Park or not to park at company terminal overnight or during hometime? What are the..

Hot food, for one?

 

Clean showers for another.

 

At the terminal ? a thing called slip seat.. i would take my stuff with me if i did that .. Will the company issue your rig to another while on hometime ? .. i haven't had it haappen but i would be concerned .. tho i do leave it there if it needs serviced

 

OK, I think the answer to this is another "it depends." First off, the rigs parked at the truck stops are likely just drivers who are taking their 10, want a shower and a meal.

As to parking at a terminal for home time, it will depend on your company's policy. As has been mentioned, you likely don't want them sending your tractor out with someone else, even for a short run. Not if you have all your personal stuff in there. You need to check with your company and see what their policy is on parking for home time. Even if they guarantee that they will not "slip seat" you, an awful lot of companies have one key that fits a whole fleet of tractors, so your personal stuff in there, may not be safe.

 

Pros for parking at terminal- lounge without the dirty ### Tuckers lounging around funking up the place, truck is secure (you can leave windows down and not idle), you can find a parking spot, doesn't smell like piss.

Pros for truck stop- hot food, showers, stuff you might need to buy.

Negatives for terminal- the annoying guy you don't like wants to talk, most terminals you can't leave undispatched, no showers, no food.

Negatives for truckstop- smells like piss, idiots might back into your truck and run, hookers, beggars, no real security.

Just my 2 cents on that... there's more but idc to keep going... it's just a choice a driver makes if his company allows it.

Also on hometime... good luck...most companies require you to park at a terminal as the don't want their truck broken into or stolen.

 

I am with werner.. some drivers like to park and sleep at the terminal, they have showers, food, t.v. some have terminals have more then others... like, at omaha, theyhave grills there so you can grill so e steak or whatever...

Some drivers wont park there and avoid tne terminals at all cost... for one, you have to go through the guard gate to vet in and out... if there is a safety hold on a driver they cant leave till it is cleared... also, if the truck or trakler has a hold on it.. due for a 60 day inspection you cant take it til lit is cleared...

However, it doesnt always work to just stay at the truck stop.. had a driver park at the Sap bros by the omaha terminal for a 34 hour reset... when he came off his reset and sent the macro he was available for a load the told him he had to go to the terminal can his 60 days on his truck was past due.. so he did.. when he went through the 60 day bay, he was told his truck had to go to the dealership because of a Recall.. was at the dealership for 2 days.. so, in bis case it would of been better for him had be gone to the terminal forhis 34...

 

We always park at a truck stop/restart area if it's just for over night. Don't want to spend more time there than we have to.

We put the truck in the shop evetytime we take hometime. No matter how small the problem. Better they look over the truck while on my hometime than when I'm broken down.

 

I also like to park at the terminal and use the wash bay to wash my truck.. I can wash my truck I side and out there for free... however, so can the other drivers and some days there is a long line for the wash bay...

 

When I drove for Knight, we could get ONE FREE WASH A MONTH at the Phoenix terminal. Wasn't that nice of them. . .