Where do they sleep?

I sleep in my bunk.....

 

You see all kinds of oversized loads at truck stops. The rest of us decent folk make room since we know they need it. Finding places to park something really big is part of trip planning. Guys that do it frequently know where they can park before they even leave on the start of the trip.

 

You plan you're trip, one thing you don't want to do with a heavy load is drive around looking for a place to sleep or eat for that matter.

 

Did you ever notice that they're always parked before you? For the super long loads, they tend to take up rest area grass or dirt shoulders somewhere, double lane loads tend to have a place off the highway in some dirt. More "normal" oversize loads usually take up a few spots in the truck stop by 1500-1700. The guys with day cabs get hotels paid for everyday. One of the benefits of pulling loads that take in $10 a mile.

 

I was gonna say we’re there before you and leave after you

 

Depends. If you’re paying attention, you will notice that there are common stopping places for the mega box jockeys. There are common stopping places for owner ops and smaller oversized loads.

For the bigger loads/tall loads, the route is fewer and far between. Normally, there are only a couple places to get a big load in. You don’t usually see the big mega haul loads on the interstates. Seeing a regular superload on the interstate is a rarity. And you plan that according to the stops if you can. As the driver, you make a notebook for places that you can park, and a lot of times, that is away from the truck stops, especially the mega stops. If you see a heavyhauler in a mega, many times, he bobtailed in for fuel.

The heavyhaul mindset is different. For the most part, if you load and dont think you can make your stopping point, you don’t leave with the load. And usually, when you get to your destination, you leave the load for the next day when the cranes show up. But don’t think that because it’s a lot slower pace, and a lot fewer miles, that it’s a much easier job.

LOTS OF PLANNING.

How do you fuel? Shower? Eat?

You will bobtail a lot. There are some times, when they route you a thousand miles down some skinny 2 lane, where, in the middle of your day, you have to drop your trailer on a wide spot, and bobtail 20 miles for fuel. Any gas station that sells diesel. You’re not going to be successful in heavyhaul and be truck stop happy.

If you have a good pilot car, you use him. I have an overnight bag prepped and when we get stopped, I will go with the pilot car to a motel, get my own room, but pay for the pilot car’s dinner. You fly, I’ll buy. I have no problem buying a steak dinner when it means I can get a shower and some food.

Ever notice how these heavyhaulers seem to know each other in this forum? That is because the routing and stopping areas are few and far between. So, don’t be an A Hole if you are OSOW...it’s not like the rest of trucking where you will probably never see the person again.

 

Just have to think ahead more than usual when you're trying to park at 120'+. I know most every truck stop on my usual routes and where I can get in and where I can't.

If I'm headed somewhere new I pull up Google Maps on my phone and check out the satellite view. There's always cars and trucks around on there to use as a reference to judge how big a driveway or parking lot might be.

The streetview 360 images are good to see if there's any bad elevation changes going in and out of the driveway or a messed up ramp with turns that are too tight.

Asking pilot cars if they've ever been to a particular place is another source of information.

Checking state 511 websites will let you know of most long term construction that might have a ramp down to a single narrow lane or a road restricted to a narrow width that the load might not clear.

Having multiple stops planned for the end of the day is also good. Never know when you might get slowed down and not make your original stop or there's another guy who got there first and you have to go to the next one.

Sometimes you have to stop 3 hours early for the day because the next place you can fit is 3.5 hours away and you'll run into a curfew or HOS limit first.

I've had several occasions where I'll roll in and there's a pile of dry vans parked along the edge of a half empty lot. I have no problem knocking on doors and asking nicely for them to move to a spot. Most people will. If they won't I also have no problem parking them in until I am ready to leave in the morning.

 

Some of them like to block in our employee parking and our trucks and they won't move because THEY'RE ON ELD. Makes it hard in the morning or evening