Here’s the deal with I-95: it is the most congested truck corridor in the United States, and it is not even close. Nearly 1,920 miles from Miami to Houlton, Maine, threading through the densest population centers on the East Coast. Every mile has something that wants to slow you down — tolls, tunnels, congestion, restrictions, or all four at once. If you can run I-95 clean, you can run anything.
This corridor is not about pretty scenery. It is about knowing which lane to be in, which tunnels you cannot use, which toll plazas have EZ-Pass lanes that actually move, and where the enforcement cameras sit. Insurance claims on I-95 are disproportionately from rear-end collisions in stop-and-go traffic and toll plaza incidents. Know the route. Plan your stops. Keep your following distance honest.
Florida — 382 Miles
You start in Miami, and the first thing you need to know is the left-lane truck ban. South Florida enforces it aggressively between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Stay right. The fines are real and the enforcement is camera-assisted.
From Miami north through Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, you are dealing with tourist traffic that does not understand truck stopping distances. Snowbirds weaving across lanes to catch their exits. Give yourself extra room. Once you clear Palm Beach County, traffic thins considerably.
Jacksonville is your major interchange where I-95 meets I-10. Plan to hit Jacksonville outside peak hours. Florida has good truck parking compared to what you face up north — use the rest stops. The Port of Jacksonville generates heavy container traffic. Watch for empty chassis haulers that drift in crosswinds.
Georgia — 112 Miles
Georgia is the shortest segment on I-95, and most of it is a straight shot through coastal lowcountry. The big deal here is the Port of Savannah. It is the fastest-growing container port in the country, and the truck traffic around the I-16/I-95 interchange in Savannah reflects that.
If you are not stopping in Savannah, stay on I-95 and keep moving. If you are picking up or delivering at the port, budget extra time. The port access roads get congested, and turn times vary wildly. Georgia DOT keeps I-95 in decent shape through here. Speed enforcement is consistent — they like to sit in the median around Richmond Hill south of Savannah. Georgia does not mess around with overweight citations either. Hit the scale honest.
South Carolina — 199 Miles
South Carolina gives you almost 200 miles of relatively manageable highway. The terrain is flat coastal plain, and the road surface is generally good. Your key decision point is Florence, where I-95 meets I-20. If you are heading to Columbia or points west, this is your split.
The Florence interchange itself is a known bottleneck during peak hours because of the volume of trucks making that east-west decision. Truck stops cluster around Florence for exactly this reason — it is a natural break point.
Between the Georgia border and Florence, the stretch through Dillon County sees aggressive speed enforcement. South Carolina troopers are professional but firm. The Hardeeville area just past the Georgia line is a known speed trap zone — they catch drivers who are still running at Georgia speeds without adjusting.
South Carolina has reasonable truck parking along I-95, but it fills up fast in the evening. If you need a spot, grab it by 7 PM or you will be hunting.
North Carolina — 182 Miles
North Carolina’s I-95 runs through the eastern part of the state, and the Fayetteville-to-Raleigh stretch is where things get interesting. Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) generates military convoy traffic near Fayetteville. You will occasionally encounter oversized military loads with escorts — give them space and do not try to pass until the escort signals clear.
The section between Fayetteville and the Virginia line through Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids is truck-heavy. This is a major corridor for produce coming north from Florida and furniture shipments from the Carolina manufacturing belt. North Carolina maintains its roads well, but watch for construction zones — they are perpetual through this section.
Weight enforcement in North Carolina is thorough. Their portable scales show up in unexpected locations. If you are running heavy, know your numbers before you cross the state line. The fines escalate fast for overweight violations.
Maryland — 109 Miles
Maryland is where I-95 gets complicated. Baltimore is the choke point, and the tunnel restrictions define your routing. The Fort McHenry Tunnel and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel both restrict hazmat loads. If you are hauling hazmat, you are taking I-695 around Baltimore, period. No exceptions, and they enforce it with cameras and citations.
