you know professional drivers dont use restrooms. they do cat-walk checks or pee in bottles and throw them in the ditch as they leave the rest area.

 

It is criminal to close rest areas. I am required by safety and the law to periodical to check the load, truck equipment, and myself. To think that I can just stop find any truckstop to do this is inefficient and dangerous. It only takes a few minutes to use a rest area's facilities, bump the truck tires, load securement and hit the road. Stopping at a truckstop to do these checks is a major time waster!

I would encourage the federal law to be changed so that rest areas on the Interstate Highway System could become service areas. It works well on most of the state toll roads(except Massachusetts :-( ).

 

I would like to see the rest areas opened, but I don't think that we need the feds to come in and legislate it.

 

I have to disagree. The states see closing them as a cost-cutting measure. It should be federal law that there are truck-accessible rest areas every so number of miles that are open 24 hours a day, with a certain number of parking spaces per rest area.

 

I agree with the other 2 on Federally operated rest areas. If the Feds are going to write the HOS rules then they need to start going after these states that are closing the rest stops or take over those rest stops so that the truckers can still abide by the HOS.

 

It was interesting coming south into VA the other day on I-81 and seeing a sign that said "Next rest area 120 miles" - it's the first time I'll say I'm glad I don't run down there.

 

Yup. They want us well rested and safe. They just dont want us "around". They dont want to see us, listen to our trucks, or give us a place to park.

 

Man, Ain't that the truth. Nobody cares until they cant fill there piehole or wipe there ass.

btw, for those that run FL, they closed the I-4 EB rest area just before you get to I95 last month in my neck of the woods. That was a pretty popular parking spot with a dumpster and no restrooms. Probably cost more to throw the sod and fence it off than it did to keep it open.

 

So, how are you going to pay for it? Another TAX? :deal:

 

No - they need to stop taking money from the highway fund and putting it into other crap in the state that has absolutely nothing to do with transportation.