Pilot/Flying J reserve a spot

[Rangerman40]

When my family is headed to a destination that requires an overnight stop we usually end up at a truck stop or rest area for a few hours to get a few winks before we take off again. I always leave around midnight and drive till 4am or so because I work third and its prime time for me. The kids are asleep, the roads are fairly empty and I can put in some miles. I saw Pilot and Flying J is allowing you to reserve a parking spot for $12 that is good for a 4pm check in and a 3pm the next day check out. This seems ideal for me since I do have difficulty finding a spot when I roll in at 4am. Just curious if anyone has used it before.

Yes I know it's intended for truckers but I read every bit of fine print and there are no exclusions toward the RV crowd.

[zb39]

Rangerman40 wrote:
WOW!! I never thought this thread would take off like this. Obviously there a few different types of RVers on this forum and it's not a one size fits all approach..... I fall into the I'm in my mid 30s with a couple young kids and I get 4 weeks vacation a year and when I'm going some place I have to GO! No time to drive 150 miles a day and smell every rose along the way like many of the retired people on here seem to do. I sleep in any convenient place I can find along a highway for a few hours and get up and finish my drive. It's not uncommon for me to drive from Ohio to Florida in a day. I've never felt unsafe in a truck stop and my wife feels the same way. We aren't wandering the lots at 4am, we park go back to the camper and sleep.... That's it.

I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, and yes some truckers are pretty nasty, but I work in the transportation industry for one of the largest companies in the US and the vast majority are just guys trying to make a living. I simply thought it was kinda cool I could reserve a spot so I'm not in and out of every truck stop and rest area for 50 miles looking for a place to sleep.

You nailed it. We have been RVing for 23 years just like this. NEVER an issue. still working also.

[zb39]

I think its a great idea. My wife begs to stay the night in a truck stop because she likes background noise to sleep. Kids also. I usually just grab a rest area, but they like truck stops better. Like you I sometimes drive late also. I will have to look at these and check them out. Private business does it better again.

[bpounds]

Rangerman40 wrote:
WOW!! I never thought this thread would take off like this...

Just be glad you didn't ask about Walmart 🙂

That always brings out the holier-than-thou, who love to disrespect the working class schmuck, who is just trying to squeeze in maximum vacation in minimum time.

[northmeck0255]

I'm with you, Rangerman 40! When we travel, we have to boogie due to limited time off. If we overnight enroute, I'm not paying $50 for a CG spot for 6 hours of sleep. LOL

We've gotten quite good at the enroute "stealth camping" stops. Thanks for letting us know about the ability to reserve a spot. Safe travels!

[Rangerman40]

WOW!! I never thought this thread would take off like this. Obviously there a few different types of RVers on this forum and it's not a one size fits all approach..... I fall into the I'm in my mid 30s with a couple young kids and I get 4 weeks vacation a year and when I'm going some place I have to GO! No time to drive 150 miles a day and smell every rose along the way like many of the retired people on here seem to do. I sleep in any convenient place I can find along a highway for a few hours and get up and finish my drive. It's not uncommon for me to drive from Ohio to Florida in a day. I've never felt unsafe in a truck stop and my wife feels the same way. We aren't wandering the lots at 4am, we park go back to the camper and sleep.... That's it.

I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, and yes some truckers are pretty nasty, but I work in the transportation industry for one of the largest companies in the US and the vast majority are just guys trying to make a living. I simply thought it was kinda cool I could reserve a spot so I'm not in and out of every truck stop and rest area for 50 miles looking for a place to sleep.

[minnow]

bpounds wrote:

padre1944 wrote:
That's not RVing to me. We like to enjoy the trip and the parks. No way I'm staying in any parking lot.

Your eyes are closed, sleeping. What difference does it make where you are?

Except in a truck stop, one has to sleep with one eye open.....

[Bmach]

If I need a couple of hours sleep I just pull into a rest stop, go in the camper and take my nap, then hit the road.

[2oldman]

bpounds wrote:

padre1944 wrote:
That's not RVing to me. We like to enjoy the trip and the parks. No way I'm staying in any parking lot.

Your eyes are closed, sleeping. What difference does it make where you are?

Oh, I don't know...

- police sirens
- loud trucks
- train traffic
- late night business traffic
-street traffic
- not feeling comfortable sleeping there
- waking up in a parking lot.

Your comment is absurd.

[RinconVTR]

Rangerman40 wrote:
When my family is headed to a destination that requires an overnight stop we usually end up at a truck stop or rest area for a few hours to get a few winks before we take off again. I always leave around midnight and drive till 4am or so because I work third and its prime time for me. The kids are asleep, the roads are fairly empty and I can put in some miles. I saw Pilot and Flying J is allowing you to reserve a parking spot for $12 that is good for a 4pm check in and a 3pm the next day check out. This seems ideal for me since I do have difficulty finding a spot when I roll in at 4am. Just curious if anyone has used it before.

