How to find good truck stops?

I'm out of hours at a brand new no name truckstop in Arkansas, at 19:15, all they have is a big hot food deli with dried up chicken and mashed potatoes, absolutely nothing fit to eat out of it.

 

Grab some peanuts or cashews. I always bring food on the truck, but these help in a pinch.

 

My favorite "Truckstop" is a patch of forgotten state road in the desert with nothing around for miles.

My second favorite is a little restaurant that tows if you don't buy food before shutting down.

 

Driving on two lane roads most of the time, my favorite truck stop would be the one open 24 hours.

 

When you have been on the road you will start to find places to park. I was in Ohio a few years ago and was close to being out if hours. I was headed to Campbell's Soup but still about 90 minutes out. No time left to get there. I found a small convenience store with a place behind it. I asked the manager about parking and she said OK. There was a small cafe close by and it sure was quiet there. You file these places away and over time you discover others. The sad part though is between the trash tossed out, the prostitutes and drug dealing these places are slowly drying up. There is a place near my hometown in Georgia that just put up a chain link fence to stop truck parking. It really is sad.

 

I just am happy with ones without crackheads and lot lizards and clean showers/restrooms. I have been off OTR so cant remember the name but last Pilot on 70 heading west into CO. Very clean even had hersheys kisses on the towels hehehe Very different than South Memphis or SE Atlanta

 

I didn't know Abe was with swift. I thought he had a dedicated route for coca cola. The things you learn on here.

 

Ok.

Pennsylvania. Harrisburg 76, probably a off brand if they are still in service. If not, then the TA off the 81. Breezewood. TA, Old 76. Any number of food sources within walking distance.
Milesburg, Buckhorn at bottom of hill below and east of snow shoe. PA Turnpike has a few service plazas that are difficult sometimes to get into and out of but Sbarro and other food vendors had quality things, Midway comes to mind for one. PA has a number of diners on two lane state routes that are good. Just look for heavy braking marks near them as a clue, the black lines left by hungry drivers trying to knock it down to get into the small lot without accident.

Scranton PA Petro is a mountain stop. You best be careful how you get into and out of there in bad weather. The food is worth it. Although it is petro prices.

Maryland, many have closed and gone forever. Jessup is not too bad, but has element of danger due to prositution and drug trade at night particularly. Easton Maryland on 95 at Delaware Border is the best with the old 76 and Petro there. Baltimore Travel Plaza has been rebuilt. A tip is to ride the local bus lines to access little italy and other downtown eateries, you have to know which lines to take.

Virgina. I 81. 205 whites truckstop, old 76, Martinsburg TA off 81 Virginia Opal Off 17, Fredericksburg, Doswell, richmond (Ashland 76 is really good) There are a number of little diners you could get into that offers decent food. Tuscorora Maryland is a tiny one but good room for 30 trucks maybe. Rippon WVa on the Harpers Ferry road might still be in business. Emporia is another.

West Virginia. Hurricane, Jane Lew, Bruceton Mills, Charlestown and a number of smaller ones along way. I refuse to list Dallas WVa on the Ohio border as a good stop due to predators, bad cooking and hookers at night.

North Carolina, Kenly off 95. Georgia well... there is a number of them south and east of Eagle Mountain on 75 and one in Atlanta off Petro Buckhorn on west side. You do need to be careful to avoid interacting with predators and parasites as well as avoiding the drug dealing right across the street. Cops on television occasionally rerun truckers being arrested in the little gas station across from there. Poor things.

Florida, Stateline with GA. I think 95. Further south is a number of them on all three major interstates. The food is outstanding if you know what to order. Ive always been crazy for the Pot Roast sliced beef on bread and aujus gravy, salty and salad to back it up with gallon of tea. It was a standard dinner for me there in Florida without too much trouble with the heat and traffic.

Tennessee, Knoxville, Cumberland Plateau, Nashville and Denmark. You do need to be careful along these areas. Do not go into Chattanooga downtown, predators waiting for you to park there in the diner there. They will not leave you alone until you gave them a few smokes or money.

Kentucky, Lebanon. Lexington would be the two. Louisville is not worth the risk of accidents and traffic. Keep going.

Ohio? Stoneyridge. Pick one. There are rest areas that were pretty new in my day, but wonder how they are now. Remember to have locking fuel caps. It don't take much for someone to pull up and gennie a half tank out of you while you sleep.

