Jo, that is exactly right Mostly I run Ontario/Quebec to Laredo, El Paso and everything in between. Once in a while I will do west coast and southeast. The reason I consider Indy J dangerous is not really for crime, it is dangerous to me because it is very tight place and a lot of "fender benders" take place there-to me that is the main reason I avoid it like the plague Company drivers may look at this different than O/O.

Be safe out there and don't let the bad guys(DOT) get you

I agree with you there... it gets pretty packed in that parking lot..

It's kind of a learn as you go. There are truck stops I won't go in like Memphis and Nashville except to fuel but that is rarely. I have stayed at the Pilot in N. Little Rock and had no problem. I was layedover at the Pilot in Ft Worth and never had any problems. You just have to be aware of your surroundings. If you choose a truckstop make sure it's a well lit area that not tucked in some far corner. Rest areas can be just as dangerous if not more so because they are out away from population. In a truckstop you have people, traffic and can easily find someone that can help if needed. A rest area can be desolate and dark. I went to one just to use the bathroom and the only lights that were on was inside the building. The parking lot was pitch black. A couple of weeks ago a driver from where I live from was shot and killed in a rest area in Platte City, MO off of I29.

"altercations with lot lizards, vagrants or anyone except other truckers.
I'm a new OTR trucker and as green as they get"

Lot Lizards you just tell them no thanks. Vagrants exist everywhere whether it be a truckstop or rest area. You tell them sternly to leave or lie to them that you have no money. Other truckers can be just as dangerous if not more than the vagrants or lot lizards. Just because they drive a truck it doesn't mean they are honest.

Just BE AWARE of your surroundings. Anything can happen anywhere. If you go into a place you think is safe and let your gaurd down that's when you are vulnerable. I keep a ball peen hammer within arms reach. My hand hovers around it whenever someone knocks on my door. I open the window a crack to see what they want. I also have a tire thumper. If it's dark I have a big maglite to pretrip at night that can crack a skull. Be safe.

You mention dangerous truckstops and I remember a few I would avoid if at all possible.
T/A Nashville
Pilot/Birmingham
Flying J & Pilot/Dallas
TA/Dallas & Rockwall
Any truckstop within 50 miles of NYC
Any truckstop close to Philadelphia or Baltimore

Does anyone remember the 76 truckstop at Ontario Cal before they put a fence around it?

__________________
The devil made me do it the first time.............

Does anybody remember that truckstop in birmingham it was on 78 I think it was the old 76 it was along time ago man was it nasty but there was not many to chose from back then an this one had a few brokers in it and that was the only good thing about that place without a dought.

Johnsons Corner in loveland CO awsome truckstop great food. Anyone ever been to the been pot or whatever its called in TN heard thats the best place in tn to eat.

west memphis arkansas take your pick of any of the ones there,

So, you think it's one of two Skank Capitals of the United States? Wow. I think that's the nearest truck stop to Washington, DC. I wonder if there is some inference in there, somewhere.

The Pilot at Birmingham, AL is one I try to avoid. I have seen alot of fender benders in the the parking lot and seen some shadey charactors hanging around.

Most Dangerous... pretty much anything in a craphole city. Gary, In (except for the steel city, never had problem there), Nashville, memphis, that G-d forsaken pilot in B'ham, Alabama, anything near Philly or Baltimore (two places not fit for civilized people to dwell anyway), the demolition derby near Dallas, TX and Youngstown, OH (pilot at 223 pretty good though)
and shall we not forget the abomination that is the t/a in Binghamton, NY. such a cesspool of malfunctioning humanity would have been deemed worthy the construction of monuments by the ancient civilizations. ( extra points if you know what tv series that came from)

Safest, best...
KwikTrip in Tomah, WI,
TA Janesville, WI,
newly branded ta on I80 in Ill at IL 47 DAYUM fine restaurant fuel islands are jacked up, otherwise good place
Petro Rochelle, IL,
shell truck stop exit 27ish on I39 in IL, I think Minonk is the name of the town, good restaurant there too, Woody's;
the burger king on the IN/OH line on the turnpike always has parking (Osama binLaden could be hiding in the potholes, but, meh..its free)
t/a or Ambest at milesburg, PA exit 159'ish on I80 never seen ambest full
whites at 205'ish on I81 in VA
the northernmost of the two t/a's just north of richmond, va I think its ashland
pilot at exit 64'ish on I35w fort worth, tx IHOP rest there
exit 57 on US 41/45 north of milwaukee, WI, good restaurant, safe, and fine little waitresses running around
t/a at 296 on I75 cartersville, GA and 205'ish, jackson, GA
pilot just east of Knoxville, tn x398 I40
Loves and a mom/pop at x412 on I40 in TN
mcClures at x140 I65 in Indi. next door to steak and shake

keep your windows up, doors strapped shut and a damn big stick or stun gun next to your bunk (750K volts will adjust anyones attitude and in a hurry too)