Parking Shortage. How it affects you?

In my time 2001 and prior, some nights there is NO parking availible in PA, MD, VA, TN between roughly Harrisburg all the way to Knoxville. I-81 is incredibly strategic to the nation from the west and NE.

Stragety one, a half a dozen parking spots around the Harpers Ferry-Tuscorara-Manassas Area off US 15 and other byways in the area. There were a number of tiny valid big truck parking to be found in those days. I checked all of them in Google Earth last year and learned that all of them have been paved over with one exception and that one is down to one acre of gravel. Developments, nursing homes and HUD housing took over pretty much all of my spots. So that's history.

Stragety two. Logboosk. Go bye bye. ROLL. Maybe a touch a white line fever before Nashville and west but coffee takes care of it and generally Arkansas by morning overnight. That's 1350 miles. If pulled over and DOT demanded my logs, whoops so solly it blew out the window and gone. A minor citation with orders to begin a new logbook on papers.

Stragety three. Find a spot before Harrisburg (US322 at the Juintia river was my favorite spot a few miles west of duncannon. And make tomorrow a new day when parking is not such a problem at the 205 whites in Virginia and later Knoxville. Have a normal 10 hour run.

Stragety four.

This is my ultimate. If I am a reefer... for example I go to Krogers distribution in Roanoke VA, just to the east of the interstate in town. I'll pull in there, park with ALL the other REEFERS. PRETENDING to wait for a dock and get my sleep. If I was a flatbed I go find a industry where there is a bunch of them and go mix with them parking to sleep. No one checks on me. Because I am not part of their day's problems for loads to ship or receive.

That is pretty much the end of it. Ultimately it would take a thousand miles to solve a parking problem straight through anywhere east of the Mississippi all my life. Once west of that river to the west coast parking is NEVER a problem.

 

The nature of business hours the trucking industry and logistics centers insures it IS IMPOSSIBLE to spread out all trucks evenly, throughout the 24 hour cycle. The vast majority of trucks are going to be somewhere in their main break in the late evening hours and the wee hours of the morning either by preference or by necessity. There is no getting around this and it will never change.

You can promote all the ideas in the world that helps YOU in your typical situations, but if EVERYONE did or could do as some recommend, where would that leave you then?

Parking is an issue. No doubt about it. Worse in some places than others. My company expects us to occasionally utilize reserved parking as necessary and happily reimburses the costs. They do not want to see or hear of their trucks being the idiot who parks in the middle of the fire lane or on a red curb.

Parking availability, along with HOS rules does impose a certain degree of stress. More for some than others. Some don't stress about it at all. They have no compunction about parking stupid, even in a fuel island or on a busy shoulder. When they feel like stopping, they stop. Safety or practicality plays no part in their choice of options.

The problem gets easier to deal with as you gain experience in the game, as well as learn the geographic regions, and learn tips and tricks along the way. You have to keep your eyes open always and make notes where you see places that look practical to break in because at some point, that spot will be near that time you need to break.

 

Just park in the fuel island everybody else does

 

I rely on a lot of years experience is all. I almost never park in big truck stops. With the big truck stops come all the big fleets and we know what they bring. I got tired of having to wake people up that are parked like idiots just so I can leave. I'll find quiet hiding places and get away from all that mess in bigger truck stops.

That's pretty much how I deal with it, avoid it !!

 

6 pm parking starts piling up. 8 pm seems to be the last dance of musical chairs though.

 

NFW! We are all at the same truck stop tonight... What are the odds

 

I just park at the new truck stops with the hot rock saunas that all the college kids are building. Problem solved.

 

Sometimes I wonder. I had a idea decades ago. Why not gigantic ballsy parking decks big enough with 20 foot deck height deck to ceiling and 100 foot seperation between center line down each of the two rows making for a 200 foot easement to manuver, circle and do what you need to to get backed in and parked.

Add concrete and rebar and keep adding until you can say the size of Wolcott IA (The biggest truckstop in the USA that I know of...) and stack THAT capacity by say 10 decks. If you stuck such a levithan next to say... oh... Quantico Fredericksburg and Winchester and harrisburg you will have a one hell of a step towards solving the trucking problem.

I tell you something else I remember. VA rebuilt some rest areas to be really big in trucking capacity compared to what they were. We just filled them up 24/7 and never have a spot. Ohio did the same as did Indiana etc.

We need to stop trying for one level on acreage, it's time to grow a pair and go UP.

 

If I know I'll be getting done late in areas that always fill up early I'll just buy a spot.
The P/FJ and the TA/Petro apps are great for this. A few swipes on the phone and it's done. I might do that once or twice a month.

 

Unless the Megas are going to pay 30 bucks a night it would never happen

Heck people a gripe about 12 dollar reserved parking. I love it when I am in a pinch with traffic or weather

My company has never denied reembursement. They Love their truck and loads Safely and Securely parked.