Parking on the On-Off Ramps

Less chance of being hit at high speed by someone coming off the Interstate.
Also, parking on the on-ramp right shoulder, I am not obscuring anyone's vision.
(Just slept until 10 p.m. returning from a bloodelivery to a mountain hospital. Now to bed.)

 

If commeforina thats about the only place there is to park and take a reset, especially close to the IE. I have never in 8 years had a bear bother me, even when I was idleing for the A/C. I always make sure I am at least 10' or so off the road and usually park somewhere not near any business or houses.

 

I can't sleep on ramps it's uncomfortable for me. Don't feel like it and don't feel has safe as should. At Love's truck stop there are a lot truckers there and may help me if something went wrong. This never happen and don't want to happen. If I get injured or somebody is about to murder me they should could running to my truck to see what's going on. We should do that but not 100% if they help like that.

 

I did it when driving for CR England out in the boonies where there are on-off ramps for roads where there are no cities. I-80 out around Utah. No real need for it once I was driving more. Pretripping took care of these headaches. Yet you will see alot of it out west late at night. Drivers whom were pushing their loads to max hours and then parking on the on ramp late at night.

Granted these days with onboard navigation it is even easier to see what is available and plan the stop some where safe.

 

Yes Mr. @lovesthedrive .. navigation and Google satellite and such help some to know where the places are... problem IMHO is that there seems to be more and more truck parking restrictions nowadays... I have seen more "no parking" signs on ramps that I haven't seen before... Many rest areas are closed for "remodeling" or whatever... I've seen some rest areas also putting more "no parking" signs and posts next to their entrances and exits to prevent trucks from parking there... Despite of the fact that there are more trucks now than before...

 

There were places in NY I had seen where there was ample room to park 3 semis side by side that were along the main freeway. Some in Pennsylvania as well. Not sure what they were for. Yet many times when I was not feeling well were a nice haven for me to get a power nap of 30 mins.

I am sure the signs are popping up from drivers in the past congregating where police would rather they didnt park.

 

I've used to pulloffs on the parking turnpike numerous times, they allow it, or at least used to. I heard on road dog radio last year that they were going to start prohibiting this

 

There used to be a p r I c k of a West VA Trooper who would wake you up just to ask if you had gotten enough sleep. I had heard of him and one day, He pounded on my door. "I was just making sure you didn't get carbon monoxide poisoning" My engine was off with windows cracked!!

He then asked "did you get enough sleep?' He then went up and knocked on the truck in front of me.

I got awakened on I-40 yrs ago in Tennessee. The Tennessee Trooper said the ticket would be over $100 but he said he disagreed with the law so he gave me a $10 seat belt ticket and told me there was a small truck stop at the next exit I could stop at. He told me he checked it out and there were spaces available.

I got awakened by an Ohio Trooper years ago, he was just concerned for my safety and said He saw my truck 8 hrs earlier when he came on duty. He was truly concerned because I was there so long and you do have a lot of truckers who go to sleep in their trucks and don't wake up.

 

I really don't sleep on ramps because when all cars and other trucks passed by it rocks my truck side to side. And I can't sleep well unless I'm serious tired than I can sleep on ramp. Parking on ramp only when to take a cat nap. Or taking a piss by the side on my truck. Don't worry nobody see it when I'm doing it. I do it on the right side of my truck so I'm getting my privacy while I'm peeing. But in some states won't allow you to park on ramp. So be careful where you park or may get a ticket from the police.

 

It is absolute last resort.

Back in the 80's we used to park anywhere. Even right there on the side of the freeway. Or interstate etc. Late 80's to to early 90's way too many people RAMMED a sleeping 18 wheeler in the trailer under the doors against what I call a decap bar, the ICC bumper. When you hit one at 70 in any car your head is off. S L I C E.

I have witnessed people survive such crashes when drunken other than a few scratchs while the ford taurus or whatever is essentially a crushed beercan around the engine block in the back seat. Lucky SOB. /growls....

There are some models of trailers that actually fail to perform in tests. You want the trailers where the bars stay strong and do not fail. So you can continue on your trip while the coroner takes the dead away.

They started clearing the sleeping truckers state by state in a rough effort to force us off wherever we sit to sleep on the side of the interstate. That saved alot of lives I would say.

In time Ive accumulated a number of sleeping spots all over the USA in which I will not be bothered by anything or anyone at least long enough to get a good sleep cycle in.

But those ramps are last resort.