MileCheckMileCheck Blog
Field notes from the road.
What it takes to build real-time highway data for the people who drive for a living — state DOT integration, mile-marker infrastructure, and the gaps the big nav apps left behind.
Featured — Now in English, Spanish & French
Driving in the US as a Foreign Visitor: What Nobody Explains to You
What a mile marker actually is, what 911 needs from you when your phone can't find you, and the state laws that catch visitors off guard — New York's red-light rule, New Jersey's gas pumps, Utah's stricter limit. Read it in English, español, or français.
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What is the road to your ski resort like right now?
One page per resort, 63 resorts in 16 states and provinces: the DOT's plow trucks on the access road, the cameras within reach of the base, and closures and crashes on that road, with the chain law and the resort's own snow report. Washington and Oregon publish no truck positions; those pages say so.
OpenWhich highways are most dangerous in winter?
No national ranking exists. The FHWA and NOAA winter crash averages, and the closure records state DOTs publish for I-70 in Colorado, I-80 in Wyoming, Donner Pass and Little Cottonwood Canyon, with every number sourced.
ReadHow do you drive safely in winter conditions?
Chain law by state, five to six seconds of following distance, CDOT's stopping distances on snow, what to carry, what the pass report words mean, and how to report your mile marker.
ReadHow do you know if a mountain pass is open?
The official DOT page for each western state and province, what the report says, and how our pass pages, cameras, closures map and plow map show the same feeds.
ReadWhat do R1, R2 and R3 chain controls mean on I-80 over Donner Pass?
The three Caltrans chain levels, who is exempt at each, the 30 mph limit, and why I-80 closes before R3.
ReadWhy does I-70 close so often in Colorado?
Crashes and stuck vehicles in snow, metering at the Eisenhower Tunnel, the Traction Law and Floyd Hill construction. What each one means and how to check before you drive.
ReadWhy does Snoqualmie Pass close so often in winter?
Avalanche control closes I-90 near the summit, usually for 30 minutes to two hours. What happens during a closure and how to check before you climb.
ReadWhy does I-80 close so often in Wyoming?
Wind and blowing snow between Laramie and Rawlins. What each WYDOT closure term means and the $1,000 fine for ignoring a wind closure.
ReadMileCheck Highway Report, September 2026
2,227 crashes reported in 43 states, 5,122 closures, border waits by crossing, 843 Seattle drawbridge openings, wildfires as of Sept. 30, and winter closures. One page per state.
ReadHow a crash report reaches your phone
A trooper radios a crash at mile 184. Every step between that call and the card on your phone, with the minutes each one takes, and the three kinds of crash that never arrive.
ReadWho pays for the highway you're on
The federal gas tax has been 18.4 cents since 1993. Where the rest of the road money comes from, who actually owns the interstates, and why the trust fund keeps running short.
ReadWe're building a dash display for your mile marker
A small vent-mount display showing the mile marker you're passing, no phone screen needed. Get on the early access list.
ReadMileCheck Joins the AWS Partner Network
MileCheck is now a member of the AWS Partner Network — a listing enterprise buyers check, not a change to the infrastructure.
ReadWhy Fleet Dispatch Still Runs on Mile Markers, Not GPS Pins
Telematics gives a fleet a GPS coordinate. Dispatch, state DOTs, and roadside assistance still work in route-and-mile-marker. Here's the gap between them, and how MileCheck closes it.
ReadThe State DOT Feeds API: What It Takes to Get Live Closures From 50 States
Every state DOT publishes live road alerts. No two publish them the same way. Here's what building — or licensing — one normalized feed from all 50 actually involves.
ReadChain Control Alerts for Trucking Fleets: Why One State's Rule Isn't the Next State's
Chain and traction laws are set state by state and can change within the hour. A multi-state route means watching several different systems at once — or one feed that already has.
ReadHow MileCheck Finds Your Mile Marker With No Cell Service
Mile markers don't move. Here's how the app turns your GPS position into an exact mile marker, offline, and holds your route steady through highway overlaps.
ReadHow One App Reads 50 Different State DOT Systems
No two state DOTs publish road alerts the same way. Here's how MileCheck's server turns dozens of different formats into one alert your phone can read.
ReadWhat Happens When You Cross a State Line, Mid-Drive
Highways don't stop at state lines. Here's how MileCheck detects the crossing and splits your trip log correctly, instead of one long line between two unrelated mile markers.
ReadLabor Day Weekend Road Recap
444 crashes reported in 33 states, 1,971 closures, border waits by crossing, 213 Seattle drawbridge openings, and wildfires by acres and containment, from every state DOT feed, Sept. 3 through Sept. 7. One page per state.
ReadHere is what we know for Labor Day weekend
Every alert-integrated state checked for what's already scheduled September 4–7. A few real events, a lot of ongoing work that'll still be running — state by state, click to expand.
ReadWhat mile marker do I put on an insurance claim after a crash or deer hit?
The claim form asks where it happened. A route, direction and mile marker is one spot. "Near town" is many miles.
ReadWhat to Tell 911 When You Break Down on the Highway
Stranded on the shoulder? Here's exactly what dispatch will ask and the order they'll ask it in — starting with the one thing that finds you fastest: your mile marker.
ReadWhen a Wildfire Closes the Highway: How to Know Before You're Stuck
Wildfires close Western highways every summer, often with no warning. How fire closures work, how to check your route, and the free live map of every US fire plus the closures they cause.
Read50,000+ Highway Cameras, 43 States, One Map
See the actual road before you drive it — live DOT cameras from Caltrans to AKDOT on one free map, each tagged with its route and mile marker. Check the pass, the storm, or the ferry line.
ReadEvery drawbridge in America has a rulebook. We mapped it.
800+ regulated drawbridges, one federal rulebook (33 CFR 117), six live maps — Florida and Louisiana with live status, plus NJ, NC, WA, and Seattle.
Mile markers, state by state
The driver’s guides to how each state’s mileposts work — all 50 states, from Hawaii’s H-1 to the Maine woods.
Browse the libraryHow to Find Your Mile Marker on the Highway
What the little green signs mean, which direction the numbers run, what exit numbers have to do with it — and how to know your mile marker even when you can't see a sign.
ReadMile Markers vs. GPS: Why Both Still Matter on the Highway
We all have GPS in our pockets, so why do mile markers still matter? Because they're the one thing your phone can't actually tell you on the highway.
ReadMileCheck is now on the Geotab Marketplace
Fleets running Geotab can now add real-time highway mile markers and live state DOT feeds directly inside MyGeotab and Geotab Drive — no rebuild. Here's what it does and why it matters.
ReadMileCheck is live on CarPlay — and why Driving Task approval is rare
CarPlay and Android Auto are live. What Apple's Driving Task category is, why so few apps clear the review, and why a deliberately boring car screen is the point.
ReadWhy Google Maps can't tell you a lane is closed at MP 142
Every state DOT publishes road-condition alerts in real time. No major navigation app pulls them in. Here's the gap — and what I built to close it.
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