Ovenight in a Truck Stop

[moisheh]

I have posted on this subject before. I do long distance driving in the summer months. This year finding a place to park has been pure hell. In some areas the Truck Stops fill up before noon. Makes it very hard to find a good spot for the night. We are limited to 11 hours of actual driving. Plus you must take a half hour break before your first 8 hours has passed. Parking is so scarce there was just a National Conference on this subject. The problem is serious enough that the industry is worried it will affect the economy. I 5 in Washington is one of the worst. Even the rest areas are filled very early. Imagine how I felt when I pulled into a TA and there were 2 motorhomes parked in the truck areas. One was an expensive bus conversion and the other a DP. Folks these RV'rs have no good reason to be taking up those spaces. Yes, TA or the J does not care who parks on the lot but common sense and decency tell me it is: Rude, Ignorant, Selfish and just wrong . The truck drivers are trying to make a living and follow the regulations. The RV'rs are supposed to be enjoying themselves. Spend the $$ and go to a CG!!!!!! Or go to a Wal Mart.

Moisheh

[AllegroD]

Tell the truck stops and states to stop allowing RV's. You are talking to the wrong end of this issue.

[Community Alumni]

Tough crowd. :E

[vegasfoodguy]

Terryallan wrote:

vegasfoodguy wrote:

Johno02 wrote:
Just remember, don't make the truckers mad. If you have it, it came by truck. be grateful that these guys work hard to bring what YOU want and need to you. If you don't like it, take you big MotorHome and go get it yourself! Can you get a truckload of fresh vegtables coast to coast in three days before it all spoils? They do, EVERY day for YOU!

And they do it for free, and don't tear up our roads.

They may tear up the road some. But they pay a whole lot more that we do to use the road. Buy that "Bingo" card, and then you will know what road use taxes are.

FJ had a heck of a lawsuit last year, They hadn't given the truckers the discounts they should have. When was the last time FJ gave you a discount?

[azrving]

jwmII wrote:
Ya!! They are out there cause they have to make a living. It's their choice tho. Get outta the way; They are important. Out of the thousands of trucks that have passed me over the years there has not been one where the driver had a gun held to his head. All these solid citizens that bring you your produce and other goodies also bring you the smelly trash pits along side the roads where they pull over to check their loads, catch a nap, or whatever else they do. Take the time to stop on some of these interstate on and off ramps where the trucking community pulls over again to do whatever it is they must do at the time. Another filthy, stinking , smelly mess. Who is it that leaves the gallon milk jugs full of yellow water on the ground at truck stops. Oh! But they are working and can't spare the time to dispose of it themselves. How about the employee that has to pick that up and dispose of it along with the rest of the trash. The perimeters of numerous Walmart lots are so foul no one parks out there due to the stink. It is surprising that Walmart still allows overnight parking at most of their places.

For the most part the RVers are not leaving these messes.
After we get all these important folks on the freeways and roads if they had their way there would be nothing left for the retired RVer.
I hope they don't forget that those retired RVers went to work for 30, 40, 50, years contributing to everything that the present working group is using and making a living with and the fruits of their hard labor will go on to the next group of workers, so that makes that retired RVer pretty Damned important too.

Exactly. Urine stains all over in rest stops and bottles all over. The days of the kings of the road are long gone. Now it's see how close they can come to clipping you as they swerve in front of you. It's all different now. It's obviously not all of them but there are a lot of bad apples.

[et2]

While requests are being asked for I have one. Can the truckers who use the rest areas we all use quit urinating in the parking lots. I don't like having to smell that junk when my family is trying to take a break. Disgusting. But maybe that's so we don't spend the night in a public paid facility, who could stand the smell.

Not to mention there have been times going out west where we couldn't stop in a public rest area to rest because all the truckers had the slots taken up early in the day. So what do you expect us to do, keep on driving? For what it's worth we camp In a campground at night. This thread doesn't address the problem you have and never will.

The trucking industry should start lobbying for commercial truck only parking lots off the freeways. Seems like the logical thing to do if fines or your job is on the line due to regulations.

[time_to_go_now]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
You are NOT entitled. You just have to play by the rules. If you don't like the rules, get out of the game.

Who is not entitled???? Could the same not be said of you???

