First solo trip OTR how to avoid anxiety over finding parking

10-4

 

The simple truth is, you can’t. There are more trucks than parking spaces, and sooner or later, you’ll end up in a tough spot. The best advice is to shake off the anxiety as quickly as possible. You can’t always control exactly when your break starts, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve pushed my clock trying to reach a safe parking spot. I know it might sound harsh, but I’m not here to sugarcoat things. The parking situation in the trucking world today is bad, and it’s not improving anytime soon.

 

I have to disagree, at least down in my territory. All the people afraid of immigration and DOT ha e started running nights. Pulled into Loves at 745 tonight, and half the lot was empty.

 

For me when i use to be OTR I would only drive 10 hours even tho obviously we have 11 hrs to drive. I use that 11th hour to find a spot. I would have what i call a "Range of stops" . Usually within 30 miles or so of each other. I would avoid going to the big chains like Loves pilot TA etc. Any truck stop of any kind would suffice. At the time there would be walmarts that would allow parking but idk about these days but if you could find a walmart that would be my 1st choice.

 

Full disclosure: I haven’t driven a CMV in over 10 years. In fact, I can’t drive anything now since Virginia took my license for medical reasons. Still, I hear from plenty of drivers and read stories here and elsewhere. Right now, with ICE enforcement and the DOT cracking down on states handing out CDLs like candy to people who can’t speak or understand English, there’s bound to be some ebb and flow. My point was that when the system is running at full strength, there are more trucks than parking spots.

For new drivers, situations will come up that feel overwhelming. I remember a safety guy chewing out a rookie who kept busting his clock because he was afraid to park. Over the past 15 or so years, hundreds—maybe thousands—of people have posted on TTR about having accidents and needing a job. The learning curve in trucking is steep, and this line of work will either make you or chew you up and spit you out.

 

Parking is horrible and stressful, and new drivers rarely know how to backup. I always made finding parking a priority. Everyday I know where my first choice will be, and had at least one backup ready. It's a chore but it's necessary if you don't know where you are. Shippers and receivers are not good options most of the time. But my favorite part of doing dollar general was being able to sleep at almost any store, that was really nice. I prefer rest areas, but some are just as bad as truck stops. It sucks but as a new OTR driver you need to spend a good amount of time every single day on truckerpath looking for parking. It's really not an option. Unless you have a friend who knows exactly where to park. You'll notice you never see the mega carriers parked on ramps or anywhere near a roadway. They all fire drivers for that. It's not worth the stress of looking for a spot when you're new. Shut her down early and get some decent rest, it's hard enough out here even when you do get to sleep. Usually Friday and Saturday nights are slightly less busy than the rest of the week, but not always. Sunday it's game on and Mondays are usually the worst.

 

Note also...that many truck stops, shippers/receivers & rest areas were built/laid out "back in the day"....when trucks were cabovers....& trailers were 45 feet long -- or less.

These same facilities generally HAVE NOT been reworked/resized to accommodate today's larger trailers (53-feet long) & trucks ("sleeper" cabs).

Thus -- in many places -- parking is actually tougher/tighter than it used to be....years ago.

A partial solution to this...is to start out with a fleet that has a respectable training program already in place....& a respectable training period of time along with that (3 weeks, or more).

If you get a lousy trainer who isn't teaching you how to back up a rig -- be sure to ask management for another trainer &/or more time out with a trainer.

 

From out in the field, on a countrywide level, the crackdown has made very little difference. If it wasn't in the news, I wouldn't have guessed it was happening. For the most part it is still very true that there are more trucks than spaces.

 

Great advice. A 10 hour break is a 10 hour break. If you shut down early when you've got drive time left, you haven't "lost" it as long as you make sure you start earlier the next day.

 

Start early, subscribe to Trucker Path for the parking reports and then hopefully you can be done early enough in the day that you don’t start your career, always having to park in high risk parking situations. You will be confronted with difficult maneuvering naturally and eventually grow into it and it won’t cause you quite as much anxiety.