What truck stops to avoid?

Really? This is one of my favorite stops when crossing along the 80. There is always parking, people are decent and there is an actual security guard who patrols and makes sure lazy drivers aren't parking wherever they choose (non-parking spots). Sure, there are a few beggars here and there but what truck stop near a sizeable city doesn't.....

 

Hmmmm

Hmmm I may start stopping there again then ..never thought of it that way .lol

 

Well now hold on. A crime problem in E. St. Louis?! I don't believe that for 1 second. There's a Love's toward downtown St. Louis at Grand & Broadway off 70. I'd think twice about stopping there in the daytime, I couldn't imagine staying the night there. Wear neutral colors and ratchet strap your cab doors closed and pray for morning I guess.

 

I've stayed at most locations mentioned in this thread and have never had an issue. Not to say that drama/riff raff doesn't go down at these locations but obviously it's not a constant thing either. In fact one of the only places I've been bothered by a LL was the Iowa 80 of all places.

Someone did mention the Pilot in Charlotte and I'll add that place is hardly a truck stop. Really not even a fuel stop worst wasting time on. If you need parking desperately Hutchison McDonald Rd a few blocks down stays lined up with guys waiting to get in Sygma to deliver. You can slip in amongst them and hang out..

Loves in general I avoid because they're glorified gas stations with a fast food place and showers. Parking is a dumpster fire and its always a long wait standing around waiting on a key to shower because they have money to open 10 new locations a month but not enough for an automated shower system.

 

Haha yeah, man I got there after 16 hours of driving and was PISSED. All I wanted to do was eat and park. Could do neither and ended up getting the cops called on me because a driver refused to back out of his spot.

Now I run that route backwards and stay at Iowa 80. 24 hour food, nice showers and can find a place to park at 2am or make a spot and no one cares.

 

I used to fuel there and the islands were greasy nasty. ...seldom stop there anymore .

 

I'm going to second this. I avoided anything off I-95 north of DC but I was stuck in Baltimore for the night. I've never had a more nerve-racking back into a spot and didn't even really feel safe to even walk towards the restaurant.

 

Here's my list:

Loves St. Joseph, MO
Loves North Little Rock, AR
Loves Ft. Worth, TX
Pilot North Las Vegas, NV
Flying J Phoenix, AZ

 

That loves in st Joseph is a real #### show for sure. Not violence danger, but getting stuck and blocked in or getting your ### best for using the scale to bypass the fuel line.

 

That's a mild place compared to others. Now Jessup on the other hand, that's a load of fun at night. Not a place to be around if you can avoid it. If I had to pick a truckstop for that area of the USA it's Harrisburg 76 or the TA or the Doswell Petro or the Martinsburg TA. There is another called Strasburg, a older one I am not sure that still exists. I used the Tuscorora quite a bit, which is a literal tiny hole in the wall with truck parking and a diner that was open alot. That one is off US 15 just on the Maryland side of the Bridge crossing out of VA. 20 some odd miles east of Harpers Ferry. It's a quieter place compared to the bedlam in Baltimore and still about a hour and 10 minutes from there.