Amigo Meats in Chicago

Powell-Peralta · Jun 7, 2009

i think there is a map available that acurately lists all the low bridges in chi-town?

Where can we get this map?

Shep Shiloh · Jun 7, 2009

There is a "Chicago Low Underpass Street Map" by "American Map" that lists all of the bridges and their clearances. I picked up mine on Amazon and the price was around $5. Thing is with a city like Chicago even though the sign says 13'6" it might actually be 13'2" or so due to resurfacing and they never bothered to change the sign.

keelady · Jun 12, 2009

Found an add on that works with your GPS system (Garmin, TomTom etc) that has low clearance information. They have a website that I can't post here, but they are called Low Clearances. Costs about $20 a year. Seems like it would be worth the cost to avoid problems with low bridges. If anyone has used this, let me know how it works.

hotrod1653 · Jul 5, 2010

I know, i know reviving an ol post.... Anyway, we send trucks to amigos in chicago ALL the time. I went there once, and will never go again. I have no problem with Amigos in Houston, Atlanta and Phoenix. Phoenix's only issue is you back in off the street, unless you can a u turn made down the street ya gotta blind side back.

zyk285 · Oct 10, 2010

That sounds like Empire beef in Chicago, it is on a residential street also. Or try Andy's Deli off of Pulaski blvd right beside a rail yard. You have to blindside back off of Pulaski between a light pole and a wooden fence into a one truck loading dock that is one of them loading docks that drops way down into the ground. Usually it is always around 0300 when you deliver there but still....

Wargames · Oct 10, 2010

keelady said: ↑

The one place I dread delivering to is Amigo Meats in Chicago, IL. I had been to the one in Houston without incident, but the first time I went to the one in Chicago was traumatic. I follow the directions off the freeway and get to the street I'm supposed to turn on and it's a residential street with cars parked down both sides and a No Trucks Allowed sign clearly posted on the light pole. So, of course, I said to myself "I can't go down that street" and proceeded to pass it and look for someplace to get turned around. Bad move, just around the bend was a 13' bridge - so I backed up (good thing I was there plenty early and there wasn't much traffic at 3 am) until I could pull a U-turn in a wide driveway that I had passed and tried the alternate set of directions that I had been sent.

I followed the alternate directions until I came to another 13' bridge. Pulled a U-turn but the last street I had turned off of was a one way street and the street that went the other way had a 13' bridge. I found a street that I knew went back to the freeway, but guess what it had -- a 13' bridge. I was trapped in a not so nice area of Chicago in the wee hours of the morning by 13' bridges. I tried to flag down a cop -- what a joke -- he was more interested in harrassing the locals than helping me. I got a little desparate and very slowly tried to see if myh 13'6" truck would possibly get under the overpass since I was fully loaded --- nope. I turned down street after street trying to find one that didn't have a 13' bridge but couldn't. I did, however, find a street that had parking on it and actually had enough room for me to pull over and fire up my laptop.

I figured out roughly where I was at and found out how to get where I needed to be and set out again. Finally, I found my way onto the freeway -- had to get on going the wrong way because of -- yep, a 13' bridge. Got downtown, did a U-turn, got back on the freeway, followed the original directions, carefully turned down the original, narrow, residential street and found the receiver. They were on the left and on the right were houses with cars parked in front of them. Their staging area was the area between the curb and the front of their building (what fun trying to squeeze 6 trucks in that little area). When you got a door, you had to extract yourself from the staging area and somehow get your truck lined up to back in off of the residential street, into the inside docks that you have been looking at while you were 'staged' -- all while avoiding the parked cars, the supports between the docks where the door rolls down at night, and the 3' high curb that follows the edge of the driveway on the far side (another driver really messed up his side fairing on that one).

Finally got unloaded and got the heck out of there. I guess all in all, it's not any worse than many of the other docks I've had to hit, but the trauma of getting lost in Chicago in the wee hours of the morning makes me never want to see the place again. Did I mention that this was the second trip I had made after I started driving solo? Welcome to trucking lol! When I told my business partner (former co-driver) about my ordeal, he asked me several questions: Did I hit anything, did I hurt anyone, did I get the load there? I answered: No, No and yes. He then said: "Then you did great!" Now that's how you keep things in perspective
Click to expand...

Guess you know how I feel. 36 years in DownTown Chicago. Seen it all.
Glad you made it though.

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

Amigo Meats in Chicago

Powell-Peralta Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Shep Shiloh Medium Load Member

keelady Light Load Member

hotrod1653 Road Train Member

zyk285 Medium Load Member

Wargames Captain Crusty

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

Amigo Meats in Chicago

Powell-Peralta Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Shep Shiloh Medium Load Member

keelady Light Load Member

hotrod1653 Road Train Member

zyk285 Medium Load Member

Wargames Captain Crusty

Wait, employers can't reach you!