238 Miles Roundtrip Commute

Recently I took a job in another town that is 119 miles away. It's a good paying job and took months to complete the hiring process. I am willing to make it work in order to maintain the job. I reside in Toledo Ohio, but my job is located in Cleveland Ohio. I have a 2010 Toyota Prius (trim level One) with 223,000 miles. My Prius has never failed me and I drive quite a decent amount per week. This is especially so now that I have this new job.

For now (just to begin the job) I have been living in an Extended Stay hotel in Westlake (20 Miles west of my work and straight down I-90) and I drive back to Toledo 2-3 times per week to visit family and go about my life in my hometown. Westlake is not a bad daily commute, but its not as good as living at home back in Toledo. I always work 12am-8am every day of work, and my job is downtown off of SR-2 (the Shoreway).

Instead of living at this Extended Stay (which is very nice), preferably I would rather live at home in Toledo as opposed to Cleveland. Toledo is my home and I took the job because its close to home and the only open position. I thought of this long commute and I realize that its a long drive, but Its not too bad. Its a 2-hour drive from Toledo to Cleveland and the route is directly down the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90). I get on the turnpike and set my cruise control to 70-75 MPH.

I have been doing this drive already now 2-3 times per week anyhow, so I thought perhaps its possible to just live at home and drive it instead of living in Cleveland at all. Eventually If I don't commute, I would have to get an apartment and I don't want to do that because I hope to transfer closer to Toledo one day eventually. I don't want to have to live here and also move into an apartment (with all thats involved in moving my things). It's hard to explain why I would want to do this, but all I can say is that there is no place like home. I know it sounds crazy, but it's not as far as it seems.

So I am go to try a trial period just to see if I can handle it. I'll try it for 2-3 days, and then if I can handle it I'll extend it to 5 working days. Then I'll decide if it is something I want to undertake.

The "commute" to Cleveland would be done each evening at 9:30pm and is 119 miles. (238 miles roundtrip). I would arrive in Cleveland around 11:30pm and would allow 30 minutes extra as a buffer in case of problems.

One big concern I have is going to be weather though. Cleveland gets pretty snowy and is affected by winter badly. The route is mostly rural between Toledo and Cleveland and is open highway and rolling hills. Average Speed is 70-80MPH, but primarily 70-75MPH.

I have given some thought and planning to this commute. I figure I will have to have a cadence and daily routine something like this:


12am to 8am (work) --> 10am (arrive back in Toledo) --> 10am to 4pm (sleep) --> 4pm to 6pm (optional sleep buffer) --> 6pm to 9pm (free time) --> 9pm to 9:30pm (get ready for work) --> 9:30pm to 11:30pm (drive to work) --> 11pm-11:59pm (extra drive time buffer).

I work everyweek:

Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Then, on Sunday I always leave work at 8am and get on I-90 and drive back to Toledo and I stay until Tuesday evening. Then I drive back to my Extended Stay hotel and get ready for work a couple hours later at 12am (WED).

So in total I would have between 68-78 hours of free time at home in Toledo if I commute back and forth to work everyday for two hours. If I keep to doing my current plan, I will only be in Toledo on select 2-3 days per week (15-


This can all be tweaked and modified of course, but it provides a basic framework.

Expenses: ​

Gasoline Usage One-Way: 2.38 Gal /per day
Gasoline Usage Roundtrip: 4.76 Gal / per day

One-Way Gasoline Cost: $6.42 per trip
Round-trip Gasoline Cost: $12.85 per day
EZ Pass trip Cost: $4.50 per trip
EZ Pass Round-trip Cost: $9.00 per day

Total Cost (monthly):
​

Gasoline - $257.04 ($3,084 yearly; based on gas price average of $2.70 /US GAL).
EZ Pass - $180.00 ($2160 yearly)
Oil Change- $42.00 ($504.00 yearly based on one $42 Oil Change per month)
Tires- $33.00 ($400.00 yearly)​

Total Monthly Cost: $512.00


If this all proves too much then ultimately I am prepared to live in Cleveland and keep doing what I'm doing now (visiting 2-3 times per week), but I would like to at least see if this is possible.



What are some things to be concerned with? What is the feasibility of this commute? Is it worth it? This is approx 57,000 miles per year of driving.

Will this lead to premature failure of the hybrid system?

Any input is welcome, thanks everyone.

 

I agree. It's beginning to seem like the idea of making the drive might be too much. I was going to try it this week, but now I don't know if it's worth it.

Seems too much.

 

My insurance asked when I initially began my coverage with them. But they haven't asked since or inquired upon my yearly or monthly mileage.

And I just wouldn't tell them either. If I did decide to undertake this commute. Unless of course I did have an accident or something that's bad. Then I would have to.

But it looks like I will probably just keep living in my Extended Stay and commute 20 minutes to downtown straight down I-90.

And of course I drive home on my off days and periodically a time or two during the week.

 

I don't see how they could know. I could just say I was on a trip to Cleveland for a day or two.