Parking in rest areas and welcome centers?

Rest areas and off ramps for me too, I run the north east, well I did, I am out of work now, this may be the end if something does not break soon, we are far behind the 8ball and I mean far, but hey, I could be forced to have my family survive on 8 gallons of water a week, it can always be worse!!! But yeah I always stay at rest areas, and the cut outs on the PATP.. I have never had a problem with DOT or Troopers, I never liked to sleep at truck stops, for all the reasons already mentioned..

 

Most like to call them "pickle-park" which is a twist of the original term of "Pick-A-Part" which applied to any area containing parked trucks.
Most all rookies use those facilities,repairing bumps and scrapes is expensive.Replacing stolen stuff isn't cheap either.

Lastly the riff-raff that tends to hang in those locations are not worth going to prison for.

The way I roll I dont have much trouble finding plenty of room to park,if there isn't anything available on the 11th hr I just keep rolling for another 4-5hrs.
I can park at any Harley Dealership in the USA,whether its their freight or not.
I have plenty of Industrial parks and Consignee lots to choose from
all over the nation,which are preferred in the communist no idle States.

 

I prefer rest areas cause my backings are not too good and I always finish my drivings at night (when truck stops are getting full).... Besides, rest areas are much quieter than truck stops. However, the 3 times I had people knocking at my door to ask for money were at rest areas (believe it or not). One afternoon, at a rest area, a gentleman dressed in an army uniform came to my door and started telling me a loooong story about his unit being burnt up and wanted money... I didn't believe his story and thought he should be ashamed of himself.... But gave him one dollar and he went away. I carry all my food, water, milk, stove, everything that I need in the truck, so truck stops are good only for shower and fuel. Sometimes I like to sleep at the shipper, some are very quiet and at very nice location. The last one was on top of a little hill with a nice view of a lake and marina. Never slept at ramps, cause always afraid someone will hit me, trooper will get me, or that is not safe.... Maybe one day, when I definitely can't find anywhere to park and totally out of hrs, will end up at a ramp somewhere. But I keep looking for new places to park. A friend of mine told me about adult entertainment places. Haven't tried yet, but my friend told me they are very quiet and have plenty of space.

 

Jack passed one of these the other evening and commented about the ample available parking area. We decided it probably wasn't a good idea, though. There were doubts about how the company would feel if someone reported one of their trucks parked there for ten hours.

 

Park where you can park to get your break. You don't have to take advantage of the sale inside! I've even parked at Donna's Ranch & never went inside!

 

Wouldnt think of such with a Company Logo on my wagon,it was different when I pulled a skateboard.

 

Sonny, as a newbie you may want to have an alternative plan to parking at a rest area because they are some states that don't allow it and you won't know which areas you can sleep at and which ones you can't. Many states have two hour parking restrictions (Virginia and Pennsylvania come to mind) and it is no fun at all to be woken up in the middle of the night by a DOT telling you to move.

In some states there are designated truck parking areas and these are always fine, but they aren't usually on the atlas so it will take a while for you to find them all. Also, there are states that allow overnight parking at weigh stations (Florida and Kentucky come to mind).

With time and experience you will find many alternative places to park, but don't depend on it at first. Always have a fallback plan in case that rest area has a no overnight parking sign. And truck stops really aren't that bad, if you avoid the inner city ones.

 

There are companies that do not want you parking in adult themed areas or places that would hurt their business image.

 

I fuel then leave, I do not hang out in Truck Stops as a rule. Just a place to get your truck hit or worse, with the exception of Petro in Las Vegas its not bad.
If i need a shower and can't get near home I atop a Whiskey Petes at Primm NV. 10 bucks gets you a clean room, pool, restaurants, fuel and gaming if thats your thing. I'm not much of a gambler. If you fuel there yo can eat for free good deal for 10 bucks.

 

I have good luck with grocery stores and shopping centers. either beats a typical TS.