How much of America do you get to actually enjoy?

It depends on the company you work for really.

I've taken time to smell the roses often. But the majority of time, you will spend running wide open.

As long as your funds hold out, you can visit many places. You'll need those funds to rent a car, or get a taxi.

And those places may not have a single building aside from the business you deliver to, for miles in any direction.

 

I've seen most of this country and a good portion of Canada.

I simply enjoyed being out in the wide open spaces out west (specifically northwest WY and southwest MT)...didn't need any rental cars and such.

Took a 34 hour restart in the middle of nowhere Wyoming and went for an 18 hour hike up in the mountains...maybe not the best idea for some people but I'm quite at home in places like that (I consider animal attacks as dying of natural causes...survival of the fittest)

 

^^^^^ OMG thats freaking crazy. lol

 

Like I said...probably not the best idea for most people. Lets just say I'm an "outdoors" type and have spent a lot of time in the mountains (both here at home and out there)

 

There aren't many places you can stop with a 53' trailer behind you. After a while you will start to see some places that let you park other than truck stops. There are some Walmart's that will let you park, a few restaurants like the Big Texan, and there are of course, the rest stops along the way. I don't think most companies will let you leave your truck just anywhere. If you can park within walking distance of someplace you want to see and you can fit it in with your driving time, it's a possibility.

What you see from the road is usually not the best parts of the states. We plan on taking our home time breaks in a few places we want to stay at around the USA at least a couple of times a year so that we can explore it more. It would take finding an approved and secure place to park the truck and renting a car and hotel room. It can be done. Since I am the passenger, I can take lots of photo's as we go through the countryside, but as a driver, I think your options are limited.

 

Very little, if any. The only time I did in my 6 months OTR was when I stopped once for a swim in the Colorado river on the CA/AZ border along I-40. Only reason I did was I got loaded out of California for Ohio with plenty of time on the load so I could afford to lose the few hours of time.

I was going to rent a jetski but decided to save the $100.

 

Scenic Overlook


NO TRUCKS

 

Not much...usually you have to be somewhere either picking up or delivering and good luck getting around if you're getting a reset and happen to be somewhere you want to be. Most vacation areas, if you're lucky enough to get to one ,have no truck parking. The other thing is you're alone most of the time and would feel like you were riding the see-saw by yourself. There ARE opportunities once in a while, but you have to be creative. The hour of service regs prohibit you from doing a lot ,also. You kind of feel like a slave after a while.