What should the perfect truck stop be like?

PIPE DREAM
lol

 

####y for President lol

 

I had never seen that either. Maybe you smell where they have dumped the pee jugs.

 

Well, you guys seem to want a heck of a lot more than I do. I am willing to settle for quite a bit less. I'll buy into the separate parking area for reefers, but knowing how much it costs to pave a large area with heavy grade pavement, I'll settle for angled parking slots instead of everything being a pull through. Just doing about 60 degree angles instead of 90 degree back-ins should drop the accident rates considerably, and keep the space needed to a minimum. I like a decent restaurant, but I don't stop in the truckstop restaurant unless I have a lot of spare time on my hands, so make sure that there is some sort of quicker food available for me.

If you want to have cleaner showers, try telling the guy that cleans them "thank you" and you'll be amaze how much more pride he takes in his work. I do that, and I believe that it works well. I don;t have much need for Tv servicse and other goodies, since I pull in, shut down, sleep, and then get back under way. I make money moving the truck, not sitting on my fanny in a truckstop.

As for putting urinals at the fuel pumps, unless you add in a lot of plumbing, where do you think they will drain to? And how good will your fuel be then.....l

 

Keep in mind what they are posting is not meant to be realistic. It is just their idea of the perfect truckstop. Have you ever seen that show that rated the worlds greatest truck stops? There are some in other countries that you would also think not to be feasible. They are awesome.

 

i just read this thread, and it brought to mind an idea i had for an idleaire, truck park. clean showers, small store, no diesle tho, security, a good fence to keep lizzards, bums, drug dealers etc out and no rv's or 4 wheelers. but with room for 30 to maybe 50 tucks at a time, and if need be, put up a wall to keep reefers from disturbing others sleep. kind of like a koa for trucks. and with the pull thru parking as well as room enough for a really stretched out rig to manuver thru without fear of hitting anyone.

i figgure it would take about 3 months to go so far in the hole i'd never get out, but since it was only a pipe dream, it won't cost me anything. not quite a truck stop, but more of a haven so drivers could get the rest they need, and a few convienences as well.

 

This is exactly the information I am needing to find out about. My father in law (former trucker) and I are dabbling with an idea to set up a place for the everyday trucker to unwind. I have been searching over the threads for a few hours now just taking notes about things that bother drivers (beyond 4-wheelers and such). I think that we may avoid the fuel part though, the corporate world has made it a vicious beast it seems.

Since he has experienced the frustrations first hand and told me some of the horror stories, we are bouncing around a idea to lay groundwork for a "haven" of sorts. Just the basic things that he said was always a rip. Clean showers, good food, a real bed, safe area to park, (That's where I would come in as a Marine Veteran :smt065 ). I have learned alot from reading everyones feedback. SO far I have noticed these things,

1) plenty of parking
2) working laundry machines
3) secure area (not just the driver, but the load as well)
4) free coffee
5) private shower
6) air conditioning
7) access to tv
8) no 4-wheelers or RVs allowed on site

I have copied a few quotes as well and would appreciate more comments since some are conflicting with others

"Truck stop having beds to sleep in and leave truck off sounds great"
yet another wanting to be able to idle

As someone who is completely unfamiliar to trucking, what are the benefits of idling vice turned off?
_____________________________
"All pull through parking"
and another suggested 60 degree parking with 5-10 feet between spots
____________________________

Also can someone please explain what a reefer van is? Since I never knew that "4 wheeler" was a car until today, I cant even try to guess what a reefer van is?

One final thing, what is the most frustrating thing about traditional truck stops for you an the individual driver? My father in law told me that sometimes before a driver goes out with a load he could get an advance, but due to the jacked up prices along the way not alot of profit was made on some trips? Beyond the normal fluxing of fuel prices, what are the extremes you have seen in other prices at traditional truck stops?

Thanks in advance for paying attention to a 4-wheel driver.....but im trying to learn the other side .
Legacy

 

how about one with plenty of PARKING!! and lot of space so that a J.B Hunt driver can park without using 2 parking spaces!!!

 

'Twould be nice if an electronic sign a mile or so before the turnoff would say whether the truck stop had any parking vacancies, and if so, where they were. Of course, that would require some sort of electronic or pressure sensor at each parking spot...

Re: "the lovely urine smell" common near many fueling islands--
Having worked at Flying J for ~2years now, I have never witnessed a driver peeing at the fuel island. Saw one amble over to the nearest dumpster and take a leak beside it once, though. More likely, the smell comes from leaking bottles and/or plastic bags (!) full of urine that drivers chuck into the garbage cans, and the fact that the can liners sometimes leak as well. I realize that in an ideal world, maintenance would take the time to wash them out once a day, but when Flying J hires one each maintenance person per shift, when there is enough work (on day and swing at least) to occupy 3 persons per shift, some things just never get done.