Watch: State releases parody PSA about moving trucks and Storrow Drive

Local News

The video is set to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.”

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has just one plea for incoming Bostonians: don’t get Storrowed. 

Mass. DCR released a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, parodying the famous BC SPCA commercial set to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” Instead of asking for donations, they begged movers not to crash their trucks into overpasses on Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road in Boston, and Memorial Drive in Cambridge. 

With move-in day right around the corner, overpasses all over the Boston area need your help. They need to not be hit by a moving truck on Storrow Drive or Soldiers Field in Boston & Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Plan your move in day route accordingly & watch for the signs! pic.twitter.com/Wkfgcg6Nx3

— MassDCR (@MassDCR) August 23, 2023

“For just $0 a day you can not hit a bridge or overpass,” the DCR employee said in the video. 

“We know you’re excited to be moving to the Boston area, and we’re happy to have you. But seriously, those moving trucks are not going to fit on those roads.” 

Every year on the popular Sept. 1 move-in date, people driving box trucks on Storrow Drive miss, or ignore, the signs warning of a 10-foot-height-limit. Trucks collide with the overpass bridges, often tearing their roofs clear off the top or getting stuck. 

In the video, the DCR employee points out the height warning signs which they put “everywhere” and asks that drivers “not blindly follow their GPS right into a low clearance bridge.” The employee also advises drivers to note the height of their truck, which is typically visible in the rearview mirror. 

The Storrow collisions are so infamous that any fated kiss between a truck and a bridge throughout Massachusetts is loosely known as getting “Storrowed.”

DCR was fast with their PSA, but apparently not fast enough. An X video shows a truck getting stuck on Storrow Drive on Thursday.

Just another day on Storrow Drive… pic.twitter.com/oYL8rr0jSQ

— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) August 24, 2023

A Canton bridge suffered a Storrowing in early August.

While college students get the lion’s share of the blame for the crashes, a 2021 article from Boston.com found that, of the 7 Storrow collisions that year, 4 were by professional truck drivers unfamiliar with the Boston area. 

Niche Boston complaint incoming. If a trucker gets Storrow’d we should be able to put them in one of these things and pelt them with Dunkin Munchkins™ and clam chowder pic.twitter.com/lqjZ5G9YJ1

— emo homo (@jonnyplantey) August 24, 2023

This year though, move-in might be quieter. 

Half as many moving truck permits were issued in August 2023 than in August 2022, according to RentHop.

Even with possibly fewer trucks on the roads, DCR can only hope for a stress-free September. 

“Together, we can not hit a bridge with a truck,” the DCR employee said. “The bridges and the trucks will thank you.”

Looking to avoid getting Storrowed?

1. Research your route ahead of time
2. Pay close attention to height limit signs as you are entering a parkway or drive, especially Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive in Boston and Soldiers Field Road in Cambridge.
3. Download navigation apps like Sygic Truck Navigation (free), Copilot Truck (14 days free) or SmartTruckRoute (2-days free).