Ramp Parkers

Ryan tries to nitpick:

But, this doesn't mean that a driver shouldn't have an idea as to how far in the direction of one's destination a driver can go

I never said that, or anything like it. You should pay closer attention to the context in which I spoke.

I don't disagree with you, but I do think that you are not being intellectually honest in responding to the idea of planning a place to park at the beginning of one's trip.

That's because I wasn't responding to that at all. I was however responding to the notion that anyone who doesn't plan a place to park is a failure.

Try to keep up.

I don't agree with your take on the subject. You see it as nitpicking. So be it. My opinion doesn't change and my choice in voicing my opinion doesn't change.

Our collective lack of care of your opinion doesn't change either.

*like

Our collective lack of care of your opinion doesn't change either.

Exactly! I can appreciate a good trip plan, but I've never been one to know where I'm stopping for lunch, much less the night, until a few hours from shutting down.

Also helps me to be rolling no later than 4am so any truck/rest stops have plenty of parking when I arrive.

I agreed with everything you said.....until this:

To me the thought of starting a shift without knowing where and when I'm going to stop and how far I'm going to drive is a failure.

In my very successful OTR career, I almost never knew where I was going to park at the end of the day, or how far I would drive. There were far too many variables in my day for me to plan 14 hours ahead. Locking myself into a predetermined parking spot could cost me miles and productivity.

Rather, I'd do the best I could until just a couple hours before my shift ended. Then I would look ahead and map out a plan for where to park the truck. And I never had to park on a ramp.

The only exception is when I knew I'd make it to a customer's location for the night. Then it would just make more sense to stay there. Otherwise, I'm grabbing all the miles I can until it's time to start thinking of where to park.

And if you end up parking on a ramp, at least make sure it's not the off-ramp!

I always wonder who in their right mind does that every time I see it.

Last night I got rousted out of a rest area on I81 just north of Marion, VA by a state trooper. Went on PC to a nearby truck stop.

I was parked on the left side in the rest area just before the entrance ramp back to the highway started. Thought I was OK, but still had to move.

Surprise, surprise. I guess there is no Santa in Virginia, lol.

Last night I got rousted out of a rest area on I81 just north of Marion, VA by a state trooper. Went on PC to a nearby truck stop.

I was parked on the left side in the rest area just before the entrance ramp back to the highway started. Thought I was OK, but still had to move.

Surprise, surprise. I guess there is no Santa in Virginia, lol.

The rest stop ramps are marked No Parking in VA, just like most of the ramps

Last night I got rousted out of a rest area on I81 just north of Marion, VA by a state trooper. Went on PC to a nearby truck stop.

I was parked on the left side in the rest area just before the entrance ramp back to the highway started. Thought I was OK, but still had to move.

Surprise, surprise. I guess there is no Santa in Virginia, lol.

The rest stop ramps are marked No Parking in VA, just like most of the ramps

Wasn’t actually on a ramp, that’s what surprised me. But I know VA is very strict about enforcement.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. I am of the same mindset as Davey. I generally know where I am parking before I even start my shift based on my current load and preplan. But there are a lot of guys that prefer to go all out running out their clocks and sort out parking later. Different approaches work for different people.

Regardless of what anyone’s position is on parking on the Ramp, one thing that is unprofessional and crappy however is when you’re at a rest area or a truckstop and you wake up to find someone parked right in front of you leaving just a few feet of space and it takes you 10 minutes to wiggle out back and forth of that spot. That practice is simply the result of poor trip planning and lack of consideration for fellow drivers.

I'm not a fan of parking or taking breaks on ramps or the side of the road. I understand why people do it except on the side of the road where there is no runup to get back onto the road without slowing traffic.

When I trip plan, I pick 3 or 4 places I might stay when I'm ready to shut down for the day, but I go for what I can get within my allowable drive time. I play it by ear and feel as my 11 or 14 wind down. I always err on the side of caution. This approach has yet to leave me stranded on the side of the road or an on-ramp. I've always been fortunate enough to stay at one of the 3 or 4 places I've picked, or I'm well short of that in a truck stop or rest stop.

With that said, I have at least 1/2 a dozen ramps in my back pocket if I ever get caught behind the clock needing to maximize time and I would never throw my trash bags and litter the side of the ramp like so many do.