Shutting Down

Keep this link handy if you have access to the internet. I use Google Earth to verify ones away from major highways and interstates.

http://www.bigrigjobs.com/Truck_Stops

 

If you have an IPhone..in the app store is an app called DAT. It uses your location to find CAT scales, truck stops, rest areas, WalMarts and loads near you. The parking stuff is free, but you can only look at so many loads a day without upgrading to the full access.

 

DAT is also on the android. I use that sometimes also. Good advice. Forgot about that one.

 

I use DAT and also Google Maps on my Android phone. DAT is pretty good if you know where you are going. If not, use the truck stop guide together with DAT. Once you find where you think you want to stop, use Google Maps to scout the area to be sure you can park your truck. So many tools, but you have to have the time and patience to use them. Also, remember they are just tools and may guide you wrong so always have a back up plan.

 

I was an smartphone app called Fuelbook. It's not 100%. But it has saved my bacon more times than I can count on those back roads.

I have the usual Fuel stop book sold at the truck stop. But only use it, when I can't locate something via my apps.

 

If you had kept going you would have found truckstops scattered all the way down US 31. I used to use a program called Truck Miles on windows XP and it worked pretty well. One feature that I liked was that you could click a button and it would show you all the truckstops on a map format, and you could keep zooming in to your area, then hit another button and it gave you all the information about the truckstop. When I went to Windows Vista, it wouldn't work, then when I went to windows 7 it worked great for a few months, and then stopped working, I could restart the computer in safe mode and it would work okay, I called the manufacturer and they had me download the latest version, still wouldn't work, so I spent an hour on the phone with tech support, and he finally told me that windows must have updated, and when they did something was keeping it from loading correctly and that they couldn't help me. But like the earlier post said, use the map feature in the book and go that route.

 

I too looked in both my little truckstop books and once I got a Smartphone (Android) I used Mapping and Sattelite view a LOT!

 

Just call after hours and have the appt changed

 

No reason to feel dumb. You learned something here that didn't cost you anything!

This is like anything else. It is not THE answer, but it is another tool to use. Even if it is a few months, or even years out of date, it will give you a general idea of the way things look. Yes, there will be instances where everything has changed, but not as many as you might expect. Just another tool in your tool box.

 

i dont think you should feel any shame. you did the responsible thing and shut down before running out of hours in the middle of no where and forced to continue to drive. there have been many times i shut down. i have seen in the morning that i could of drove farther and been ok. i feel its better safe then sorry. google maps is awsome i would agree with everyone else.