Twenty years of runs between Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and the Ohio River crossings taught me one lesson above all: a route isn't a straight line on a map — it's a sequence of gates you either time right or pay for. Here's the math I actually run on.
Every Indiana/Ohio delivery touches a river crossing. The Ohio River bridges (I-65 Sherman Minton, I-64 into Louisville) back up by 6:40 a.m. My rule: staging completed the night before, wheels rolling by 5:15.
| Leg | Sweet spot | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sellersburg → Louisville | Fill at depot, run light | Every 100 lb cuts a fraction off mpg; short leg don't haul weight you don't need |
| Louisville → Indy (I-65 N) | Top at Goebel truck plaza | Cheapest diesel cluster before the upstate run |
| Indy → Cincinnati (I-74) | Two-thirds tank | Crossing I-465 traffic with a full tank is dead money |
Indiana fog settles in the bottomlands by the White River in October. When the dew point hits air temp within 2°, I expect fog wrap and I push the mirror check. Black ice on I-64 overpasses before the pavement — expect it at 28°F and below with any moisture.
I log each leg's actual odometer vs. planned miles. A 3% overrun on a 200-mile leg tells me I misestimated a construction zone or a missed turn — that's a plan problem, not a traffic problem. Planned to actual is the whole discipline of routing.
Weather and route data referenced from general Midwest driving guidance; check live conditions before each run.