Where do you park during down time?

[carlos64030]

I just don't understand why I see so many trucks parked on on-ramps and other weird spots along the highways. Is it due to drivers not knowing how to manage their time and not getting to a truck stop, rest area, or some supermarket's parking lot before their work hours are expired?

I've never gotten to the point where I've had to park my truck in some area that I feel is unsafe. I'm usually parked at a Pilot or TA truck stop. So where do you park on your down time?

[dollarshort]

I am glad you are fortunate enough to never have to drive past 5:00 pm every day. That's the only way you will find parking in a truckstop every night.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

It will happen just give it time , As I would be willing every driver has parked an on ramp or 2 in their travels for one reason or another .

[mattocs]

Just from my years of driving cargo van and straigtht truck I can tell you the truck stops and rest areas fill up really quick. Anything past like 2PM and they are all full.

[Drew10]

carlos64030 said:

Is it due to drivers not knowing how to manage their time and not getting to a truck stop, rest area, or some supermarket's parking lot before their work hours are expired?

Sometimes....

Taking breaks on the ramps can be very dangerous. Especially off ramps. Let alone alot of states have laws against it, and it kinda leaves you open to the troopers waking you up and having you move on down the road. (assuming he also doesnt cit you).


BIG JEEP on 44's said:

It will happen just give it time , As I would be willing every driver has parked an on ramp or 2 in their travels for one reason or another .

Only long enough to Log on driving...

dollarshort said:

I am glad you are fortunate enough to never have to drive past 5:00 pm every day. That's the only way you will find parking in a truckstop every night.

With a few exceptions, I have always found a place in most truckstops at any hour. It may be back in the "cheap seats", but non the less. Even it you do a lap and find no parking, itll will only be a matter of a few minutes B4 someone will be leaving. After a certain hour most of the trucks parked are there for the night. However there are still a few that arent and will be leaving.

I prefer to overnight at my customers whenever possible, and its always good to know where the large "super centers" are located. Good places when all else fails.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

carlos64030 said:



BIG JEEP on 44's said:

It will happen just give it time , As I would be willing every driver has parked an on ramp or 2 in their travels for one reason or another .

Only long enough to Log on driving...

.

You don't count... :wink: running a dedicated freight lane like Office-max , As you can park the DC when waiting for the load ,and almost all office max stores have over night parking , So as long as you can plan at trip from DC to the stops and final location you will usually have reserned parking at those Office-max stores . Heck running office-max was the easiest freight I ever planned my shut downs around ,and liked the fact that shutting down at there stores over night guaranteed me room to pull ot my weights and set up my bench to lift weights .

DISCLAIMER :The following information is ficticious ,and just role playing information listed for entertainment purpouses by the internet identity BIg Jeep , And certainly has never been practiced in real life ...
:wink:

when I was 11 western I pulled off on ramps/shoulders all the time to log ln 1 then at half way mark jump back to line 3 I ran as much as 850 miles in one leg like that with a light load throgh the hills og utah/nevada/donner pass on my wayto our drop yard in Lathrop CA ,and then back to the flying-j in lodi showing only 10 hrs of drive time.. . You can also change the operating frequency of the Qualcom right from the drivers hand held ,which makes your truck go invisble to tracking for 18-24 hours ..no tracking no way to know you drove during that time I liked this with the 2 piece qualcom, instead of un hooking the hot wire running to the acessory switch on the ignition...which on a 387 the 2 wires run right behind the stereo ,so one could easily splice in a male/female connector to either one of those wires ...However many of the trucks still have 2 piece qualcom , and that you just un-hook the dome from the box which you do simply by lifting you bunk and a spin of one coax you're done , But make sure you sent your mac 46 , and then run ...But always make sure to wait 10hrs/15 minutes so just in case it bumps you to line 3 when you hook it back up you have hours ,and it doesn't put you in violation...There isn't any progam to look for miles driven just short breaks ,driving over hours ,and not sending a 46 . You can also un-hook the 46-pink connector from the 3 pice qualcom ,and use your handheld when moving ...this is the interface3 between the qualcom and ECM without it Overspeed/milage/RPMS/fuelconsumption...can not be tracked ...this also can be unhooked while leaving your qualcomm serviceable ,as logs will take a correction for line 3 to lin1-or 2 at request because without it no milage shows ...therfore no movement is recorded .

