Empty truck stops?

I was in San Antonio the other night. The Petro was packed, so was the Flying J. I didn't bother with the Pilot for obvious reasons but the T/A had a bunch of open slots.

 

Add Marten Transport tot he growing list of intermodle and going to and regional ..
But back to the thread ,, why is it, you will have a decent mom n pop tk stop all but empty(yes still open) yet a couple miles away, you got one or more of the big 4 chains, jammed pack, tks circleing the lot looking for parking.

 

Mega carrier fuel stops I guess. I like the mom n pops myself.

You've been-----\/\/\/\-----Thunderstruck!!!

 

The secret is out. I can go in there at all times of the night and find a spot in that TA.

 

Was at the same Loves the previous two nights. By 6:30pm every spot was full and people were circling the lot in lost hope.
that loves is always full, being right next to the port and seeing how the next (northerly) TS is in North Bend (TA). If you head south, the Pilot at exit 99 is the next one.

Seattle-Tacoma are like LA...very unfriendly to trucks and doing everything they can do to shut down existing TS's. No shoulder parking, no ramp parking, no parking, no parking, no parking!

 

Generally the fuel is cheaper at the megas because they give discounts to the fleets. The facilities are cleaner. Many of the mom and pops are struggling so much that they can't afford to update.
Most fleets require fueling at the megas, so the drivers get their free showers there.
The day of the independent is just about past.

 

Its a good parking lot with angled spaces. Well lit and I noticed the cops pull through a few times. All the commercial action was at the J so I had a quiet night.

Its usually the Petro with the angled spaces, but the SA Petro has them straight, almost as if the parking lots were switched, lol!

 

Kinda off the subject. Why do some drivers nose in to a spot instead of backing in? Think it would be harder to back out of the spot than into a spot.

Just thinking.

 

For some its just being lazy. They don't want to bother setting up to back in. For others they find it more peaceful to not have themselves pointed towards all the action. I only nose in at idle air spots. The rest of the time I back in.