Ok, so yesterday in route to a horse show in Texas from Kentucky, I had an argument with a post in a Valero station. The post won and I returned home, sadly. It was one of those stations with slanted pumps and a McDonalds, i.e., too many people, not enough room. I should have known better, right. Well in my defense, I have only taken 2 short trips in my Winnebago Aspect and have owned it for only 3 months. I will never make THAT same mistake again. But my question is, how do you find the right gas station when you need it? And are there any tips that you can give me to help my confidence? I really like my motor home, but I am seriously doubting my abilities. I do fine changing lanes and driving in general, it's just the gas station thing. Another example is today, on the way to the dealership, I had gotten gas at a Pilot station(that I have used a few times) and a couple of dip sticks parked in the middle of the parking lot, only way out. So I walked over and checked it out and then went soooooooo slow between the two. I was nervous but I made it.:)

Practice, practice, practice. I like driving at night so if I goof, I generally can back up and get into position without having to deal with some impatient cretin behind laying on the horn.To me, the best fuel stations are the ones that have the pump aisles parallel to the road. However, these are not as common since they require more highway frontal space.Don't forget cardlock stations. I'd recommend getting a Pacific Pride card, because getting in and out of an unmanned pump is a lot easier than having to deal with the crowds at most gas stations.

Before our trip I use findfuelstops.comPut in starting point City, ST...then I put in a City on our route about 300 miles from there. (we start looking for fuel at 150 miles around a half tank).findfuelstops will post each gas station on your route, how many miles to it, and you can pull up the "satellite" view of the gas station to see how to get in and out of there.A lot of times...we find that a lot of them we can't get in and out easily so this has been helpful for me to do for my DH.I write the stations and exit numbers down in my spiral notebook and it works for us.

Swing wide and always take your time..others can wait if they have to.

That's why I like truck stops!!!

I always try to get the end pump island, so I have more room to turn and (usually) have more clearance for the rear-end swing. When on main highways, I usually try to use truck stops. Like posted earlier, when we find a good stop we write it down in our trip log.Bob

Tips on picking, entering, and leaving gas stations

powderman426
Explorer
Jun 25, 2014
I am opposite of many here. I avoid the truck stops like the plague. They tend to be over priced and filthy, not to mention the lot lizards and panhandlers. Especially the diesel pumps. I have yet to find a station I couldn't get in or out of But I do prefer that the lanes be parallel to the road.
rvten
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
Flying J when I can find one. Truck stops and use outside island. Stations where the pumps run parallel to the road. Station you can pull in and go around the building to exit.
past-MIdirector
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
A lot of people bad mouth Flying J and Pilot but they have some of the biggest swing around to the pumps. Also the RV and truck lanes are great.
grampscamper
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
I try to use truck stops whenever possible. I have a Garmin GPS. Garmin has free software that you can download for your computer called BaseCamp. I use it to plot my routes and find gas stations along the way. I make waypoints for fuel stops to transfer to my GPS. I also use Google Maps & street view to see how accessible the gas stations are. Once you make a waypoint you can cut & paste the coordinates into Google Maps for a street view.
obgraham
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
My routine: Stop before I enter the service station. Get out and walk over, check the space requirements. In my case I have to find a diesel pump which has the small "automobile" nozzle, not the high speed truck nozzle. At truck stops it is more likely to be on the end of the row.
PghBob
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
I always try to get the end pump island, so I have more room to turn and (usually) have more clearance for the rear-end swing. When on main highways, I usually try to use truck stops. Like posted earlier, when we find a good stop we write it down in our trip log.

Bob
yrusoslo
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
That's why I like truck stops!!!
Capt_Storm
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
Swing wide and always take your time..others can wait if they have to.
lots2seeinmyrv
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
Before our trip I use findfuelstops.com

Put in starting point City, ST...then I put in a City on our route about 300 miles from there. (we start looking for fuel at 150 miles around a half tank).

findfuelstops will post each gas station on your route, how many miles to it, and you can pull up the "satellite" view of the gas station to see how to get in and out of there.

A lot of times...we find that a lot of them we can't get in and out easily so this has been helpful for me to do for my DH.

I write the stations and exit numbers down in my spiral notebook and it works for us.
mlts22
Explorer
Jun 24, 2014
Practice, practice, practice. I like driving at night so if I goof, I generally can back up and get into position without having to deal with some impatient cretin behind laying on the horn.

To me, the best fuel stations are the ones that have the pump aisles parallel to the road. However, these are not as common since they require more highway frontal space.

Don't forget cardlock stations. I'd recommend getting a Pacific Pride card, because getting in and out of an unmanned pump is a lot easier than having to deal with the crowds at most gas stations.

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Tips on picking, entering, and leaving gas stations

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