rest stops, truck stops in the northeast

IF you shutdown by 4p EVERY DAY you won't have a big problem finding a place to park..

I know..lol not very realistic.

 

nothing but being there and experience will help in north east
look around everywhere you go watch for trucks parked
on side roads , industrial parks
reserved spots at TA can be your friend knowing you have a spot
especially in new jersey
some shippers and receivers have parking
it gets easier as you gain experience

 

There's going to be times you'll have to deliver a load a couple hrs before your 14 hrs is over.Which then I would notify my dispatcher and tell him you're not going to have enough hrs to unload and find a safe haven to take my 10 hr brk.They'll reschedule for the next morning if they can.Most trkstops that charge for parking you can park free if you get fuel or you purchase so much from the trk stop.Then they'll give you a parking ticket to show when someone comes around wanting money to park there..Companies will not reimburse you for parking.Most trk stops have free parking but out in the Northeast many do charge.Depending what part of the states you in at night,it can be easy or hard to find a spot at night to park.You're out in the east,chances are after 7 pm itll be slim pickens.Alot of customers you deliver or pick up does have overnight trk parking but you have to find that out from your company or the customer.Speaking of parking,be careful with the restarea to park.Some designed them only for cars.The spot is big enough for a trk but getting out that's another story.Some aren't big enough to turn without waking the driver up next to you and ask him to back up.

 

It depends.

Major cities (which most of the reserved parking is centered in/around/close to) can get awfully steep. I've come out of pocket for reserved parking about half a dozen times, and all in all I think I paid an average of about $15 for each time.

$15 to park, six times can be a bit steep when you look at the total cost come the end of the year. However, every time I pulled out of a shipper receiver at 8pm-3am knowing I had a spot reserved for me, not too far away was a great comfort.

As far as giving them notice goes, they really don't need any. They will sell an open spot so long as it remains open, 24/7/365. It doesn't matter to them, you can reserve it a few days in advance or up to 5 mins before you pull in.

But again, it's a first come first serve basis; and the reserved parking is limited.


You've been driving for a few months, so I'm sure at some point or another you've gotten screwed on a load/unload time- so you know where I'm coming from on the note of "it's worth it, sometimes."

 

he may have to become a vampire trucker. Shut down around noon, get up at 2200 and hammer down. Run your miles, unload, reload park by noon, do it again at 10. That's the way I used to run when I was pulling general freight.

 

Boston I always parked at the market on the south end. Further north I would stay at the TA or the customer. Jersey City I had a little restaurant I parked at if not on the turnpike. Many times coming out of New England I would stay at the Sturbridge, MA Pilot

If I could I would make my way back to PA if I was headed that way.

There's a bunch of mom and pops scattered around up there. Just google the (city) truck stops and you'll find a few off the beaten path.

Sometimes you have to use your head and not trap yourself. If you feel there might not be a place to park or a safe place to park then shut down early outside the area and finish the trip off in the morning. Some feel they are missing out if they don't travel every inch but then end up waiting 15 hours on the next load. The beauty of trucking is every load is different. Do your trip planning thoroughly and you'll help eliminate the bad moments.

You can always scope things out on Google Earth.

 

The DAT app is really good. It finds truck stops, rest areas, Walmarts, etc within a couple hundred mile radius.