Interstate rest area stops

I am in WA State, we have a few newly expanded rest areas where they have built additional large parking lots further from the freeway and outside of the normal truck, car, parking areas. These are for RV's or trucks that plan to stay longer. It is intentional and designed not for camping, but for people that need to overnight. Better to give people a place to sleep vs have them park anywhere or try to drive when they shouldn't. Hopefully other states will start doing this. I prefer to find a boondock site near a river or something to make a night out of it, but I did do one night in a Wal-Mart parking lot a couple years ago. Much quieter than the freeway off ramp.

pianotuna wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:


You are more likely to get a ticket parking in the wrong area.

Do you know of anyone who has stayed past the regulated number of hours or has gotten a ticket from being in the wrong area?

I've seen people with trailers chased out of the passenger car parking area during the day. I don't know if they got a ticket.

We've never tried to spend the night at a rest area.

valhalla360 wrote:


You are more likely to get a ticket parking in the wrong area.

Do you know of anyone who has stayed past the regulated number of hours or has gotten a ticket from being in the wrong area?

bgum wrote:
What is the thought of law officers or rest stop employees of RVs using the car area rather than the truck and trailer area to rest. It makes no sense to have a full lot in one and a near empty lot in the other.

You are more likely to get a ticket parking in the wrong area.

I've yet to see a rest area that states "parking for commercial semi-trucks" (or similar).

You qualify and have every right to use the truck/trailer parking area. You are not second class because you are non-commercial. In fact, commercial trucks under pay in taxes relative to the damage they do to our road system, so if anything, you have more right to use those spots.

JaxDad wrote:


No, not really, or at least not in my case.

I’m currently based out of the Toronto area but travel at least once a month in one of my M/H’s for sort of business (paid hobby / passion truth be known) and so for probably half the year I’m travelling several days before I get to an area where there are C/G’s open even IF I wanted to stay there.

I say “if” because I couldn’t bring myself to bother a bunch of people on vacation and trying to enjoy themselves and relax pulling in at near midnight and pulling back out at zero-dark-thirty in the morning. I also don’t see much reason to pay for a bunch of amenities or services I’ll never use.


OP, I just spent a night at the Sudbury Rest Area just east of Nairn Center on my home from the Soo last week and did so because Jeremy’s was jammed full of trucks.

Do you not see the contradiction in your statements? You said that truck drivers (who usually have little control over when/where they are routed, and have legal requirements for when they need to take breaks) should have no need to sleep in a rest area, but because of when you drive for your hobby, you have no choice but to stop at a rest area since the truck stop was already "jammed full of trucks".

We have used rest areas for rest stops and even napped and not had any problem with LEOs. Truckers need the big parking slots and certainly need to use them when the time comes.

That said, I have seen RVers parked in the late evenings with a slide out along with folding chairs and a grill going. Don't know they were going to overnight, but the signs were there. They were parked across the car slots so the slide and awning was against the curb. That is "camping" in my opinion.

rlw999 wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I hope VA troopers aren't still ordering OTR truck drivers to violate the federal hours of service rules. Since the introduction of electronic logging, they have little choice on where they stop for the mandatory rest periods.

They have all sorts of choices, UNLESS, they drive until the very last minute then say they’re “forced” to sleep on the shoulder of an off-ramp.

Routes and facilities along any route anywhere in North America are well documented, the only reason to have “little choice” is because they chose to drive beyond all the good choices.

Doesn't that apply equally so (or even more so) to RV'ers? There are lots of places they can stay, and (most) RVers have much more control over their schedule than truck drivers. So if truck drivers have lots of better choices than rest areas, then RV'ers have even more choices, so there's no need to overnight in a rest area?

No, not really, or at least not in my case.

I’m currently based out of the Toronto area but travel at least once a month in one of my M/H’s for sort of business (paid hobby / passion truth be known) and so for probably half the year I’m travelling several days before I get to an area where there are C/G’s open even IF I wanted to stay there.

I say “if” because I couldn’t bring myself to bother a bunch of people on vacation and trying to enjoy themselves and relax pulling in at near midnight and pulling back out at zero-dark-thirty in the morning. I also don’t see much reason to pay for a bunch of amenities or services I’ll never use.


OP, I just spent a night at the Sudbury Rest Area just east of Nairn Center on my home from the Soo last week and did so because Jeremy’s was jammed full of trucks.

This topic is always so much Fun.....if you are tired, falling asleep at the wheel tired, I don't care if your in an RV or an OTR truck....use the Rest Area....that's what they are for. No one has any specific right to their exclusive use. I've heard all the arguments on how truckers pay higher highway taxes....sure they do but find me a stretch of road that's not tore up!! Once again, if you need rest, use the Rest Area! Imho????

JaxDad wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I hope VA troopers aren't still ordering OTR truck drivers to violate the federal hours of service rules. Since the introduction of electronic logging, they have little choice on where they stop for the mandatory rest periods.

They have all sorts of choices, UNLESS, they drive until the very last minute then say they’re “forced” to sleep on the shoulder of an off-ramp.

Routes and facilities along any route anywhere in North America are well documented, the only reason to have “little choice” is because they chose to drive beyond all the good choices.

Doesn't that apply equally so (or even more so) to RV'ers? There are lots of places they can stay, and (most) RVers have much more control over their schedule than truck drivers. So if truck drivers have lots of better choices than rest areas, then RV'ers have even more choices, so there's no need to overnight in a rest area?

swimmer_spe wrote:
OP here...

This post was not about truckers or their rest times. This is about an RV parking. This is an RV forum.

OP is right. Let's respect this please.