what to do when...

I the beginning, I would just run to the closest truckstop and tweak my logs to make it look like I did it legally. Not the right thing to do, and thankfully I never got caught. Sometimes I would log it as something along the lines of, "driving to safe haven/closest legal and safe parking." Figured that might get me cut a little slack if I got audited and/or pulled over, although I was lucky and never had to test that theory. However, it did get me logbook violations at my company, so I quit doing it. Really did take me a little while to figure out my planning well enough so that I could figure out how to still be legal at the end of the day.

That was only a few months ago, and my situation was pretty much just what you are describing. I sucked at my trip planning, which left me with no clue where I would be at the end of the day, so there was no planning for where I would sleep. It also left me always running behind, so I never had the time to look for parking or get there.

First thing I did was get a Truckers Friend truckstop guide. Only thing you need to realize is that many of the stops in there do not offer parking (how you can be a truckstop if there is no parking still makes no sense to me?), so be aware of what it offered at where you are heading. I learned this lesson late on a Friday night when I realized that the five options I had for parking really offered no parking, and it took me two hours over my 14 to find somewhere safe.

Best thing I did was get one of those Rand McNally GPS units. Not sure what other brands offer, but mine will allow me to search for truckstops along my route, or near my stop, and give me basic info on what they offer. Most days I use this to find my parking, and compare it with my truckstop guide to get all the information I need, especially if they offer parking and the size of their lot to give me an idea as to if they will have open spots.

I am lucky in regards to the fact that I run mostly at night, which puts the end of my day in the early afternoon. Most trucks are still running at this time of day, so I can still find parking at those places that fill up early. Not sure how much of an option this is for you, but I can tell you that it increases my options greatly.

My receivers also help me out a lot. Some of them will let me park on their yard if I ask. Mostly, I just ask them for the closest location is that I can park a truck. Keep in mind that they know the area better than I do, and can quite often give me some spot where they see trucks parked or an empty parking lot they know of. In most cases, I never would have found any of these spots had I not been told of them.

Of course there are the typical spots of truckstops, rest areas and WalMarts, along with industrial areas. I have also been noticing lately that there are some McDonalds that offer truck parking.

I will point out that I will not park on an on/off ramp. I do not consider it safe and am not willing to risk the ticket. As far as I am concerned, I would rather go over my HOS to get somewhere safe than have to park there. I do understand that many drivers would not agree with me, but I think of it as being in a situation where all my options are bad, so if I have to make a bad decision then it might as well result in me being somewhere safe.

Just keep plugging away at it, and it will get better. The more you learn to trip plan and follow it to keep from wasting time, the more you will be running consistant. That makes it much easier to plan your day, and will actually let you know where you will be when you stop.