Why Park Like That?

One thing that drives me crazy is people that park their bobtail in a full size parking spot WAY in the back of the spot so you can barely see them until you get eye to eye with the spot.

Why? I must be in the minority as i pull my bobtail even with everyone else.

It doesn't help with other people backing next to you. I think it's even harder because your reference is SO far back it's harder to judge. Also you **** people off when they think the spot is open.

Can anyone explain this to me pls. I must be missing something.

Some people just aren't courteous. If I can i try to park in a full spot when bobtail with another bobtail I will or I'll try to fit in a "create your own" spot. What is worse is when a person is bobtail in a full spot and there terminal is literally across the street....

A lot of places you can fit bobtails in the car lot too. The ones that irritate me are the pickup trucks with little u-hauls. They can park anywhere they want but they take our spots...

I asked about this on one of my companies facebook groups, the general answer I got was 1 of 3 reasons. they think it's funny, they are trying to be further away from apu's , engines, reefer , etc and they also think it makes it easier for people to back because by the time you reach them when they're backed all the way up you should be or are nearly straight so for the more difficult part of backing you have the equivlent of 2 spaces to work with it instead of just one.

the 3rd one I can understand and it makes sense but it's still really annoying when you're looking for a spot, think you found one only to find a BT in it. 2nd one is just stupid. if you can't sleep with the various engine noises around you... you're parked in the wrong parking lot and or you're in the wrong career. I have only had an issue with it once and that's because the guy had an air leak and so it would fill tanks, then cut out then fill again and the cut out was about every 25-30 seconds, drove me nuts!

you know what I hate more though... people who drop trailers in truck stops... especially when the TS has signs saying it'll be towed but they NEVER EVER tow them. I'm going to start taking a sharpie and writing on those signs the word "not" between "will" and "be" on the part where it says will be towed. I kind of want to go drop mine somewhere then play musical chairs with the other dropped trailers... kind of like that scene from the grinch movie (jim carrery version) where he's mixing the mail... yours was here now it's way over there and her was there now it's here... or maybe just drop it in the middle of the lot so they'll have to tow it to get it out of the way. maybe i'll just settle for removing their valve stems or something.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I asked about this on one of my companies facebook groups, the general answer I got was 1 of 3 reasons. they think it's funny, they are trying to be further away from apu's , engines, reefer , etc and they also think it makes it easier for people to back because by the time you reach them when they're backed all the way up you should be or are nearly straight so for the more difficult part of backing you have the equivlent of 2 spaces to work with it instead of just one.

the 3rd one I can understand and it makes sense but it's still really annoying when you're looking for a spot, think you found one only to find a BT in it. 2nd one is just stupid. if you can't sleep with the various engine noises around you... you're parked in the wrong parking lot and or you're in the wrong career. I have only had an issue with it once and that's because the guy had an air leak and so it would fill tanks, then cut out then fill again and the cut out was about every 25-30 seconds, drove me nuts!

you know what I hate more though... people who drop trailers in truck stops... especially when the TS has signs saying it'll be towed but they NEVER EVER tow them. I'm going to start taking a sharpie and writing on those signs the word "not" between "will" and "be" on the part where it says will be towed. I kind of want to go drop mine somewhere then play musical chairs with the other dropped trailers... kind of like that scene from the grinch movie (jim carrery version) where he's mixing the mail... yours was here now it's way over there and her was there now it's here... or maybe just drop it in the middle of the lot so they'll have to tow it to get it out of the way. maybe i'll just settle for removing their valve stems or something.

That is because people ask permission to drop trailers. We do it all the time. Or they may have bobtailed to a local grub house or grocery store.

Bobtail:

"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

One thing that drives me crazy is people that park their bobtail in a full size parking spot WAY in the back of the spot so you can barely see them until you get eye to eye with the spot.

Why? I must be in the minority as i pull my bobtail even with everyone else.

It doesn't help with other people backing next to you. I think it's even harder because your reference is SO far back it's harder to judge. Also you **** people off when they think the spot is open.

Can anyone explain this to me pls. I must be missing something.

I am one of those people who park like that. I can say, me reasons are not to be funny or to **** anyone off. I choose to park that way to block the wind, rain, engine noise and light (lot lamps and sun) .

the 3rd one I can understand and it makes sense but it's still really annoying when you're looking for a spot, think you found one only to find a BT in it. 2nd one is just stupid. if you can't sleep with the various engine noises around you... you're parked in the wrong parking lot and or you're in the wrong career.

I've never parked bobtail in a trailer space except short term, but i would do it because of noise. Even if you *can* deal with the noise, it doesn't mean you have to if there's an alternative. I could just as easily say that if you get that ****ed off just because you thought you saw a space and it turned out it wasn't empty, then you're in the wrong career.

It all comes back to respect and courtesy. Personally i wont BT in a full spot, because i can fit many places a guy with a trailer cant. I never drop my trailer at the local Loves when im home. I took time to find a place on my off time as should everyone else. He11 i even talked to a storage place and they let me pay $10 every time i come home and need a secure location. People just dont care about others anymore.

My word. Ok I'll take my turn. You know what ****es me off? Seeing a bunch of professional drivers see a legitimate question as an opportunity to badmouth their fellow drivers. You guys do realize the general populace doesn't really like truck drivers? We're all we've got, so can we try to get along?

And to answer the question, I've done it a few times. It makes it easier for someone else to back in next to me. And if parking is really limited, maybe another bobtail will pull in in front of me.

Phox, I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt cause you and I have a history on this forum,...but I have to call this out...

Phox wrote:

I'm going to start taking a sharpie and writing on those signs the word "not" between "will" and "be" on the part where it says will be towed.

Great idea Phox, defacing private property while a security camera records your antics. I can hear it now; "but Officer I thought it was funny", as he writes you a hefty fine.

Phox wrote this as well:

or maybe just drop it in the middle of the lot so they'll have to tow it to get it out of the way, or maybe i'll just settle for removing their valve stems or something.

Is that what you are going to do? That's an asinine statement. You are a Professional Driver now, working for a highly respected company, not some wet-behind-the-ears, know it all student. Behave like one, try to set an example! How can you be taken seriously when you write crap like this? No value...none.

You are obviously a smart man Phox, and thus far have succeeded as a truck driver. Commendable. As a result you are in a position to share your experiences with others and positively influence folks trying to follow in your footsteps. You have many people trying to distance themselves from a criminal past on this forum, struggling to get a second-chance to drive. Yet somehow you are compelled to encourage criminal mischief as a retaliatory move for a dropped trailer in a TS, thus squandering the respect you deserve for getting this far in this business. I don't care if you are kidding or trying to be funny, it's wrong, just plain wrong and does not represent what TT stands for.

I'll stop and let the others comment...