Yes I know it's intended for truckers but I read every bit of fine print and there are no exclusions toward the RV crowd.

I do the very same thing. I have not made it to 4am, but 1-3am is very common at least once or twice during our 2-3 week trips.

I recently used the scale at a Pilot near me and ended up parking in a "reserved" slot because they were all empty, while all other spots taken. The clerk said they are available to anyone, for anything. From a car to a semi truck, but they are not yet very popular because they have so many free spots and in this location 2 other competitors across the street with more just 5 and 10 miles away.

We did not talk about the lot being full and for just $12 saves one from continuing to look elsewhere with fingers crossed and the fact they can be reserved.

For me personally, I would pay the $12 for a spot, but may be not reserve one more than a few hours ahead of time. I typically have no idea how hard I will push until I'm in the moment, and when I do this, I have a series of free options along the planned route at various distances. I have never gone out with options unknown.

[bpounds]

padre1944 wrote:
That's not RVing to me. We like to enjoy the trip and the parks. No way I'm staying in any parking lot.

Your eyes are closed, sleeping. What difference does it make where you are?

[westernrvparkow]

bfast54 wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I have always viewed staying at truck stops are the absolute last resort. I would think you would get a lot of negative vibes sent your way if you start using reserved sites for your RV. In my opinion, truck stops are work areas for truckers. Using one of the reserved spaces, leaving a working trucker perhaps without a space, infringes upon their livelihood.
It would be a little like if some of your co-workers brought their children to work and let them play in the break room. They technically wouldn't be infringing on your actual work area, but they sure would be annoying when you were on break and wanted a peaceful, quick location to get a cup of coffee and some down time.
RVs have many more places that welcome them on an overnight basis than trucks. RVs are welcome at Private campgrounds and RV Parks. They can overnight at Local, State and Federal parks. They can use Corp of Engineer locations, national forests and BLM land. RVs are welcome at most Walmarts and Cracker Barrels. Other box stores allow them as well. Truckers pretty much can only use rest areas and truck stops. Truckers are a vital cog in our national economy, give them their due and their space.

I haul RV's from the Factory
The RESERVED SPOTS are Exactly that ---these stations (truck stops ),set up a certain number of spots and if they don't get used Then at a certain time they will open them up to General .

but I'm coming in late at night and seeing spots that were reserved empty it's a business for them ---that's how businesses work.


So you're saying Western RV park owner --that if someone is paid ahead of time for a site and they don't show up then you'll sell it again out from underneath them ?????

is that what you're saying

How did you get anything close to that out of what I posted?
All I was saying is RVs have many more options as to where to overnight than over the road truckers do. It is my opinion, and nothing else, that RVers should not be reserving spots in truck stops. Instead, RVers should use one of the other options available to RVs and leave the spots in truck stops for truck drivers except in extreme situations . This, I feel, is doubly true for spots than can be reserved in advance. My experience has been that the number of spaces in truck stops often are inadequate for the number of truckers looking to use them. For RVs to take some of those places when they have so many other options available is not being very considerate.

[bfast54]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I have always viewed staying at truck stops are the absolute last resort. I would think you would get a lot of negative vibes sent your way if you start using reserved sites for your RV. In my opinion, truck stops are work areas for truckers. Using one of the reserved spaces, leaving a working trucker perhaps without a space, infringes upon their livelihood.
It would be a little like if some of your co-workers brought their children to work and let them play in the break room. They technically wouldn't be infringing on your actual work area, but they sure would be annoying when you were on break and wanted a peaceful, quick location to get a cup of coffee and some down time.
RVs have many more places that welcome them on an overnight basis than trucks. RVs are welcome at Private campgrounds and RV Parks. They can overnight at Local, State and Federal parks. They can use Corp of Engineer locations, national forests and BLM land. RVs are welcome at most Walmarts and Cracker Barrels. Other box stores allow them as well. Truckers pretty much can only use rest areas and truck stops. Truckers are a vital cog in our national economy, give them their due and their space.

I haul RV's from the Factory
The RESERVED SPOTS are Exactly that ---these stations (truck stops ),set up a certain number of spots and if they don't get used Then at a certain time they will open them up to General .

but I'm coming in late at night and seeing spots that were reserved empty it's a business for them ---that's how businesses work.


So you're saying Western RV park owner --that if someone is paid ahead of time for a site and they don't show up then you'll sell it again out from underneath them ?????

is that what you're saying

[bfast54]

gbopp wrote:
That's an interesting idea for the truck stops. But, what will happen when you roll in at 4 AM and there's a truck parked in your 'reserved' spot and the parking lot is full?

It would be nice to know you have somewhere to park when you get to the truck stop but I don't see it being a reliable system unless they have separate RV only parking spots.

You have already paid for the spot

if someone parks in that spot Flying J pilot will have them move before they get settled in--- or get them out of there !!!!
(It works)
it's your spot you've paid for it

[padre1944]

That's not RVing to me. We like to enjoy the trip and the parks. No way I'm staying in any parking lot.