Like many truckers who drive a route with any regularity, John Bielka found a go-to place to park overnight that wasn’t technically supposed to allow truck parking. Unfortunately, Bielka’s go-to place was in Palm Coast, Florida.
While store owners know that there are regulations against allowing trucks to park overnight in retail areas, some choose to turn a blind eye to truckers who need a safe place to park. In Palm Coast, however, store owners and managers are being told that rules are rules and that if they keep allowing trucks to park where they shouldn’t, it will be the stores that face fines.
Before the notice went out, Bielka talked with the management at the local Kohl’s to see if he could park his rig there overnight. There was a sign warning truckers that overnight parking wasn’t allowed, but the only truck parking to be found was a pay lot across town.
According to the Palm Coast Observer, Bielka’s wife, Rita, says they got a wink and a nod.
“Kohl’s allows people to do it, but didn’t condone it,” she said. “They weren’t going to tell us yes or no. … They were supportive of truck drivers. I felt that.”
Whether the management was supportive or not however, the city stepped in and put an end to it.
“If it’s just someone driving through, and they need a night break, and they pull in, most people aren’t going to care,” said Jim Landon, City Manager for Palm Coast. “But when you see 14 of them there, it’s a different story. … It’s a truck stop. It’s truck storage.”
Kohl’s isn’t the only store with trucker-friendly management which is facing fines. Other stores are scheduled to appear before the Palm Coast Code Board and some are currently on a watch list to make sure they’re staying complaint.
Source: palmcoastobserver
Name says
Wonder how long the city manager would keep his job if truckers refused to deliver there? How long would there be a town?
Bill says
Sounds like Palm Coast Florida authority is running a “Scam” with the local “Pay-To-Park” business establishment. Never ceases to amaze me that every city in these Unites States depend on Trucks and Truckers to not only transport the necessary materials needed to keep the city running smoothly, but, businesses within the city and state depend on them to stay financially solvent. Then the so called Mr. & Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes has to subject the hard working truck driver to this crap.
Acajoe says
Pay to park is the property owners way of making money on the PRIVATE property they BOUGHT.
Now , if our brethren truck drivers would buy something while inside the truckstop, NOT throw trash in the parking lot, and dump urine on the grass instead of the asphalt,
Maybe they wouldn’t have to charge to park.
Consider palm coast , it attracts a TON of low rent drivers, often with ,uh , habits, from the “old country”. That mess has to be cleaned up, meaning paying labor=costs.
If we act like guests instead of a roving hoard, we’ll like be treated as such.
Jeremy says
Sounds like otr drivers making local deliveries to Palm Coast need to stop making deliveries for a few days… The city will change its tune when the gas pumps run dry, grocery shelves are bare and the local economy collapses.
Mike says
Yeah it does sound like the mayor is running a scam and if he would be honest he would probably say he’s a co-owner in it. That’s why I don’t go to the state of New York or New Jersey or south of the Georgia state line. Because they treat the trucker like a piece of crap myself I wouldn’t piss on anyone from the above mentioned states if they were on fire, and let’s face it the only people in Florida are from up north or the crap hole east coast. And as far as I’m concerned each and every one from these 3 states and a few more can starve .
R.J. says
OK, dont candy-coat it, tell us how you really feel 😉
Floyd says
I’m from Florida and I drive a truck, it’s not all people of Florida, it’s the big money people and retired folks that has nothing to do but complain about a truck making there pretty community ugly, so for the city offic
Floyd says
Officials and local govt. to get that vote they shit on the truckers knowing it’s not right, so before you stick your foot in your mouth and hate on the south, know a little something about the people of the south….Have a blessed day driver
Big joe says
In a little town in Georgia , Reidsville ga truckers park by am abundant building an the whole town complain about truck parking there, so now trucks are banned from parking in there little town. Nobody gives ah shit about truck drivers.yet any thing they want to sell they go to the truckstop.
Acajoe says
I’m good with letting them starve, I got a boot on my truck yesterday while parked at my bank, doING business!
Union City GA!
NOT TRUCK FRIENDLY
Last lagh, cop said I could park all noght if I wanted to, since that would force the guy trying to collect 500 bucks to sit there until I was ready to leave!
He only had one boot, he couldn’t go hit anyone else while glued to me.
And the bank management agreed!!
Celesia Laymon says
I’m a trucker and I live in Palm Coast, like a lot of truckers. They aren’t picking on truckers. City Managers are serious about all of the city ordinances and this is a really nice place to live because of it. There are state run rest stops a few miles away in either direction, and, yes, there is pay to park, but they cater to truckers who live here. It isn’t manned for daily use. Sorry guys. No conspiracy here.
Tim says
Like a dog who messed the couch, when it comes to truck parking that ol’ free market’s nowhere to be found is it. Bad free market, bad free market!
Ed says
Maybe the business should pull out and go where they can and leave the town without there revenue
Bill Webster says
I wish there were a way to ban everyone who favors a ban on truck parking from buying anything that was delivered on a truck. Self-absorbed morons!
Jeff Pearson says
How do you fight back with the city? Dont deliver to that city and the store owners and citizens will scream bloody murder at the city for not being able to get their products or food. Its apparent that the store owners know how important a truck is.. But the city thinks different.. Time to show the city how important we are
MIKE says
I see truck drivers screw things up for other drivers when they trash a parking lot with pee bottles and ashtray dumping and generally leave bags of trash when they leave. Next time you see a driver toss his trash out the window tell him about it.
mh says
ELDs are only going make it worse… Even the best laid out trip plans can often fail!
Douglas Kirk says
Yup, by golly, truck drivers are the only ones that matter….
George says
Behind shopping centers is a sure bet for quite 10 hour break s. Just Google view your entry and exit points. I do it all the time. I especially love the unoccupied million square foot warehouses in industrial parks.
Elbert beam says
Its a shame they want there goods delivered to them and you drive all day and your out of time. They should allow you park there. If we dont ban together as one voice one day it will be to late.
T B says
I think it should be the responsibility of the company that is getting the shipment, they must have a place for a driver to park in a safe place when they require an appointment to load or unload freight! The city should also have the same burden of making sure a driver has a safe place to park when that driver has an appointment in that city and tell the driver you can’t park here and they must move to the next town or city! Any city that is or has an interstate hwy within 5 miles from that hwy must give them parking
who says
everyone is wrong commenting here. palm coast is that way. I live near there. and people sell there home and move to where i live. because of the very heavy regulations palm coast has. the no truck parking ordinance is nothing…. the truth. the officials of palm coast are butt holes. yep it is defiantly a money making thing for them. sadly there’s nothing anyone can do. palm coast and many of the cities in florida has always been like that. simply put, they see away to make money. the will make it a regulation or ordinance.
Jon says
Sounds like we truckers should boycott all deliveries to Palm Coast and see how much respect we gain when they are hungry and have tattered clothes to wear. Don’t you just love A..holes.
Chas de Geofroy says
It’s unbelievable to me as well, that if you are a trucker you are just not welcome in areas where rich folks live. Case in point, I live in an area where there are a lot of people who spend more money in a year on there gardens than I make do not want to associate or see a truck in there neighborhood. I think that sounds allot like a stuck up snob who thinks working people should only live in a trailer park next to the railroad tracks.
Maybe they should think about who does all the shit work for them and be a bit more tolerant of a truck here and there. Thanks.
Stopper says
Its like that up and down the east coast. Almost all of the old school truckers do their driving at night just to avoid these situations. Cities all across this country are becoming this way.
Theresa Pullman says
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