Do I have to Park at the Truck Stop?

Get used to the truck stops dude, thats about the only safe spot to park your truck an trailer. Rest areas are better but no food there unless you find a nice travel plaza. I know truck stops suck but get used to them you will use one almost every day.

 

The only way to avoid truckstop sleeping is to sleep in a bouncing truck while your team driver drives. Parking anywhere else risks an accident and it doesn't matter if they hit you, it still goes on your record. Parking on on ramps for a couple hours to get rest is sometimes prudent but after you pay your first $650 tow bill to get pulled out of the slop your passenger side sank into on the ill-engineered recycled ashphalt "parking" area, you will be very reluctant to ever park there again. Oh, and many companies consider that tow an incident too so you'll have to go to safety class.

BRI

 

It all depends on the state,and the time of day..If its daytime,most truckstops are not very busy around most places.If you have some food in your truck at all times,small pull offs and small rest areas make be ok,with the lack of food..Small rest areas are pretty notorious places for people to go,when they wanna steal your stuff while your asleep,or on your way to the bathroom while its dark.It will always be more then one person,and if there is no one around,it sucks to be you.If you ever run across I 80 in ohio,look at your toll pass.It will tell you where the state rest areas are at,and their amenities..Some are just huge open lots for like 150 trucks,but you will never see more then 2 there.But the actual service plazza's have free showers,and a decent amount of room to park..

 

Well, park where ever you feel safest and know you wont get kicked out of, and if you dont know if you will get kicked out of someplace or not, try someplace that looks good and see what happens, try to be considerate of other peoples property and inconspicuous if you can. There is no law that says you have to eat (and sleep) at trucks stops, if you want to eat somewhere besides a truck stop then just keep your eyes open and look see whats out there.

 

Sounds like you should find a new line of work. Trucking is a life style and it sounds like you don't like it.

 

if youre sick of the food i recommend getting a gps, be amazed at what you can find for restaraunts around truck stops.

hell it amazes me how lazy some truck drivers are really. wait til you hear them whining about there being nothing to do at the ontario california t/a...

i laughed all the way to hooter's. (its about a block away.)

 

I have walked over to the mall at ontario a number of times. Even stopped at this HOOTERS you speak of.