Downtime Parking

Truck stop most nights, if only so I can get a coffee first thing in the morning.

I also have a pretty good idea of where there are alternatives when not on the interstate. Gas stations with big parking lots are always a good find....

 

The east coast has a lot of paid parking.

I always stopped in truck stops but only because you'll never find a spot in a rest area if you're not a solar powered truck. Usually at a truck stop at least one guy has pulled out around 3-4am.

 

Please explain

 

Its more of a comment about the driver... "Solar Powered" trucks shutdown at night. (Driver doesnt like driving at night)

Its obvious more drivers like driving in the day... If this wasnt true, then the truckstops and rest areas would be full during the day, and mostly empty at night.

some guys just insist at shutting their truck down with the sun. As winter gets closer, day gets shorter, truck stops fill up earlier.

 

I see! Thanks for the explanation!

 

I'm nocturnal, so when I shut down; truck stops are wide open. I hate rest areas as the majority of them are a royal pain in the ### to maneuver around.

 

I don't understand why anyone would only work during daylight hours. Not that I want to do all my driving in the dark.

 

Hehe, he doesn't literally mean big trucks running around with solar panels on top of the sleeper...

What he means is this: if you take a look around, you'll notice how most of the truck stops and rest areas quickly fill up around sunset., if not sooner. I know from personal experience that, if you're on I-81 or I-95 north of Richmond, VA, if you haven't found someplace to park by 5:00pm or 6:00pm then you are basically SOL. Unless you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve it can be nearly impossible to find parking after then.

I guess it's because a lot of those guys will avoid running at night like the plague if they can. Personally, that's the exact reason I like running at night: I'm running while everyone else is battling over parking spaces like some 18-wheeled version of musical chairs. When I'm just about done for the day is when everyone else is either pulling out or has already pulled out. I can usually end up with a choice slot that way, plus I don't have to go into gladiator mode trying to fight over parking (I also have to put up with far fewer 4-wheelers and their antics at 3 in the morning).

Obviously you can't always schedule things that way (sometimes a pickup or delivery is in the middle of the day) but, when it is possible to do so, it can make a world of difference.

 

Yeah, what those guys said lol. I almost always ran at night. I hate driving during the day. Night driving is much more relaxing and stress free. The guys that run at night are different too. Much more courtesy out there.

I run local in the LA area now so I don't have to worry about the whole parking deal but I would never do this job during the day down there.

 

I prefer rest areas over truck stops. Usually have restrooms, water, and vending machines.