[line_transporter]

Yeah I dont think parking it on on-ramps is a good idea. It would take you a long time to catch up to highway speed if you're starting from zero on an on-ramp. I'd also make sure to leave the clearance lights on... a fourwheeler could miss you, even if you're 2.6m wide.

[kc0iv]

Yeah I dont think parking it on on-ramps is a good idea. It would take you a long time to catch up to highway speed if you're starting from zero on an on-ramp. I'd also make sure to leave the clearance lights on... a fourwheeler could miss you, even if you're 2.6m wide.

What would be the difference between starting from a on-ramp and turning onto a on-ramp from a side street as far as getting up to speed?

As far as parking on a on-ramp sometimes you have no choice. That is assuming you want to make money. A lot also depends on what part of the country you are in. It is pretty easy to find a T/S that still has parking in the western states. Gets pretty hard as you go east.

Shopping centers and supermarkets are putting up more and more NO TRUCK PARKING signs. In additions many are designed so that trucks can't get in except for the dock area.

kc0iv

[DD60]

Just from my years of driving cargo van and straigtht truck I can tell you the truck stops and rest areas fill up really quick. Anything past like 2PM and they are all full.

I have to call bull on this one. I usually rarely have a problem finding parking before 9:00 or 10:00pm. Most Truckstops I have been to still have plenty of parking in the rear of the lot at that hour yet I would still see idiots blocking the fuel islands and sitting in weird places because of pure lazyness. Those truckstops that get full that early are usually nasty inner-city dumps that I wouldn't want to stop at anyway even if they were the last place on earth. Planning ahead is the key here.It is not always possible but most of the time it is. If the pickup and delivery schedules are routinely forcing you to drive during late-night hours when parking is hard to find than you are working for the WRONG carrier.

[Double R]

Just from my years of driving cargo van and straigtht truck I can tell you the truck stops and rest areas fill up really quick. Anything past like 2PM and they are all full.

I have to call bull on this one. I usually rarely have a problem finding parking before 9:00 or 10:00pm. Most Truckstops I have been to still have plenty of parking in the rear of the lot at that hour yet I would still see idiots blocking the fuel islands and sitting in weird places because of pure lazyness. Those truckstops that get full that early are usually nasty inner-city dumps that I wouldn't want to stop at anyway even if they were the last place on earth. Planning ahead is the key here.It is not always possible but most of the time it is. If the pickup and delivery schedules are routinely forcing you to drive during late-night hours when parking is hard to find than you are working for the WRONG carrier.

That's because you don't deliver in the North East 8) . Try taking some more loads out this way and then say that

[DD60]

Just from my years of driving cargo van and straigtht truck I can tell you the truck stops and rest areas fill up really quick. Anything past like 2PM and they are all full.

I have to call bull on this one. I usually rarely have a problem finding parking before 9:00 or 10:00pm. Most Truckstops I have been to still have plenty of parking in the rear of the lot at that hour yet I would still see idiots blocking the fuel islands and sitting in weird places because of pure lazyness. Those truckstops that get full that early are usually nasty inner-city dumps that I wouldn't want to stop at anyway even if they were the last place on earth. Planning ahead is the key here.It is not always possible but most of the time it is. If the pickup and delivery schedules are routinely forcing you to drive during late-night hours when parking is hard to find than you are working for the WRONG carrier.

That's because you don't deliver in the North East 8) . Try taking some more loads out this way and then say that

I don't miss it much either. However,A few years ago when I stopped at Vince Lombardi there were still plenty of spots left at 5:00pm. The TA in Joisey on I-80 still had some left at 11:00pm. :shock: The soon-to-be-Petro in Frystown still had parking left at 8:00pm. Granted I haven't been to PA in about 2 years and my last trip to Jersey was in 2004.

