Reserving parking with apps

I've never had to reserve because I've always found a spot at first come first served stops. Even if you get to a stop and cannot not find a space there are usually a few reserved spots open and you can just go inside and pay.

If you want an app to find stops Trucker Path is the best one I've found and is free to use.

https://truckerpath.com/truckerpath-pro/

That app gives you tons of info like truck stop address, phone #'s and google mapping and parking availability, you can use the app to call the stop to reserve a spot if you are going to a busy area that may not have any room. Also it gives you locations to rest areas, scales, walmarts, repair/dealer shops, restaurants plus a bunch more.

 

They wouldn't need these apps if the North American transportation industry created enough safe parking infrastructure for trucks.

 

Yeah I never really had any problems with that.

If I am ever out in the boonies with no truck stops or a big city I would just look for grocery or hardware stores and park around back, never had any trouble. I prefer getting away from truck stops since its quieter and always cleaner.

 

Not everyone is that sensible, or that creative with parking. Plus, a lot of malls/stores with large parking areas are beginning to crack down on truck parking because of people doing this and ruining it for everyone else (bombs and garbage and whatever else).

Being Canadian, we have it even worse here than the US. There are basically no 24-hour service stops anywhere outside the big cities on the highway. So drivers always have to be creative with parking and almost always have to drive during daylight hours.

Personally, I wish I had big money to invest in something, because I would create a cheap-to-operate truck stop franchise that gives drivers all the services they need, but without charging an arm and a leg for it all. However, that's probably impossible with all the drivers out there these days turning truck stops into garbage dumps.

 

Although all TA/Petros have them, the ones that don't run out of parking have few reserved spots, and those that are over full have a lot.

Petro, Gary has 20 or so, while TA, Lake Station, which is 6 miles away has only 4. I have never been there when they didn't have parking, even after midnight.

 

Trucker's Path is my go to app for finding available parking or seeing if a scale is open. Truckers use the app to update parking availability, etc. I noticed on the comments when downloading the app some folks were complaining that drivers were updating parking status at a lot to say it was full well before they got there to discourage other drivers from trying to park there. I suggested to them they use GPS tracking to only allow users to update if they are within range of the location. They immediately replied to me by e-mail and said that was an excellent suggestion. Within a few days they had made the update with that incorporated. Very responsive support team.

In four recent years running OTR I have paid for parking less than a dozen times. It's funny to see guys paying for parking at the same time there are LOTS of free parking spaces available in the back of the lot. It's likely drivers that just have to have the short walk to the store and restrooms due to physical disabilities or they just don't have the skills (or are too tired) to make a challenging blind side back.

I spend a lot of time at the TA West in OKC. It's always a cluster trying to park in the area close to the fuel islands, but if you simply drive around to the other side there is ALWAYS available parking. I've never seen all the spots taken.

Another app I use when pulling into or getting out of an unfamiliar truck stop is Google Satellite View. It can save you from running down dead ends and figure out the best and most efficient way to get in and out of lots that are confusing. I do this for any unfamiliar customer as well. I also use this app to find creative parking, like road side pullouts out in the middle of nowhere.

 

Same with the TA in Lake Station, IN. Guys will double park next to the Cat scale, and there will be 50 spots open in the lit back row. They have patrols, so it is safe, and they will call a wrecker for parking in the fire lanes.

 

If I am fueling at an unfamiliar truck stop, after I pull forward and get my fuel receipt, the first thing I do is look at Google Satellite View. If I want to get back on the road I make sure of the most efficient and safest way out. If I intend to park I look for the most efficient way to get to the back rows. It never ceases to amaze me how drivers cluster around the front, blocking travel or fire lanes, when there is frequently plenty of parking in the back rows at any time of day.