Shutting down for the night: a challenge

it kills me you all pull one trailer and are complaining about parking, I always seem to find a spot eventually. and I usually shut down between 2 and 5 am. earlier this week I stopped in 3 truck stops before I found a spot but I found one. what irritates me is the ones who can back up and they always take the spot I can land my set in when there are plenty of back up spots. talk about wanting to wake someone up.

 

If someone asked me to move from their space like that, I'd do what they would expect me to do since I drive for an El Paso, TX based carrier and answer them in Spanish.

Está bien que use este espacio de estacionamiento porque tu madre lame los huevos de los burros.

 

Whenever I've had to shut down during the dreaded midnight to 4 am time I try to find the largest available truck stop and "make a spot" and sit in the driver's seat to wait for the early risers to get underway, then snag a spot as they come open. Longest I've ever had to wait to be able to get in the bunk is about an hour.

Make a note of "creative" places to park as you go. I take notes in the margins of my truck stop book. Wide areas off the side of the freeway, abandoned shopping centers, or industrial parks can be useful.

Use Google Maps during your 30 minute break. By this time you will have a good sense of how far you will be able to go before shutting down. I use this especially when running unfamiliar territory off the interstate, where the truck stop guide is useless. Street view can give you a good idea if you can get your rig into that parking lot.

Parking is easier if your requirements for facilities decreases. If you don't stock food in the truck and can't park anywhere that doesn't have a full service restaurant for your happy meal, then you are limiting yourself to competing to find a spot in a truck stop. If you have food in the truck and are self sufficient, then parking anywhere is possible. This will also go far for maximizing your income as you will often be able to squeeze out more miles and maybe even park at the shipper or receiver to have more available hours the next day.

 

Stayinback, you are friggin crazy if you think a mere $100 is worth the hassle of dealing with the trash in Newark LOL! I run a parking lot myself, and doing a lot of POV picks and drops it's inevitable that I find myself either "out late" or nowhere near a truck stop, so I always look for a WalMart, and they never let me down. Only once have I run into a rent-a-cop that knocks on my door, but they ask the store manager if it's ok for me to stay the night and I've never been kicked out. It doesn't hurt to talk to the first patrol you see and make friends with them so not only do you not get messed with, but they'll also keep an eye on your rig. Piece of mind when my $2-300k load is exposed for everyone to see.

 

Amen.

First thing I do when getting into any retail parking lot is look up the rent-a-cop. Friendly communication goes a long way to having a good night's sleep.

 

When in a bind go in and ask. I have always found parking some way and asking is a very rewarding experience. I have been amazed by the solutions I have been given by a petite tired woman at 12 midnight.

 

My first year of driving I usually didn't start rolling till 10-11 am and sometimes as late as 2-3 in the afternoon. As you drive more and more you will learn which truck stops have better parking, where rest stops and walmarts' are. The industrial areas and little side streets as well as customers that are truck friendly. When I started I didn't know where anything was and I just had to wing it.
Trucking is a 24hr operation and even if a truck stop looks tight you can bet by your 3rd or so time around there will be a spot, not a great spot, but a spot.
It will also help to get your day going earlier like 6am and then you can get into the truck stop with the bulk of the sunshine truckers.
Remember trucking is an exersize in patience.

 

When I run solo my favorite time to start is about midnight to 2 am. Not only am I finishing my day in the early afternoon, when parking options are easiest, I'm running much of my shift when there isn't any traffic on the road. Especially when approaching a major urban area toward the end of a shift I'd opt to stop about an hour short of the city so I could run through at night.

 

The first thing I do is look for the "No Trucks Allowed" signs and respect them if they are there. Many truckers think those signs are there because they hate truckers which is only partially true in some cases. Other times the lots are not built to handle the weight of a truck. Get a 100 trucks running through there and ruts and pot holes start developing. That's why you see many shopping centers with a truck route coming in one way around the perimeter. That part is paved thicker.

 

That's pretty much why I am more selective when I am grossing 70,000+ and I am more careful to not pivot the trailer tandems, the pavements aren't designed to take that kind of abuse. Even Walmart, whom I can't stand, I will not chew up their lot.