Oops...
 

I backed into a parked truck last night at the Pilot in Carlisle, PA. It sounded bad but it only cracked the right front bumper. He was parked at the end of the row facing east. I was backing east into a spot on the back row. My right rear drive tire struck his right front bumper. I've been to that truck stop a couple dozen times and have never tried parking there until last night. I didn't need fuel, just wanted to run in get a burger and go. Anyone who has been there knows how crowded that fuel island canbe at times. The side of the truck I hit was like the dark side of the moon. Didn't see it in my mirrors at all.

Lesson learned. Don't back up in dark, crowded truck stops if you don't have to. :twisted:

Or just avoid crappy truckstops like that one. :wink:

Or G.O.A.L.!
Lesson learned hopefully!
You didn't say.....what'd the other driver have to say?

The other driver said he saw me coming and thought I'd stop. He was cool, said it happens to everybody. That still didn't make me feel any better.


Yes Rev., I will heed that advice. :)

You stopped...that is the big thing. Next time..Petro or Hook it!!

I crunched the fender of a 379 pete last month ...At pilot in midland ,TX ...I hadto pee when i pulled into fuel ,and after fueling pulled off the fuel aisle to go park and use the rest room...long story short I had 2 go pretty good and I decided 2 blind side the first closest slot...Well it was 2 empty spots side by side and that's why i let myself do it ...Well I had it dead on perfect ,but when I went to get back under it I had a brainfart and spun the wheel full lock ...LEFT...like i was sight side ,and in just only a split 2nd I hit that fender...But It gets better ,because after hitting when I attemted to move I put the truck in...REVERSE...instead of drive ,and ate a little more of his fender and now his head light...

Best is to avoid PILOT like the PLAGUE!!!
Two trips into a Pilot and I had $2600 damage to my truck that I had to dig out of my own pocket to have it fixed. Pilot sets you up for it, but they're not responsible for the damage. Best is to simply DON'T GO THERE.

Some of the Js and Petros aren't so hot, either. Especially (in the case of Petros) where Idleaire came in and messed up the parking spots.

I never plan on Carlisle as a stopping spot. Yeah, I get ya, you're running in to grab a burger. So it's not like you were dead tired and needing a spot to sleep. Still. Even in the middle of the day, I'd rather go on up the road to a service plaza or there's a few truck stops going up 81 to 78.

Well that sucks. But at least it was minor damage and the other driver didn't freak out. And you didn't try to take off. It always makes me mad when I hear about a guy who took off after hitting someone else's truck.

There's one Northbound right past the 81-78 split at the Pine Grove exit off of 81. It is pretty small however... :wink:

The only reason I use Pilot is to fuel up so I can get those driver points. :roll:

The first truck stop I ever fueled in was a Pilot in Ft. Worth. I was bobtailing so it went like this.

Me: Give me a $100 on pump 5
Cashier: Do you want diesel or reefer?
Me: It says diesel on the tank so better give me diesel. :lol:

I was in Carlisle last night. I drove right past the Pilot and fueled up at the Petro. Didn't hit anything either.:mrgreen:

I drove right past Carlisle last night and stopped at a service plaza. :wink:

LOL I felt like I was being followed. :lol:

These past few days have been hell. Left Graniteville, SC on Wednesday around 6:00 PM, got to York, PA on Thursday at about 4:30 AM. Headed out of York on Thursday at around 4:00 PM with a 4 stop load: one in PA about 60 miles from where I loaded, one in the Cincinnati area, and two up in Michigan.

About 1600 miles I think. Too tired to do the math though. I hate overnight runs.

I got lost in York when I first started dong this run. Sometimes we have a stop down in Hanover and I would take 30 to 222 back to the turnpike to Langhorne, PA. Well, I don't know what I did but I missed a turn or an exit on 30and found myself lost in York through some tight a$$ spots before I found my way out.

Get some rest Rev!

I you're an O/O paying cash or check, Pilot can be a real PITA to get fuel at. You have to go in and give them your cash (and usually argue with the attendant to get a receipt for giving them the cash) or have them verify the check first (and they ALWAYS swap the routing numbers and the account numbers- and then the attendant looks at you like a crook and tell you your check isn't valid- and then you have to explain to them that they did something wrong because you write checks ALL THE TIME through check link- and they look at you like a crook and run it again and you have to WATCH them to make sure they put the account number in for the account number and the routing number for the routing number- and they take offense to you when you tell them they put the numbers in backwards and NEVER EVER EVER apologize or admit that they did it wrong even though that's ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS what happened- I even had one tell me that my numbers were backwards on the check- wow).

That's why I'm a Flying J girl (and no- I don't mean I'm wearing short shorts and a tight top- you wouldn't want to see that anyway ;) )

If you got out and looked, you wouldn't have hit anything but air.

How does any truckstop set you up for an accident?, If drivers got out of their truck to look, instead of thinking they are too good, or a Supertrucker, there wouldn't be truckstop accidents. Any backing accident is a Preventable Accident. If you don't get out and look in tough situations, it's nothing more but pure laziness.

Most drivers drive through the truckstop like it is the Daytona 500, no wonder there are so many incidents.

If I thought that there was anything to get out and look at I would have done so.:rolleyes:

And, now you can mark it up to an "ERROR IN JUDGEMENT". But, what was your first mistake? Not getting out and looking? Or, perhaps, choosing a Pilot in the first place?

Yes there was an error in judgement, fatigue, and you're right that if I hadn't been at that particular truckstop the accident probably would have never happened.

The Company I drive for fuels exclusively at Flying Hooks.....Trust me......The J has more than their fair share of mental deficients......At least the ones I go to regularly...Amarillo,Houston,San Antonio,Lubbock and Baytown,Texas and Shreeveport,La......Limon Colorado too......

Pretty well sums it up, doesn't it?

Thought? You thought wrong.

Next time, G.O.A.L. and you'll know.

Try to stay at the customer as much as possible or somewhere besides a truckstop. I really, really don't want anyone to hit me... If I can't find one of those hard to find "perfect" spots at a truck stop then I'll park on a on ramp where it's legal or behind a strip mall. They may not be convient but I sleep like a rock, nothing will wake me up, not even two screaming meanies so if someone was to hit me, I wouldn't even notice it until it's to late and they are gone!

I don't normally park at truck stops. I am on a team run that keeps me out 24-27 hours at a time twice a week then back home. Don't worry. If I hit your truck I'll leave a note on your windshield with all the necessary info. ;)

I know you're just joking about the TWO screaming meenies, but if you sleep that soundly, perhaps you'd be better off in a truckstop. That way, if someone hits you, MAYBE someone else will have seen him and taken down the information. Then, you just have to hope you wake up before He and everyone else in the truckstop has left! :D

Not arguing with your statement in general, but to answer your question...

Many truckstops are like the Petro in Little Rock. The entire back row is set up angled in the WRONG direction. You HAVE to blindside to back in there. This was stupid. There is no reason that row couldn't have been angled the other way and they would all have been "sight-side" backs.

I've seen this many times. But, sure.... if you GOAL, it shouldn't be an accident waiting to happen, but it IS a "setup" for disaster.