Do you agree with reserved truck stop parking?

Unless the travel plaza offers gated property, lot lizard free, security guards that patrol the lot. Paying for parking is not worth it. I hear all these newbie drivers talking about being able to find parking near their receiver/shipper. This has been the case for years before ELD's. Nothing new here. Nothing different has changed,except the pay to park. I also hear many of you talking about "planning ahead". My thought is to those who like to pay to park, PLAN AHEAD.

 

I do. I plan to use their lot to park when I arrive; therefore, I pay them for that privilege. Personally, I only use paid parking when I know that I’m going to have trouble finding parking in a high traffic area late at night.

I assume that you expect to be paid for the use of your truck and trailer. Why is it wrong for someone who owns property to charge a fee for the use of some part of the property? If you go to a sporting event, more often than not you will pay to park. If you go to many downtown areas you have to pay to park in a parking garage. The free parking is great when it is available, but there is nothing inherently wrong with property owners charging for parking.

If you are an owner operator, thn you understand that some things are just part of the cost of doing business. Charge your rate accordingly.

 

What was wrong with all the decades of free parking in this industry. Until all the crybabies started whining about parking availability. It was never an issue. Welcome to the profession of being a steering wheel holder in the new age. Glad most of you like to pay for what was free for so many decades. Why not have Valet parking for those fat, lazy, idiots who cannot or do not want to walk to the buffet. trash can, or shower.

 

Trucking is not for everybody

 

No kidding. In this industry planning something is usually the first step towards it all going sideways on you.

 

If you can keep up with me loading and securing a load for two or three hours, then you can call me a steering wheel holder.

This is about supply and demand. In what you call the good old days, there evidently was not enough demand for the property owners to be able to charge. Things have changed. You run your business how you see fit. The rest of us can do the same. Because we choose to operate differently does not make us less. For what it is worth, my company does not reimburse for paid parking. If I use it, then it comes out of my pocket. I do so occasionally because I see the value in it.

You seem to be someone who cannot be confused with facts because you already have your mind made up.

 

Been out here for 27 years. If you try to plan in this industry, it makes about as much sense as wiping your rear before you poop.

 

I have probably forgotten more about going in reverse, than you know about going forward. I have been in business since 1996, and no debt, trucks, and trailers fully paid for. There has always been a supply and demand for products. This is why trucking was formed centuries ago. No back in the day, it was all about serving the truckers, and it was about the customer satisfaction. Not greed

 

I applaud your success, and I have no doubt that you have forgotten more about trucking than I have learned yet. But I take issue with you calling someone a steering wheel holder just because they use paid parking. You expect to be paid for your work and the use of your property. But you have an issue with someone else who does the same. It’s simply business. Good luck.

 

Times change, man. You can’t stop it, so you have to learn how to adapt to it. Paid parking, ELDs, etc. are all just a part of the progression of the trucking industry. It doesn’t matter if you agree with it or not, if you want to play the game you have to follow the rules. Everything in life is like that. I’m not saying you should be a sheep blindly following the herd, I’m just saying that there are some things beyond your control. The only way to thrive is to figure out how to take advantage of the things other people see as a barrier.

As for reserved parking, I love the idea. I’m an O/O so there’s no reimbursement for me. I like knowing that if I need to park in a specific place I can reserve a space and get there whenever I please instead of busting ### and racing to find a parking spot. There’s no “hurry up and wait” in my world anymore. That’s not completely due to parking, it’s just one of many different advantages I’ve found by outsmarting the people people who put all their energy into whining instead of adapting and overcoming.