since when did the shoulder become a rest area?

Wow...... who ever saw that coming! Lol

 

Well mack lol I never thought about that and he was kind of entertaining.....and he hadn't posted anything for awhile so I figured he'd already been zapped .
I think someday maybe we should put it to a vote ...kinda like a jury trial .

 

Truck driver killed while tending to disabled rig

 

A few weeks ago I blew a trailer tire on I-40 outside of Santa Rosa. Found a wide spot and pulled over well off of the breakdown lane. Hit the 4 ways, put out my triangles, called breakdown, got my lawn chair and waited well off of the roadway and away from the truck. I feel very uncomfortable as a sitting duck in the driver's seat. I do not trust these drivers. I constantly see them crossing into the breakdown lane as they are texting, spanking their monkey or whatever makes it impossible to stay between the lines.

 

While I certainly won't defend taking a 10 on the shoulder, let me just play devil's advocate here:

Where exactly is one to park for their 10 when every parking spot at truck stop is full, the rest areas are full, and most shippers and receivers don't allow drivers to camp out there? My humble opinion is that truck drivers in general get the shaft on this deal, and ticketing drivers is not any kind of solution. The fact is there is a huge deficit of parking in half the country.

The other day I parked on a new service drive where some retail had been built on one side and on the side I parked on some pads were for sale for future restaurants, etc. The pavement was at least 40' wide and I was on the undeveloped side against the curb. I was woken up by the sheriff at about 7am telling me I could not park there. The delivery was a half mile away.

Acting like the problem is that unruly drivers just park wherever is ignoring the root problem which is a major parking deficit. People want more and more trinkets but want to outlaw trucks that bring their trinkets. For a long time now, all those who profit from the commerce that trucks deliver have not had to cover the true costs of the commerce, which would include enough parking for the trucks that transport their goods.

While it's a little late now, and the land deveopers will certainly cry foul, new industrial parks need to incorporate parking for OTR trucks the same way subdivision developers have to provide a certain percentage of green space. The problem is out of control ridiculous and going after drivers is wrong headed thinking, they are generally up ###### creek without a paddle in many many areas.

/Rant off

 

While you do make some valid points, in my eight years of over the road experience I’ve never had to park on the shoulder of rest area. I can only think of one time where I had to park on the shoulder of a ramp To take a nap. That was only because right as I was going to bed I had to recover a hot load from a broken down truck.

If drivers expect to drive 11 hours, and park in a major truckstop at 7o’clock at night, and end up having to park on the shoulder of a ramp, That’s not a truck parking problem. That’s a trip planning problem.

If I can find parking pulling oversize loads in the evening so can in all the box jockeys that park on the shoulder. Maybe I don’t always park at a major truckstop or or sometimes even at a truckstop at all. But I can always find a parking, and I’m no better than anyone else.

 

Any driver worth his salt will plan out the route for the day and know where he is going to spend the night before he leaves. It's called trip planning, and every driver should know how to do it. Should the day not work out as planned, have a back up location for spending the night. I've never been forced to take a 10 on an off ramp or on the shoulder, nor will I ever.

 

^^^^THIS^^^^

 

And.....Truckers path makes it SOOOOOOO easy. If you don't have it get it and learn how to use it.