[Double R]

Just from my years of driving cargo van and straigtht truck I can tell you the truck stops and rest areas fill up really quick. Anything past like 2PM and they are all full.

I have to call bull on this one. I usually rarely have a problem finding parking before 9:00 or 10:00pm. Most Truckstops I have been to still have plenty of parking in the rear of the lot at that hour yet I would still see idiots blocking the fuel islands and sitting in weird places because of pure lazyness. Those truckstops that get full that early are usually nasty inner-city dumps that I wouldn't want to stop at anyway even if they were the last place on earth. Planning ahead is the key here.It is not always possible but most of the time it is. If the pickup and delivery schedules are routinely forcing you to drive during late-night hours when parking is hard to find than you are working for the WRONG carrier.

That's because you don't deliver in the North East 8) . Try taking some more loads out this way and then say that

I don't miss it much either. However,A few years ago when I stopped at Vince Lombardi there were still plenty of spots left at 5:00pm. The TA in Joisey on I-80 still had some left at 11:00pm. :shock: The soon-to-be-Petro in Frystown still had parking left at 8:00pm. Granted I haven't been to PA in about 2 years and my last trip to Jersey was in 2004.

The "Vince"(my old monday home last year) is never really full. Drivers come and go.
The T/A in NJ on 80, has a huge lot and drivers come and go. Same with Fyrstown.
Now, the Petro in Bordentown, Packed after sundown until about 4AM
The Pilot next to it, packed by NOON and that ain't no bull. Seen that many times, noon and no parking :shock:
You need to see the NE more often. Traffic is fun to play in

[gmh]

DISCLAIMER :The following information is ficticious ,and just role playing information listed for entertainment purpouses by the internet identity BIg Jeep , And certainly has never been practiced in real life ...
:wink:

when I was 11 western I pulled off on ramps/shoulders all the time to log ln 1 then at half way mark jump back to line 3 I ran as much as 850 miles in one leg like that with a light load throgh the hills og utah/nevada/donner pass on my wayto our drop yard in Lathrop CA ,and then back to the flying-j in lodi showing only 10 hrs of drive time.. . You can also change the operating frequency of the Qualcom right from the drivers hand held ,which makes your truck go invisble to tracking for 18-24 hours ..no tracking no way to know you drove during that time I liked this with the 2 piece qualcom, instead of un hooking the hot wire running to the acessory switch on the ignition...which on a 387 the 2 wires run right behind the stereo ,so one could easily splice in a male/female connector to either one of those wires ...However many of the trucks still have 2 piece qualcom , and that you just un-hook the dome from the box which you do simply by lifting you bunk and a spin of one coax you're done , But make sure you sent your mac 46 , and then run ...But always make sure to wait 10hrs/15 minutes so just in case it bumps you to line 3 when you hook it back up you have hours ,and it doesn't put you in violation...There isn't any progam to look for miles driven just short breaks ,driving over hours ,and not sending a 46 . You can also un-hook the 46-pink connector from the 3 pice qualcom ,and use your handheld when moving ...this is the interface3 between the qualcom and ECM without it Overspeed/milage/RPMS/fuelconsumption...can not be tracked ...this also can be unhooked while leaving your qualcomm serviceable ,as logs will take a correction for line 3 to lin1-or 2 at request because without it no milage shows ...therfore no movement is recorded .

QFT. And since this is totally fictional, I suggest you begin writing a book (a comic book?) of the totally fictional things you come up with.

[DD60]

You need to see the NE more often. Traffic is fun to play in


Im sure my time is soon coming. Traffic in L.A. isn't exactly a picnic either. I was in that area twice last week.

[line_transporter]

Yeah I dont think parking it on on-ramps is a good idea. It would take you a long time to catch up to highway speed if you're starting from zero on an on-ramp. I'd also make sure to leave the clearance lights on... a fourwheeler could miss you, even if you're 2.6m wide.

