Truck stop lot full

I have a truckers GPS unit and it has rest and truck stops on it. When I'm about an hour or two away from shutdown time, I will do a quick search of what's within my distance I will travel in my time left over, minus a bit because it shows the distance as the crow flies. My first choice is a rest stop, as someone else mentioned, they are not as well used.

However, if worse comes to worse, I will park in a spot behind a row of trucks so I won't have to move when they're ready to go.

If I have Internet service on my phone, I will google earth the area to find a spot I can safely park.

If you get a familiar route, you will know where you can stop within your hours.

 

Get yourself one of those Pocket Truck stop Guides. It is a life saver. You can easily look what is ahead of you and how many miles to get their at a glance.

 

I've been using a combination of the paper truckstop guide and my personal GPS. However nothing substitutes for experience and wisdom, as I'm quickly learning as a newb. I know I've exhausted my plan B, C, D and E before running through NJ and PA after 10 PM trying to find parking. Started looking 4 hours before my time was up, went to 3 truck stops, 2 rest areas and still couldn't find anything. With 1 minute left on my clock I went into sleeper status in a Lowes parking lot. Not something I want to repeat.

Working for one of the mega carriers, I've learned that my CDL and my record is my responsibility. I've come to the point lately whereby if I'm driving out east, as I am now, and I'm not going to be at a truckstop or rest area by 7:00 PM then I will work the load so that I am. I'm starting to stand my ground a little more when it comes to planning, despite what the driver managers may want me to do.

Driving out east and trying to find parking makes me want to return to running out west. I never remembered having much of a problem parking when I run the western 11 states. Like someone else said, there are dirt lots everywhere and there is something so nice about parking somewhere closer to nature where the smell of piss and continually running engines isn't present. I use the Walmarts as a safety whenever possible, although it has been tougher to do so in a few states.

It's all a learning process. Wisdom, planning, experience, timing and a little luck seems to do it.

 

Heres a nice fall back when all else fails, find a industrial park, chances are there will be a empty warehouse or if you need industrial parks are usually pretty relaxed about parking on streets as long as you don't block anyone. I try to sleep at my destination most times, and when I'm in transit usually rest areas, but sometimes you need to be creative. Another emergency plan, there are grain elevators every where, I have parked out of the way and got up in the morning and went in and apologized and tell them I was lost and couldn't stay awake longer.
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i can normally find a place to park, sometimes you have to get creative and invent a parking place. or travel up the road a little ways to the next area. what gets real fun is pulling in a truck stop when they shut the interstate down in the winter time and trying to find a spot. then even more fun can be trying to get back out when things re-open and the lot is full of a foot of snow and trucks stuck everywhere people double parked and blocking lanes.

another thing iv done is if traveling threw small town usa and trying to find a place to park is if you spot a grain elevator many times they wont hassle you if you park out of the way down by the elevator in a pinch. sometimes along the road in a industrial park area can work in a pitch of course these are kinda last resort options.

rest area's are normally a safe bet esp ones with no bathrooms or vending machines. these places are normally pretty easy to get in and out of as well. if all the spots are full there's normaly some room that you can get outta the way to the side and wait for someone to leave.

 

That reminds me of this bridge in the town I live in.....

http://11foot8.com/

[video]http://11foot8.com/13-crashes-in-13-months/[/video]

I think its up to 68 trucks hit the bridge in 7 years....

 

Simple, experience and planning. Knowing where you're at and going helps, and knowing the small hole in the wall truck stops. I personally avoid the big truck stops for by resets. I dealt with similar situations, but now I can not only tell you about 30 parking spots within 15 miles of anywhere I am, but I can point out places to park w/ free wifi.

 

trip plan,trip plan,trip plan.then when your done and they didn't cancel your load,run it.

 

The best trip plan in the world isn't going to help you if you have an 8pm live unload in Jersey and your reload out isn't till morning. Gonna have to get creative

 

yep, Murphy wrote a bunch of laws against trip planning.