what exactly is so bad about running in the northeast?

10-4 His comment hits home. I lost a relative in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

 

Too #### many people in too small of a space. Heck back east a small town will have more people than we have in the entire state. Love my wide open spaces and fish that does not taste like toxic waste. Besides..... all those people Sh&^^&%g in one place..... Yuk!:smt078

BTW in our state

 

20 Bucks for the Bordentown Petro now days? Geeeeees! We used to have a drop yard about a mile from there.

 

Yeah, but if one fuels up, it is still free parking, isn't it? Or if you spend x amount of dollars inside, is it still free parking as well?

If it is $20 to park regardless of fueling or dining or buying other stuff, then Petro can "stuff it".

 

It's $20 in food, store, etc etc etc....IIRC he said $50 in fuel. Or $20 cash if you don't buy anything. Me, I had the prime rib buffet for $17.99 and it was pretty good.

 

You look at a city map in the NE and think you're going to a 4-lane highway......when you get there it looks like what we call an alley on the plains. Most cities there are designed like a French fortress. There is a lot of nice scenery out in the country though....it just depends where you have to go.

 

Bearclaw basicially a double sided steel traction mat

 

The very real possibility of sitting in traffic, heavy traffic, from DC up to Boston on any given day....

 

Well I can't resist this thread, being a Jersey guy....
OP - If you're from Buffalo, you should be ok running the northeast. Buffalo is part of the region, and in my experience the traffic, tolls, parking, low clearances, and seedy industrial areas in western NY were similar to the rest of the region. Ask the other drivers from your company where they park when going to certain customers and so on. they'll probably be glad to help you.
I'm from here, so I just park the rig at the terminal, clock out, and go home in the evening - but I know it can be tough for OTR drivers who aren't familiar with the area. For out of state drivers, it's important that your company has a clue about sending trucks here. They shouldn't just be taking a load that looks like it pays well per mile, and sending you here to figure things out yourself if you've never been here. Unless you're going to one of the big industrial parks outside of the cities, like in Dayton NJ, where you won't really have any city driving. You should have an EZ PASS in your truck, otherwise you'll have to carry a "head of lettuce" (a big wad of cash). There's no reason not to have an EZ pass in the truck these days if you're coming here more than once in a blue moon, they shouldn't be making you pay cash out of your pocket. They should reimburse for parking fees too, if you're coming in a big road tractor and 53' trailer. Also make sure they know all the permits they need - you need a permit to be on the NJ Turnpike, for example. If they don't have all that in the permit book in your truck, they might not know what the heck they are doing, and it shouldn't be on you to find out the hard way. There's a ton of freight here, if they can't find a return load that pays a good rate, it's because they don't have any connections or customers up here, which isn't a good sign. Shippers up here are always looking for carriers, and are paying through the nose right now just to get something moved across the street. If your dispatch is just finding loads on those internet load boards, they're getting ripped off. If they know what they're doing, they'll have a return load lined up before you're empty on your delivery. Also, most road carriers should pay you extra to cross a bridge into NYC. Unless things go perfectly, most of your day will be there, so you should be getting paid something in addition to whatever mileage rate they give you to drive in the midwest. Again, if the OP is in Buffalo, his company is probably connected to shippers around here.

There are places to park, even in New England. I sort of had to find them, some are diners or donut shops where trucks can park in back, but they aren't listed in fuel stop guides. Again, ask around at customers and talk to other drivers. Jersey City, one of the tightest places to drive a rig in the country, actually has at least 2 truck stops that I know of, one has a really good mom and pop diner next to it. Places like Newark and Boston don't have much parking in city limits, it's not like Oklahama City or Albuquerque where you roll right into the middle of city limits and park at a TA, or down south where you can pretty much leave a truck parked on any gravel lot that's near a BBQ (I do miss that!). Also, you don't need to be parking in some of these cities overnight anyway. Find an industrial park or truckstop outside of town. If your trip is planned out ahead of time, you're good to go. It ain't for everybody, especially not steering wheel holders who's preferred style of driving is running 80 mph on the interstate for 11 straight hours. You might have to shift some gears, pay attention to signs, make turns, back the truck into a tight spot, and so on. Personally I love it.