How difficult is it to find parking?

Truckers path and road hunter are good apps as well. Try to stay away from big cities or bigger towns. They usually have smaller lots and fill up quicker. Some times improvising will have to do. I've come across an abandoned grocery store or strip mall a couple times. I've stayed on a back alley of a waffle house once. The best way to find a random place that is safe to park overnight is if you pull up and there is large amounts of trash on the sides of the road. It's a good sign a driver stayed there over night. Or at least long enough to clean out his truck.

 

Quite a few loves have half spots due to the light posts. They are the same width as a full length spot but not long enough for a trailer. I hardly ever see bobtail parked in them even though they would fit perfectly. Yes they have the yellow no parking lines but that won't matter to loves. I've even had a loves manager tell me they won't even tow you from the fire lane.

The majority of loves, pilots, and flying js won't make you move from a made up space. Plenty of Petros and ta will though.

With time you'll start to remember what areas you can find legitimate parking anytime and where you cant. My plan a is usually a loves, plan b is typically some mom and pop gravel lot and I end up at the loves the majority of the time.

 

Freaking difficult in Jacksonville FL after 8 pm I can tell you that !I am here right now and trucks are parked on the street by TA and Pilot (or FJ).Didn't have luck for like 2 hours and after visiting all diesel stations decided to drive straight to receiver.Luckily the guards didn't look down on me (another thread) and let me on receiver's property so I am posting this sitting in the dock.Got to love companies with this kind of policy!

 

u can park in those weigh station that are closed, in those truck stops that are packed, u can still park just dnt park blockin people, exit off the highway and park on the far side as possible

 

Parking for a 10 can be a bloody nightmare.

If you park on an offramp, look for the Indiana or Ohio State Police to cite you for giant money.

Meanwhile, any rest area or truk stop you're looking at after 12am will be jam packed.

It's a matter of judgement, and yes, you will often have to shut down an hour early for a parking spot. This is especially true if you're doing hazmat.

The guys I know who are shutting down 15 minutes from their 14 or 11 consistently ALSO get told to move 4 hours into their sleep pretty regularly.

I do the same thing occasionally, but usually I'm shutting down at a fairly reliable location. You get to know where you can and can't shut down at a given time. But in that first 6-12 months, it's a bear figuring it all out.

Rest stops are ALWAYS your most reliable parking spots.

Absent that or a truck stop, a state highway is often a legal parking spot on the side of the road if you can find a safe wide-spot.

The Northteast (NJ-Maine) is the worst, but the NW (Washington) is not a lot better. And Cali is just HORRID.

Box stores can save your butt, but you need to be gone by 8AM tops.

 

Truthfully I've only parked with an RV (wasn't mine, but my dads) on the truck side during the day with plenty of spaces available. Some places you HAVE TO or you risk getting stuck or blocked off by POV drivers that don't know what it's like to have a trailer.

Of course, at night, I'm doing the NPS campgrounds!

 

Don't incriminate yourself! lol the trolls will be very upset!

 

Trolls....

 

Been out here 16 1/2 years and IMHO parking after 3 pm (unless its a big Petro) is very limited! You learn where to park over time.