[jwmII]

Ya!! They are out there cause they have to make a living. It's their choice tho. Get outta the way; They are important. Out of the thousands of trucks that have passed me over the years there has not been one where the driver had a gun held to his head. All these solid citizens that bring you your produce and other goodies also bring you the smelly trash pits along side the roads where they pull over to check their loads, catch a nap, or whatever else they do. Take the time to stop on some of these interstate on and off ramps where the trucking community pulls over again to do whatever it is they must do at the time. Another filthy, stinking , smelly mess. Who is it that leaves the gallon milk jugs full of yellow water on the ground at truck stops. Oh! But they are working and can't spare the time to dispose of it themselves. How about the employee that has to pick that up and dispose of it along with the rest of the trash. The perimeters of numerous Walmart lots are so foul no one parks out there due to the stink. It is surprising that Walmart still allows overnight parking at most of their places.

For the most part the RVers are not leaving these messes.
After we get all these important folks on the freeways and roads if they had their way there would be nothing left for the retired RVer.
I hope they don't forget that those retired RVers went to work for 30, 40, 50, years contributing to everything that the present working group is using and making a living with and the fruits of their hard labor will go on to the next group of workers, so that makes that retired RVer pretty Damned important too.

[Terryallan]

vegasfoodguy wrote:

Johno02 wrote:
Just remember, don't make the truckers mad. If you have it, it came by truck. be grateful that these guys work hard to bring what YOU want and need to you. If you don't like it, take you big MotorHome and go get it yourself! Can you get a truckload of fresh vegtables coast to coast in three days before it all spoils? They do, EVERY day for YOU!

And they do it for free, and don't tear up our roads.

They may tear up the road some. But they pay a whole lot more that we do to use the road. Buy that "Bingo" card, and then you will know what road use taxes are.

[Kayteg1]

Mustang Ranch has truck parking with lot of spots available and they do allow overnight idling with no problem.

[Terryallan]

No I didn't read them all.
But. It appears things have changed a lot since I drove the trailertrucks. The truck stops we used did not allow RVs or anything else to park in the trailertruck lot. The restaurants had a "drivers" only section that you could not sit in unless you crawled out of a big truck. After all. the drivers paid their bills, and so they catered to the drivers.
but then truck stops aren't what they use to be, with drivers motels upstairs, driver's lounges down stairs, and drivers showers too. We took all our showers at the nicer truckstops. Now they don't advertise the showers, and most of the restaurants are SubWays or pizza places.

But at the Petro. you got your own shower room. You dined in the Iron Skillet restaurant, (home cooking) and you got your loads from the brokers in the broker house. There was a huge lounge with a huge TV, and a game room if you wanted. A huge truckers store with everything from CB Radios, and radar detectors to add on lights. Truck stops of America we not quite so good, but they still catered to the drivers. Still reserved the parking for drivers, and restaurants space for drivers. And both had truck only fuel lanes. That is where they made their money.

Not everything changes for good

[Two_Jayhawks]

Not looking to stir this pot but I can't imagine spending the night at a truck stop. That would have to be the worst night sleep I could ever have. I filled up last week at a FJ on I70 west of Topeka and it was packed. If a CG is not in the cards why would any RVer choose a truck stop over a WM, casino, Cracker Barrel, Sam's Club, etc?

[Kayteg1]

moisheh wrote:
I was not trolling. When I was in that Washington TA there were truckers driving around in circles looking for a space. But 2 were occupied by RV's.

2 spaces out of how many? 100? 200?
Even if those 2 RV would give up their right to park there, would you say all truckers would find parking space?
I think you are barking at wrong tree.

[mikensallyt]

I forgot to mention .... once it gets cooler, you will see my MH parked amongst the big rigs sleeping for the night. There's always plenty of empty spaces here in Texas. I don't extend my sides and never use my genny. I open my windows and have great fan service on. Hurry up and get here fall, winter and spring. I hate this dang heat. I also don't plan my trips, I just get in and go when the feeling hits me. And I feel one coming on. lol

[mikensallyt]

I also do a lot of RV travel from Dallas/Ft Worth to the gulf coast on I35 and I37. That's one long drive for me at least. Road side parks and rest areas are few and far between stops. But I've noticed many big rigs there. But yes, I've stopped at several Travel Centers just to get out and relax. I even drive at 75mph in a 70mph zone on the freeways and I still get passed by these big rigs. I also don't park for the night at Wal-Marts though I do fill up there (gas) MH. CG's at this time of the year are packed. No vacancy, lol. I've been known to pull into a hotel off the freeway and park there and get a room for the night. Got to have that cold a/c room. So far no one has complained about my Class A taking up so many parking spots there. The rest areas in Texas that I see have a large sign that reads: trucks/buses parking. Well I'm driving a bus so that's where I park.

Its a privilege not a RIGHT!