Indiana. Fort Wayne. Also off Toll road near Ohio. That old 76 was the best as far as Im concerned.

Illinois. Well... Effingham is major one. McLean had excellent and awesome cooking. Gateway next to the track at St louis would be good.

Miss, Alabama and Arkansas... well... there are a few off the interstates, but might as well keep going. The two best would be Arkansas, Earle TA west of Memphis too far for thugs to walk and bother you and Petro at Galloway with decent food but prices. We actually go to this one for a sort of a dinner out in quiet afternoons once in a while so we do not forget where we came from on the road.

Texas? Well I consider the old Eastern European stop below Dallas would do well. Carl's Corner is another. San Antone, Houston, Sweetwater, Especially Dyess where you can watch B1 Bones burn jet fuel in burner without any restrictions in flight 100 feet off ground. Forget about sleep as they screech over you. 'Merika! And up yours to you haters.

Oklahoma, Liberal Kansas, Tulsa Bruces.

Kansas eh.. Salinas is my favorite in the entire state. I have no reason to want to go anywhere else. Nebraska is Omaha. There is nothing until you get to Fort Collins Co, partly because there are a missile fields for nuclear war in the western half of Nebraska for hundreds of miles.

Iowa, Des Moines. Dakotas... Pick one. Just remember never to shut your engine off in dead of winter when your dashboard is reading -56 and you are going to spend about a hour fueling taking warm up breaks every 10 minutes to defeat and avoid frostbite that will stop you being able to drive. That kind of cold kills children in a half hour. Especially in a howling wind.

Sheridan Wy.

Colorado, denver comes to mind. It's not too bad. But Pueblo is another. Limon is a third. Grand Junction is another.

I don't have anything for Salt Lake except one north of there before you get to Odgen.

Fort Bridger Wy is another, Green River also. Remember in Winter with Fort Bridger there is a 2 mile pull that is very slippery and usually deadly to pickups and those without chain on ice storms. Do not try to run it empty. You wont' get in. Chances are with wy, you will be loaded.

New Mexico, Tucamari. That is a very old stop. Armarillo Texas east TA or the new 76 across from flying J would come to a better stop.

Arizona. Gallup, Kingman are the two main, Triple T north of Nogales is considered a FOB (Forward Operating Base) while loading out of there. There is another very good one west of Tuscon and Phoenix on 8, 10 and 40.

Bakersfield california would be the one. Redding is another. This one is a good stop.

I should mention Tacoma Seattle. We have had some interesting nights but 90 East of seattle features a truckstop in operation since before world war two on the west slope. Spokane is not worth it, wait until you get into Montana. Billings would be one. Powder river another.

Oregon also has a Flying J before you do battle on Cabbage to the east of there.

There are several hundred if not thousands of truckstops around the USA. Sometimes all it is a food truck and a spot to park a while where you wont be bothered. Or a roach coacher in a grocery warehouse. Those are sometimes really good. Sometimes the Union Grocery Distributions on the east coast will have a outstanding cafeteria to feed you. (You pay) Ive always thought I might end up working in such a facility where good, strong hot food and coffee is availible during breaks and meal time 24/7 None of that vending machine crap.

Dinner ships and river boats provide a chance to get a good meal if you can get near one to walk aboard. Usually a gambling boat. Be gone a few hours but... eh...

For every stop I listed here, I can tell you 10 more that have died. And are replaced by big box stores or condominums.

Any many more truckstops no longer offer sit down meals. You have to stand in line at a third party fast food inside these places which reveal themselves constructed in such a way with very little seating and no real social area outside of a tiny game room. All of which is carefully designed to kick you out mentally 15 minutes after you pull in.

In larger cities you can ring up a fine resterant a few blocks down town from your spot in a market for meats, seafood and produce and scare up a decent meal. Boston comes to mind.

Connecticut North Brandford, old TA offers a grocery store across the street.

Mass, I FoxBoro comes to mind.

Rhode Island has one, but eh....

Vermont? Forget it.

Maine? has two. But you are going to pay, and pay and pay.

New York? Hum. There are many. But I don't have any of them worth mentioning because all of them cost a bunch of money. Same with Jersey.

 

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Nice first post....?