Is it taboo to park in the first truck spot at a rest area?

I always thought that area is the fire-lane.

 

LongFLD is the MVP of this thread (well, other than me for creating the thread).


Yes. I know exactly what you are writing about here. In your picture on top, that open space is an (unnecessary and ridiculous) travel through lane, not a parking spot. I would not park in that space either on your top picture.

What I was writing about in the OP is the type of parking spot in the bottom picture you posted. In the bottom picture you posted, that first spot is a legitimate parking spot, not a travel through lane. For some reason, most truckers are very reluctant to park in the first parking spot at a rest area even when it is not a Travel through lane.

Someone up thread already said this, but I will say it again to confirm i agree with it. It is stupid to have a travel through lane at the beginning of a rest area because a trucker needs to keep driving through the rest area to see if any parking spot are available anyway. Rest areas with a travel through lane BEFORE the first parking spot ALWAYS have another travel through lane at the end of the rest area.

 

What makes you think that? They are never labeled as a fire lane.

 

Honestly most of that reluctance is because its pretty easy to get blocked in. Ive rolled into those a couple times to make a Bline to the restroom and had some moron pull up so far i was trapped until i either backed out blindly into oncomong traffic or they moved. I refuse to use that spot unless i have absolutely no other choice.

 

It is a convenient lane to use for emergencies. Fire truck, ambulance or tow truck.

 

Depending on the entrance to the rest area it may be the spot most likely to be destroyed by a sleepy truck driver that does off while entering. I suggest we invent lots of reasons to avoid that spot so it will remain available late. Probably it's open because lazy drivers think there will be a spot closer to the bathrooms & they don't walk more than 3 feet each week.

 

It's not just a pass through for trucks. Emergency vehicles, service vehicles, trash trucks, vending machine vans, landscape crew, etc. They all need to get in there to do their jobs, even when the parking lot is full.

I know it isn't necessarily marked as such, but it's just one of those things I always considered common sense.

 

A legal parking spot has painted lines on both sides of where the vehicle is intended to remain. If it only has a marked/painted line on one side it's not a legal parking spot. Just having enough room to park a truck does NOT indicate it is a truck parking spot. Go park at the fuel pumps with the selfish rookies.

 

Have you considered that not everybody runs the same hours? Could be somebody that parked at noon and left at 10PM.