more silly truck stop questions(observations)

Regarding parking. Where I park depends on what I'm doing. If I want to wash my clothes, I will park closer. When that's finished and the lot hasn't filled up, I will move to a more remote location. But that will depend on where I am. If I'm in a rough area, I will park as close as I can. I might be confident in my ability to take care of myself, but I am, after all, just a little broad. Most of watching out for myself is not getting into situations in the first place. Usually, though, I like to find a back corner because it's quieter, I am usually closer to somewhere to walk my dog and it's good exercise for me. Nosing in is another one of those things that is variable. Who's parked next to me, how easy is my egress, what obstacles are around and which way the ground tilts are some of the factors. Another factor is which way the sun is in relation to my windshield. It can be 25 degrees out and if it's a sunny day, I can point my truck so the sun shines in through the windshield and not have to run the truck. If it's a hot day, I can turn so the trailer shades the back of the cab and be quite comfortable without idling as long as there is a breeze.

There are a lot of factors that go into deciding where and how to park for me.

A running reefer, as long as it's not emitting over 90 decibels, is not an issue. Reefer drivers have to rest, too. I would only request that if I'm nosed into a spot clear in the back with nobody else around and there are a gazillion other parking spots, please be kind enough to back in next to me rather than "monkey see-monkey do. I'm nosed in like that for a number of reasons...privacy, quiet, maybe the view, don't want to smell the urine-soaked pavement...and I have my windows open for fresh air...might even have my clothes-line tied out airing out my bedding. So I'd really rather not have the exhaust fumes from that reefer unit or your APU pumping into my cab. But that is a courtesy I extend to others who nose in for privacy. To request it in return is not unreasonable.

 

I don't care who I park next to as long as I'm not between two cattle haulers.

 

If my truck is moving, my headlights are on. If it's stopped and waiting for another driver to back in, lights go out. I choose my parking spot with protection from being hit in mind.

 

I start my day earlier than most, which means I finish my day earlier, then start my next day the same way. That has a lot to do with how and where I park.

First, I will try and find a pull through if at all possible. It's not that I can't back up the truck, but more that I work to my 14 every day I am out and my brain is fried by the time I hit a truck stop. That creates a perfect condition for me to make a mistake, since I am not thinking as clearly as I should due to being tired and hungry. A pull through minimizes the chance of making those mistakes, so that's what I go for. Since I park earlier than most, there are almost always a ton of those spots available.

I don't give any concern to running trucks or reefers near me. I can fall asleep with the noise, and the spots around me are usually empty or will have a truck leave and another take it's place while I sleep, so it's not really something I can control.

While I don't always go for the back row, I do try and make myself walk a little bit to get inside. Not going for the equal to running a marathon, but it does force me to get just a little bit of exercise.

The one thing I have to concern myself with more than most others, since I will leave the truckstop in the very early am, is being able to pull out of my spot. I fully understand why a driver needs to park in one of those "why the hell would he park there?" kind of spots after the truckstop fills up and the driver shows up with no hours left, so I don't get as wound up about it as some other drivers I see. But, I do have to make it a big point of mine to try and anticipate where these spots would be, so that I don't wake up with a truck blocking me in when it's time to leave. This is also why I do not nose in to a spot, since these trucks can make it anywhere from unsafe to impossible to back out of your spot in the middle of the night.

I also park bobtail more often than most, and I try and do my best not to take up a big spot if at all possible. I find that it's usually possible to get into somewhere not really meant for a truck spot, without being in the way. Best place I find, that is usually not used, is in those half spots left by the light poles, depending on how the lot is laid out.

 

Most of the time, by the time I get there I need to back into the first spot I see. If I pass it up looking for something wider or quieter It will be taken when I figure out the lot is full. I have only been driving for 6 months so sometimes I get in the fist try and sometimes I have to pull out and change my set up but I dont let the winers(cussing and talking tough does not make it not wining) bother me on the radio (that I do keep on just in case someone wants to let me know I am about to hit something) I have never been bothered by someones headlights . Noise is not really a problem, seems like idling motors are like white noise to me. if there is no motor running I here people talking or doors opening and closing that bothers me more.

 

30 years ago I thought it was cool to park in the front row & watch all the purty big rigs cruisin by. Now, the excitement & charm are long gone & I make it a point to never sleep in a truck stop. I rarely eat in one either.

 

There are so many drivers that don't care how they park, this is true with those that come into truckstops at 3AM and park in the way. I refuse to get into a debate about justifying this, I only bring it up because I try to visualize what the truckstop will look like at 3 AM and park in such a way so I have a clear path of escape when my 10 hour break is over.

 

I try to find a spot where Im least likley to get my hood tore off. I try to avoid the spot at the end of the row for that reason. I like to park in the back unless its a high crime area( don't want my truck broken into while Im inside. getting my goodies) Tandems all the way forward make it easier to back in a space, but you gotta watch your trailer swing when pulling out. I also pick a parking spot that won't have me blocked in when I try to leave early in the morning. I also have a refer and a noisy APU so I try to be considerate of other drivers.

 

I do exactly the same thing. I like to call it, "defensive parking". When I pull into a truck stop I, too, like to visualize how that parking lot is going to look at 3 a.m.; rigs parked alongside the scale, or beside the fuel lanes, etc. As everyone here already knows, when a lot fills up it doesn't look all neat and orderly with trucks parked only in properly marked spaces. A lot of late-comers will sort of "create" parking spaces where none exist (for example, I find that Pilot parking lots are notorious for this since most of them are so small).

I've found the hard way that lots of times some rigs will park in these "non-existent" spaces in such a way that they make it a little more difficult (it not darned near impossible) for anyone around them to pull out of their own slots cleanly and safely. A great example is when a late arrival decides to park lengthwise along the curb in front of several spaces, effectively robbing those trucks of 8 to 10 feet of "pull-out" or "back-in" room. I'm not even going to address the schmucks who decide that it's perfectly fine to shut down in the fuel lanes (WTF!?!?)

I guess that's why I prefer the middle of the parking lot; no unauthorized "nooks or crannies" into which someone can shove a truck and mess you up. I also like to avoid parking at the very end of a row at the corner of a turn. I was hit twice in the recent past before I got that through my thick head.

Another pet peeve of mine: when I do back into a slot, I don't consider the job "done" until I am perfectly centered within that slot. I don't do that for style points, there's a good reason behind it. If you park too far to the left or right in the slot you have robbed up to a foot of room from the truck parked next to you (or the truck that will be pulling in next to you). Besides being a real jerk move, this increases the chance that the truck pulling out or backing in next door could either hit the truck parked two spaces over or hit you. Backing into a slot is a maneuver which already brings rigs dangerously close to each other when it's done properly; why should I make someone else's job that much harder because I didn't care enough to do mine the right way?

 

I nose in sometimes so my refer won't bother anybody.Can back just fine.