Stopping Overnight

Horsedoc wrote:
I see a lot of trucks parked on the side of off/on ramps late at night or early in the mornings. Never seen an RV with them. Wonder why?

Likely because folks in RV's don't have to worry about the open weigh scale just down the road and the nice folks there checking our log books. .....

We have never overnighters at a truck stop but when we need a break, we do park in truck parking during the day. Maybe we are stopping for a lunch beak or want a cup of coffee. We are too large to park anywhere else.

I've been solo RVing for many years - 10 in my current RV. I stop at rest areas or truck stops just long enough to use my own bathroom. After that, I walk around the rig and toad to make sure everything is hooked up as it should be while stretching my legs. If the gas pumps at the truck stop are lined up so that I don't have to back up (the toad doesn't like that) I also buy gas, even if I still have a half tank. Then I move on. The truckers are working. I'm just playing.
I'm a FHU guy with cable and WIFI when it comes to RV parks. I've never failed to get a spot because a trucker is in it.

When traveling in the bus, we like to overnight at WalMarts. A big reason is because there's room to turn this rig around. ;)

But we have not and never will park overnight at a truck stop. I agree with the OP and leave those for working truck drivers.

But it is irritating to see trucks in the RV parking when a rest area has separate areas for each.

I see a lot of trucks parked on the side of off/on ramps late at night or early in the mornings. Never seen an RV with them. Wonder why?

So many of these topics end up with the same battle lines drawn. On one side, the group that try's to apply some common sense to a situation and on the other, the "I would never" group who for some reason think that if we all stayed in CGs all the time, the world would be a better place.

I vote for common sense. There are situations for both. We prefer to avoid CGs but have stopped at a Walmart, felt uncomfortable with the surroundings, and ended up at one anyway.

Truck stops are private businesses that provide a parking area for their customers. If the RVer is a customer, they are entitled to the spot unless the property owner posts differently. I have seen some that are posted "Trucks Only".

Crabbypatty wrote:
When my trip requires an overnight, we plan the route and make a reservation in a cg. Nothing like fhu and peace and quiet after a long ride. Its the journey as well as the destination. Sleeping in a parking lot is just ridiculous when you can hook up along the way and have a great night for just a few bucks more. Its a no brainer.

Not everyone has the luxury of time to waste stoping early to get into a c/g before the gates close. Nor are they inconsiderate enough to break camp at zero-dark-thirty and disturb the rest of the folks there for a rest and some peace and quiet.

When I'm on the road it's usually well past 11pm when I stop and often not yet light out when I start again the next morning.

Why on Gods green earth would I pay $30++ to stop somewhere with FHU's I won't use and bother everyone?

I stop in a rest area, parking lot, service plaza or anywhere else convenient. It's a no brainier.

Wow... not the responses I was expecting for the most part. When people ask about using the highway weigh stations, people are pro truck. When it comes to taking up a stop meant for a trucker to park and take a break there is no love?

Truckers drive for a living. This is how they feed themselves and provide for their families. I would never want to do anything to intentionally upset that balance.

Truck stops are for truckers. Rv parks are for Rvers. Truckers can't very well pull into the nearest Rv park and crash for the night. The stops are specifically for them. Unless its an emergency, I would never stay more than an hour or 2 at a truck stop. By emergency I mean that I am too sick to drive and need a safe place to pull over, or for some reason so exhausted I absolutely have to stop and sleep for a couple of hours. I would never make it a plan to stop at a truck stop.

We have so many other options available to us as Rvers... Walmart's, Cracker Barrels, Rv parks, etc. Please be considerate to the men and women trying to do their jobs and keep our country ticking.

I carry 100 gallons of fresh water, have a 75 gallon grey water tank and a 65 gallon black tank. I have a 7kw generator and plenty of fuel, why do I need hookups? Can't see spending money just to sleep.