more silly truck stop questions(observations)

I apologize I wasn't clear in my answer. If I'm "running" that means moving. When I'm parked they're off. First thing I do when I park is drop the lights. When I leave, the first thing I do is turn them back on. They don't come on while I'm sitting, only while I'm moving. Again, I apologize, I wasn't clear to you what "running" means to me. If I'm sitting with the engine on, I'm not running.

 

I have a "7th sense" and when circling the lot I gather energy from the Realm. When enough energy is obtained i can utilize my 7th sense and start to see which parking spot might have the correct singularity to stabilize the energy I've gathered. ...Duh. Don't most of us do this?

 

One location issue that hasn't been mentioned is wireless signal strength. If I know the TS pretty well I remember where I got great reception and where I didn't. If there are a lot of spots open and I haven't been there before I may cruise the lot looking for the wireless transmitter located on a light pole.

My 5th wheel is all the way back right now because I had a load a few weeks ago that was heavy on the tandems and it was the only way to get legal. I haven't moved it back to the center because its a pain in the ### to move. If I have to move it all the way forward for weight issues I will move it back to center after I'm done with the load so I have better clearance when I have to back in tight spots.

 

I like to start my day between 4am and 6am and try to get my 11 done within 12 hours of going on duty so most of the time when I pull into a TS theres plenty of parking.

I look for a bunch of things when chooseing a spot:

How easy will it be to get into?
How easy will it be to leave in the morning?
How close to the WiFi thing on the Roof of the TS is it?
I like spots that I can pull straight out of rather then haveing to make a tight turn out of the spot, thus reducing the risk of hiting someone with the tail.
I run with my tandems as far back as possible, makes for quicker backing into tight spots when I'm doing 10+ stops a day




American Trucker

 

Always take the easiest spot in the lot.The more often you have to back,the greater the liklihood of hitting something.Never on the end cap if it can be avoided.Slow is good.I dont understand drivers that think these lots are a speedway.Eventually its gonna cost them.If not someones life,its gonna be an accident.Markers on when a truck is backing next to you at night.Give them a reference point,especially in a dark lot.Its pretty much all common sense stuff,unfortunately thats something a lot of drivers are short on.

 

Shouldn't be a pain. Hose down all the moving parts with a penetrating spray lube and next time you drop your trl, wind the landing gear all the way down and dump your air suspension to take the pressure off your frame. You should be able to move it fairly easily. Just don't pop the clutch. Let it out really easy so you creep the truck back inch by inch. There's no reason setting a 5th wheel should be a PITA.

If you don't have air dump, crank the landing gear as far as you can. Makes it a slight bit more of a challenge, but still not a big deal.

 

Unless it is a ridiculously tight spot, if you have to slide the 5th wheel for clearance, you're using tight turning to make up for poor technique. And yes, I laugh every time I see a trailer with those stop-if-you-see-this-in-the-mirror lines. If you're seeing those on a regular basis, a re-examination of your methods is in order.

And you idiots doing the u-turns in the truck stop? Stop, just stop. Y'all know; the ones where the trailer is backing up while you're turning? All you're doing is tearing up the lot, your tires, and the trailer suspension. It's like french-kissing your sister: just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD!

 

Fine. We'll have everybody blind-side back in with you on their right side. What company was that?

Sorry. I'm going to make it as safe as I can to back in. That means making it a sight-side if at all possible. Don't like me u-turning when there's enough room and it's safe to do so? Don't watch. Or would you rather all the new people back out of that dead-ended corner of the parking lot?

If done properly, there should be no damage to either the pavement or the equipment. Even if the inside tires are rolling backward.

 

Swifty used to have 'em, saw a Marten (I think...blue truck and lettering) with 'em on there the other day.

Few are the lots where you are unable to circle and get down a row going the right direction. With an empty, the forces aren't too bad, but I suggest taking a look at the sidewalls of the next loaded truck you see do it. It'll give you an idea of the forces involved. Take a look in the next gravel lot you're in where trucks make tight turns. Those holes are dug by scrubbing tires. Asphalt is basically sticky gravel, especially when hot. And how many miles of rubber do you leave when those tires are scrubbing sideways? As far as the suspension goes, those turns add up and pretty soon you're wondering why the trailer off-tracks to the right. (Most of those u-turns are to the left, twisting the bogie to the right.)

I don't want to see anybody blind-siding either, but I'll repeat: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.