Love's going to some reserved parking

There will always be creative parkers no matter what, just look at Iowa 80. Normally I park clear out east all by myself, it’s a half mile from the building so very rarely do you have neighbors. Yet when I leave in the morning there are always trucks parked along the back road next to the no parking signs when there are open spots all over out where I was parked.

And you’re always going to have the group that thinks the world owes them a spot to park for free because they choose to drive a truck down the road.

The best part of paid spots is they’re usually the good ones. The ones that are easy to get into and out of no matter where the creative parkers land. There have been times I’ve reserved spots just based on how big of a disaster the place turns into late at night or if the place is just a disaster in general. Sometimes I want to go to sleep without waiting for my neighbors to back in and a reserved spot with straight backs can take care of that.

 

Someone has to do those jobs.

Simply waking up earlier is not always the option especially if have crazy appointments on a load.

 

If it were up to me, I'd get rid of "free" overnight parking completely (including rest areas) and have it all converted to a pay parking, have the parking fees attached directly to billing for shipments, and require that parking expenses or other arrangements be handled by the companies involved (overnight parking at shippers/receivers or company terminals, direct payments for truck stop / rest areas / secure lots, or a stipend to pay directly to drivers)

 

Truck stops are private businesses. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't like it, well, it's capitalism baby. Go to a communist country where every is "free". Personally, I love reserved parking. If you can't afford it once in awhile, find a new outfit.

 

People act like they don’t get points on their cards when their boss pays for fuel. Of course if they used points to pay for parking they wouldn’t be able to get that 4th GPS they’ve had their eye on.

 

I parked at a Love's recently that had numbered parking spaces. I was wondering if they were going to start charging.

 

Not gonna lie I’ve paid for parking before at crowded joints back when I drove a company wreck and it saved my butt a few times. Other company I worked for later would reimburse if I didn’t abuse the privilege…there was a lot of late nights with them and didn’t have a choice sometimes. There ain’t gonna be no free spots at 10 or 11 pm I’d say. (Hey at least I don’t kick and scream for a hotel room like the other crybabies.) one of the many reasons I don’t run OTR company jobs anymore. Your truck? Fine. It’s a tax write off just like any other road expense.

 

public rest areas and service plazas no. Theoretically any private truck stop could do that but enforcing it would be a pain…you’d have to control access to the parking lot through a guard shack which would be problematic at many places. Some places do this already. Petro in Bordentown, NJ and T/A in Willington, CT I know used to enforce paid overnight parking unless you could show $20 in receipts from the store (shower, food, whatever). I think they actually quit doing this because it just caused too many problems in the morning trying to leave. Like this system only works if you don’t have any broke scumbags holding up the line and causing a scene. And now the place is one again a packed nightmare with idiots everywhere.

 

I was thinking it would have to be done by transponder and/or video surveillance (same as toll roads), with billing and complaints directed toward the motor carrier (instead of attempting to intercept the driver at the gate).

Technically, rest areas and service plazas already are paid parking (through fuel taxes and tolls), as well as any truck stop which received tax breaks or subsidies for the lot. The thinking here is to move the payments from the "hidden costs" system to something a bit more open and explicit, so as to ensure that the incentive to run a truck stop (or lot) exists, to incentivize shippers to permit overnight parking, and to normalize parking as a *legitimate expense for companies and drivers.

(*) My employer does not reimburse for parking, and I have thus far been completely successful at finding legal & safe ways to avoid incurring parking fees. For that matter, I have also been able to keep personal business with truck stops to a minimum (despite truck stops having a major advantage in location over other retailers).