Even without hazmat, Baltimore traffic on I-95 is brutal during commute hours. The road narrows, merges stack up, and four-wheelers cut in front of trucks constantly. The toll at the Fort McHenry Tunnel accepts EZ-Pass — have it ready and in the correct lane. Maryland toll violations generate expensive citations that follow you.
South of Baltimore, the I-95 corridor through the Aberdeen Proving Ground area runs well. North of Baltimore toward the Delaware line, the road opens up. But that Baltimore stretch between exits 53 and 67 — plan for delays every single time. The insurance claims data shows Baltimore as one of the highest-incident zones on the entire corridor.
Delaware — 23 Miles
Twenty-three miles. That is all Delaware gives you on I-95, and they make every mile count with tolls. The Delaware Turnpike toll plaza is one of the most expensive per-mile charges on the East Coast for trucks. Have your EZ-Pass current and funded. Cash lanes back up badly, and sitting in a toll queue burns hours and fuel.
Delaware is a pass-through state for most I-95 truckers, but do not let the short distance make you careless. Speed enforcement through here is consistent, and the road transitions quickly into the New Jersey Turnpike toll system. Make sure your toll transponder is working before you hit this stretch.
New Jersey — 78 Miles
The New Jersey Turnpike is I-95 through the state, and it is a toll road with truck-specific lanes. Here is what matters: know which exits are truck-accessible and which are not. The Turnpike has a car-only inner roadway and a truck-accessible outer roadway between interchanges 6 and 14. Stay on the outer roadway.
If your route takes you toward the George Washington Bridge, understand the restricted routes. Oversize and overweight loads have specific approach routes to the GWB, and getting it wrong means a citation and a very expensive detour. The GWB itself has height restrictions on the lower level and weight restrictions that change by lane.
New Jersey Turnpike toll rates for trucks are significant. A Class 9 vehicle running the full length pays a real premium. Factor this into your rate calculations. The rest areas on the Turnpike are truck-friendly with decent parking, but they fill up fast after 8 PM. If you need to take your 10-hour break on the Turnpike, grab a spot early.
Connecticut — 111 Miles
Connecticut hits trucks with a Highway Use Tax. If you are running a vehicle over 26,000 pounds, you owe Connecticut money just for using their roads. Make sure your carrier has this squared away — the fines for non-compliance are steep and they audit.
The I-95 corridor through Connecticut is urban the entire way. Bridgeport, New Haven, New London — it is one metro area bleeding into the next. The road is narrow in places, with concrete barriers tight to the travel lanes. Mirror-to-mirror clearance gets uncomfortable. Speed limits drop in the urban sections and enforcement is active.
Connecticut bridges have posted weight limits that they enforce. Do not assume the bridge can handle your load because the highway can. Check the bridge postings, especially on the older spans through the coastal towns. Construction is a near-permanent condition on Connecticut’s I-95 — budget extra time every trip.
Maine — 303 Miles
Maine is the finish line, and it is a completely different animal. Once you clear the New Hampshire border, congestion drops off dramatically. The Maine Turnpike runs from Kittery to Augusta, then I-95 continues free north to Houlton at the Canadian border.
The big thing in Maine is the weight exemption for forest products. If you are hauling timber or pulpwood, Maine allows higher gross vehicle weights than the federal standard on certain routes. Know the specific exemptions before you rely on this — the rules are detailed.
Winter in Maine is serious business. I-95 north of Bangor can close due to whiteout conditions from November through March. The distances between services north of Bangor stretch out considerably — 100-mile gaps where the next fuel stop is not guaranteed open.
The corridor from Bangor to Houlton is your gateway to Canadian cross-border operations. Have your paperwork squared away before you reach the border. Houlton crossing delays are typically shorter than other East Coast crossings, but customs compliance is non-negotiable.
Running I-95 end to end is a two-to-three day commitment depending on your hours. The drivers who do it well plan their fuel stops, know their toll costs, time their urban transits for off-peak, and never assume the next parking spot will be available. This corridor rewards preparation and punishes improvisation.