Pilots - good and bad

I think it's easier to call out the good Pilots, not that many.
Two decent ones that come to mind:
The one in Tilbury Ontario, clean and well run.
The one in Danville Va. What a surprise there. Clean, well run, and the people working there were very helpful/friendly. I even called corporate and turned them in for being civil.

 

I refer to my Pocket Truck Stop Guide where I make notes. My primary criteria is ample parking.

Avoid these Pilots like The Plague:
GA I285 x51
IL I57 x335 the worst Pilot I've ever been to
IN US30/49 Valparaiso
MI I96 x67
NY I84 x6 no idle, 3hr parking only
OH I75 x210 lot lizards
OH I90 x151 lot full even in day
PA I76 x226N might find parking but the line for fuel is always long
PA I81 x175
PA I90 x27
TN I24 x64
TN I24 x169 few spots, extremely tight, likely to get hit when parked
VA I81 x150
VA I81 x213

Good Pilots:
GA I71 x326
KY I65 x81
MO I70 x101
OH I90 x223

 

The older Pilots before the chain started accumulating competitors are mostly the problem. I utilize the Pilot chain the most for my fuel purchases due to the extra cash discount afforded to my company. We pay wholesale cost plus .01¢ or at the least, an additional .05¢ discount off the cash price. This equates to an average of $70.00 a week with the fuel prices climbing. Works for me.

Top 5
1. #412 - White Pine, TN: Lot's of parking, friendly people, easy on/off and good showers.
2. #408 - Grantsville, MD: On the rare occasion that I can't avoid running I-68, I can always find a spot to park at this pilot. Lazy truck drivers may not like it because of the stairs, but they aren't a problem. Even in winter. Only downside is the entrance, drivers parking at night do tend to bottleneck the entrance a bit.
3. #384 - Richmond, VA: Not exactly quick on/off I-95 but there is a good facility with plenty of parking available.
4. #206 - Weatherford, TX: Used to be my favorite before the Pilots got popular after the acquisition of the Williams chain. Now, like the rest of them, it is busy 24 hours a day.
5. #242 - Shelbyville, IN - Lots of open space to manuver a truck to park. Downside is the road outside but they are in works to widen it.

Honorable mentions: #324 - Franksville, WI; #209 - Van Horn, TX; #305 - Jamestown, NM; 458 - Eloy, Az; #163 - Lordsburg, NM

Hidden Gems: #538 Oakdale, WI (Road Ranger); #910 - Twin Forks, MT (Town Pump)

Dive 5
1. #12 - Perrysburg, OH: Just try to get in and out within 30 minutes. To #### small for all the trucks/autos that come through there. Small parking area.
2. #52 - Lavergne, TN: Whoever designed the parking and pump area should be shot. In the early days of ULSD, this was one of the first to convert and I loathed the idea of getting fuel here.
3. #77- Jackson, MS: If the fear of getting shot doesn't scare you, the thought of getting approached by every derelict in society trying to swindle you out of your hard earned cash will. East bound left exit will make a rookie piss his pants.
4. #298 - Hazelton, PA: Very small lot to park in, no restaurant, no ULSD. Best thing about it is the reefer repair place next door.
5. #307 - N. Palm Springs, CA: Here's another brilliantly designed truck stops that may as well take an hour of your life away.

Dishonorable mentions: #382 - Bordentown, NJ; #76 - Tuscaloosa, AL; #344 - Atlanta, GA; #433 - Dallas, TX: #265 - Cookeville, TN

 

i meant 6-7, not 67. heh

 

Pilot at exit 12 on the 285 loop is bad from what I remember. I used to park bobtail there after delivering to the Norfolk Southern railyard. Hard to get out of with a blind curve coming from 285 and crackheads galore. I once saw a driver in a truck buying a big brick of weed from a dealer.

Pilot in Hershey, Pennsylvania is also hard to get into and there are only like 20 parking spaces.

 

The Pilot is Exit 16 off of 285.....the Petro is exit 12...but yes that Pilot looks like a pain in the ### to get into...

 

The pilot at x52 on I-26 in SC deserves a dishonorable mention. That is absolutely one of the worst pilots. I went in there to scale one day and 2 hours later I finally had the ticket. I hate pilots for the most part there are only a few good ones I've been to.

Oh yeah, that one in Greenville, VA sucks donkey balls no doubt. At least they do have an awning for that mile long walk down to the store lol.

 

pilot the p is for piss poor!