What would be the difference between starting from a on-ramp and turning onto a on-ramp from a side street as far as getting up to speed?
.kc0iv

Well, as far as gaining enough speed, I meant that if you're parked close to the area where you merge into the highway traffic, you may have to go through the shifting quickly, because you're not starting off from the beginning of that on-ramp... (in which case you'd have more momentum or speed.).

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Yeah I dont think parking it on on-ramps is a good idea. It would take you a long time to catch up to highway speed if you're starting from zero on an on-ramp. I'd also make sure to leave the clearance lights on... a fourwheeler could miss you, even if you're 2.6m wide.

What would be the difference between starting from a on-ramp and turning onto a on-ramp from a side street as far as getting up to speed?
.kc0iv

Well, as far as gaining enough speed, I meant that if you're parked close to the area where you merge into the highway traffic, you may have to go through the shifting quickly, because you're not starting off from the beginning of that on-ramp... (in which case you'd have more momentum or speed.).

The only dangerous thing about parking a shoulder is you don't know if it will hold the weight of the truck ...But as long as it can ,and it's plenty large enough to get well off the road there isn't any legitament excuse for a car to hit you while parked there , and if they do they should have their vision checked ...As for merging into traffic it's really not an issue . But in 2.5 years I only the shoulder of a rampfor 10hr break 1x comming south on the 15 out of Utah ,which is pretty empty then after I parked about 4 other trucks appeared behind me I have parked the about 3X on an on ramp to take a brief nap when I was to tired to safely drive during the night ,and needed the rest to safely continue , But other than it's rare ...And this was driving with Werner had I had a paper log book I would never had to have shut down on a ramp in the last 2.5 years .

[mbadriver]

It's usually Swifties or Weeners. I did it once, Walmart DC, Mount Crawford, VA. Totally out of hours. Schmucks wouldn't even let me park on the service road. A Smith truck had taken the one slot by the closed down gas station just as you enter the DC. Totally sucked I will drive hours over before I do that again.

I just don't understand why I see so many trucks parked on on-ramps and other weird spots along the highways. Is it due to drivers not knowing how to manage their time and not getting to a truck stop, rest area, or some supermarket's parking lot before their work hours are expired?

I've never gotten to the point where I've had to park my truck in some area that I feel is unsafe. I'm usually parked at a Pilot or TA truck stop. So where do you park on your down time?

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

It's usually Swifties or Weeners. I did it once, Walmart DC, Mount Crawford, VA. Totally out of hours. Schmucks wouldn't even let me park on the service road. A Smith truck had taken the one slot by the closed down gas station just as you enter the DC. Totally sucked I will drive hours over before I do that again.

I just don't understand why I see so many trucks parked on on-ramps and other weird spots along the highways. Is it due to drivers not knowing how to manage their time and not getting to a truck stop, rest area, or some supermarket's parking lot before their work hours are expired?

I've never gotten to the point where I've had to park my truck in some area that I feel is unsafe. I'm usually parked at a Pilot or TA truck stop. So where do you park on your down time?

I'll have to disagree on it being WEENIES parking the shoulders/ onramps I 've done it 1x in 2.5 years for a 10 hr for the same reason you mentioned ,and then a couple times to take a quick nap after getting crappy sleep and driving at night working off of gain back hours and the rest areas being beyond packed leaving the ramp my only choice ...However it is strictly forbidden by Werner policy to park/stop on shoulders /ramps...infact the times I did it I was plain in the middle of nowhere ,and still was worried about getting caught for this , And drivers have been terminated on the spot when caught doing this , So you will rarely see a werner on a ramp/shoulder , As it could cost you your job right on the spot , So yes it's done ,but a driver has to be desperate like I was to do it .

[mbadriver]

It's usually Swifties or Weeners. I did it once, Walmart DC, Mount Crawford, VA. Totally out of hours. Schmucks wouldn't even let me park on the service road. A Smith truck had taken the one slot by the closed down gas station just as you enter the DC. Totally sucked I will drive hours over before I do that again.

