[MichiganDriver]

Originally Posted by repete

I picked up a copy of "The Next Exit" for when I was on vacation and it really came in handy. It lists Walmarts/Lowes/Home depotgas stations and truck stops along with food and even lists how far off the interstate.

I just bought mine yesterday and it came in handy right off the bat. I knew what truck stop I was going to stay at but I had no food in my fridge and the book said all they had there was McDonalds and Subway. The book said I'd find good food an exit before the truck stop and it all worked out.

"The Next Exit" +1

[freebirdrfd]

I park my truck at the yard and come home every night

[trux]

I use Truck Stops Plus with MS Streets and Trips.

Truck Stops Plus

It's got all the major names and most of the small truck stops. Also, WalMart Super Centers, all the rest areas, Blue Beacon washes, state scales.

[strawberryrhubarbpie]

I'm not a trucker (yet) but wanted to put in my 2 cents. I have seen some McDonalds with truck parking on the side. There is one in Bradenton, Florida that allows the trucks to stay overnight. There is only about 6 spots but at least it's something. There's a gas station across the street from it with a few more spots for trucks. And a week ago I parked my dump truck in a Walmart parking lot overnight without any problems. There were 2 other tractor/trailers there for the night also. So I guess it just depends on the Walmart. I like the idea of starting early and ending early, that's what I would do.

[Mystikal]

I've used what Trux did and it usually worked. But, another option is to use google maps and search for gas stations and stores in the local area. You can zoom in and most of the time see if any have truck parking. I foudn that even in the truck stop guide MANY were not listed, but I was able to see what was around on the overhead and found easy parking that way.

[rkeck]

Truck parking (for reset breaks) is probably the biggest problem drivers (experienced and not) will deal with ... every day. Especially on the eastern seaboard. There is no simple answer. You will learn to get creative and look for "abnormal" locations. I've pulled off into industrial and warehouse areas at 9pm to lay down for 8-9 hours. Walmarts are not at all consistent. 1/3 are truck friendly, 1/3 are anti-truck, and the other 1/3 are "questionable" and difficult at best. But you can't blame any business for trying to discourage truckers because once you allow ONE truck to park at night, next think you know there are 20 trucks trashing the lot, EVERY night. Walmarts, Lowes, etc (except for a few select locations) should be avoided as a routine sleep-over spot because it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when will you "find yourself in a problem situation". Some early shift workers will park immediately in front of and/or in back of a trucker at 6:00 just to piss them off and f%ck up their day. Then, there are the truckers who can't get themselves to get moving at a reasonable hour and wonder why they can't move from their cramped parking spot at 9:00 am

[Instigator]

Planing ahead helps but I always hit my GPS for the next truck stop and take my chances. Sometimes I am good to go and others its crowded beyond belief. I usually find a spot to park, you need to have patients and keep driving around, sooner or later you will find something. If not, I just keep driving till I find a spot. You should not get a ticket under the new rules for driving over your 11 hour rule when you cant find a spot to park, its the same as when bad weather hits you get an additional 2 hours of drive time. As long as you properly document where you tried to park you should be fine.

Also, I have found spots by asking over the cb if anyone is getting ready to leave because I am over my hours, works ever time. I also have found that many many drivers cant park there trucks straight enough to allow for others to back in to tight spots, many rookies out there that just whip it in to a spot without thinking about the next guy, what would it take to pull forward and straighten out your truck in the spot?

After 30 plus years driving, I cant believe what I still see in truck stops, its actually very entertaining at best watching the new guys backing i
n!

[repete]

I have a perfect example why so many places don't want trucks on the property and why we as drivers have a bad rep.
I went down to the lot where I park my truck and lo&behold there's a couple other trucks parked with one almost blocking me in. At first I wasn't going to say anything but as I did my pretrip I see that one truck had backed up into the fence and bent the poles, I don't want to get blamed so I called the property managment Co and they sent the mngr down.
Turns out he is a she and a very good looking and very small too 5' tops and no more than 100lbs, anyway she checks out the damage and isn't to worried about it but does want the other trucks gone. I'm in my truck doing my log as she tells driver#1 that he had to leave . What happened next I still can't understand, the driver got out of his truck and got right up in her face and started giveing her some lip! This guy (o/o I believe POS truck) looked and smelled like he hadn't seen a shower in at least a week and his teeth looked like a brown picket fence and he's right up in this girls face waving his arms, she backed up with a scared look on her face and he steps closer! He must not have known I was there cause when I came around the front of my truck with thumper he looked surprised. At that point he decided leaveing would be a good idea and when he did he went up over the curb on the grass a good 3-4 feet!What would have happened if I wasn't there?
The other driver never came to the door even tho we saw the curtains move and at that point she decided to let the LOE's handle it.
ANY WONDER WHY WERE NOT WELCOME ? It's crap like this that pizzes me off!