Why pay for reserved parking when truck stops will let anybody park there for free!?!

Some places are bad about getting rid of squatters, but some are good.
The TA in Denver is a good one. They get security out there to move the people that didn't pay, and will get a tow truck if needed.

 

They don't tow unfortunately. However they will tow you if you sleep in the fuel island.

 

Easy. When you get low on hours you leave. It's not that hard...

 

Can't. If I'd have left I would have lost my job.

Not that hard.

 

If you were there for that long why didn’t you make sure you had at least 7 hours in the sleeper so you could do a split? At the very least even being off duty for that long would’ve paused your 14. Or did you go in almost out of drive time and were planning on parking once out of there?

If I was low on drive time going in and there was a big delay like that I would’ve started looking for reserved parking once it was apparent things weren’t going well, that way I’d know I have a spot and wouldn’t have to drive around on PC looking for one. Unless you were in an area that only has a Loves and mom and pops with no pay parking.

And no sane company would ever fire someone for following regulations.

 

I had no idea I would be there that long. We were all talking on the radio thinking once the ambulance came and got the guy and a driver showed up to move his truck off the scale we would begin moving. That only took about 3 hours. But safety had to come out and do a full investigation and report. That took 6 more.

Also, according to the company I worked for at the time, you were not allowed to show off duty at a shipper or receiver. We had gotten pinged many times on DOT inspections for showing off duty or sleeper at those places so they would fire you if you did that. I no longer work for them.

 

I didn’t think about a company having their own rules like that. That would definitely tie your hands in that situation.

 

Find a better company, Not that hard.

 

Go watch a 2-minute video of Ralph Trucking on Youtube. He was at the Pilot in Strawberry Plains, Tn. and had paid $18.57 for a reserved spot. The App showed 8 out of 16 still open. They were all full and Pilot told him they don't ask the non-payers to leave. The lot was a complete disaster. Trucks parked everywhere. I can imagine what it's like there when you want to leave in the morning. So, I guess as usual, we all just have to adjust to the lowest common denominator. All the guys that park in the fuel island, block you in so you can't leave when you want, and the guys who steal a paid spot, IMO have officially won. BTW...I have always been a supporter of Reserved Parking. Not anymore. I'm joining the "It's just a money grab" team now. That's the only thing it can be when it isn't enforced. Basically, they're saying "If you're dumb enough to pay us for a parking spot, we'll gladly take your money. For the guys that don't want to pay, take it anyway."

 

If Im paying for a spot its because I have so many points to use I figure "why not?"... Wouldnt do it with real money.

I havent fueled at the fish hook in over 2 years. I still bring home a pizza about once a month or so and Im still over $100 in points yet...

I think I got around $300 on my TA card.