I just don't understand why I see so many trucks parked on on-ramps and other weird spots along the highways. Is it due to drivers not knowing how to manage their time and not getting to a truck stop, rest area, or some supermarket's parking lot before their work hours are expired?

I've never gotten to the point where I've had to park my truck in some area that I feel is unsafe. I'm usually parked at a Pilot or TA truck stop. So where do you park on your down time?

I'll have to disagree on it being WEENIES parking the shoulders/ onramps I 've done it 1x in 2.5 years for a 10 hr for the same reason you mentioned ,and then a couple times to take a quick nap after getting crappy sleep and driving at night working off of gain back hours and the rest areas being beyond packed leaving the ramp my only choice ...However it is strictly forbidden by Werner policy to park/stop on shoulders /ramps...infact the times I did it I was plain in the middle of nowhere ,and still was worried about getting caught for this , And drivers have been terminated on the spot when caught doing this , So you will rarely see a werner on a ramp/shoulder , As it could cost you your job right on the spot , So yes it's done ,but a driver has to be desperate like I was to do it .

We all have done it once out of desperation. Just stating my observations. You will also see a lot of CRE's on the on/off ramps. Pick your fleet of the many training companies and those are the ones that park on the on/off ramps, in front of the scales, fire lanes, and anywhere else that doesn't require a night time 90-degree jack.

I don't think any company permits parking parking on the ramps. But, a truckers gotta do what a truckers gotta do. Most of us eventually figure it out.

Be safe and watch for ice on the bridges

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

It's usually Swifties or Weeners. I did it once, Walmart DC, Mount Crawford, VA. Totally out of hours. Schmucks wouldn't even let me park on the service road. A Smith truck had taken the one slot by the closed down gas station just as you enter the DC. Totally sucked I will drive hours over before I do that again.

I just don't understand why I see so many trucks parked on on-ramps and other weird spots along the highways. Is it due to drivers not knowing how to manage their time and not getting to a truck stop, rest area, or some supermarket's parking lot before their work hours are expired?

I've never gotten to the point where I've had to park my truck in some area that I feel is unsafe. I'm usually parked at a Pilot or TA truck stop. So where do you park on your down time?

I'll have to disagree on it being WEENIES parking the shoulders/ onramps I 've done it 1x in 2.5 years for a 10 hr for the same reason you mentioned ,and then a couple times to take a quick nap after getting crappy sleep and driving at night working off of gain back hours and the rest areas being beyond packed leaving the ramp my only choice ...However it is strictly forbidden by Werner policy to park/stop on shoulders /ramps...infact the times I did it I was plain in the middle of nowhere ,and still was worried about getting caught for this , And drivers have been terminated on the spot when caught doing this , So you will rarely see a werner on a ramp/shoulder , As it could cost you your job right on the spot , So yes it's done ,but a driver has to be desperate like I was to do it .

We all have done it once out of desperation. Just stating my observations. You will also see a lot of CRE's on the on/off ramps. Pick your fleet of the many training companies and those are the ones that park on the on/off ramps, in front of the scales, fire lanes, and anywhere else that doesn't require a night time 90-degree jack.

I don't think any company permits parking parking on the ramps. But, a truckers gotta do what a truckers gotta do. Most of us eventually figure it out.

Be safe and watch for ice on the bridges

Most drivers end up doing baastasrdized 90 degree backs at truck stops simply because they hold the turn far to long waiting until the trailer is square with the hole they are backing leaving them sitting about 10-15 ft out in front of the hole bent at a 90 degree angle and either no room or little room up front to get back under the trailer when if they would realize that once thay get the angle to about 45 degrees they can start getting back under the trailer as the trailer is going to continue bend into the angle until the nose of the truck is straight with the trailer putting your rear about 10 feet in the hole making tons of room at the nose to get back under the trailer making it look like you had a ton of room compared to 90 degree jacks 10-15 feet in front of the hole .