028-Final-Five-Year-Transportation-Program.pdf

Trucking owner-operators call out the worst road in America

The Overdrive Radio podcast is produced by Overdrive magazine, the Voice of the American Trucker for 60-plus years. Host Todd Dills -- with a supporting cast among Overdrive editors, contributors and others -- presents owner-operator business leading lights, interviews with extraordinary independent truckers and small fleet owners, and plenty in the way of trucking business and regulatory news and views. Access an archive of all episodes of Overdrive Radio going back more than a decade via this link: http://overdriveonline.com/overdrive-radio