Parking Questions

I have to head northward Monday for Tuesday pick up and have never been in the Toledo and Detroit areas so was wondering where a safe place to park overnight would be. Was told by others to get out of Detroit before dark because this area was dangerous. I found a Pilot truck stop in Toledo and was wondering if it was safe here? Also planning on getting there Monday around 8ish in the evening and was wondering if that late if it would be hard to find a spot. Thanks for the info!

Usually speaking almost any truck stop would be full at 8pm. Detroit and any large cities do not have the best reputation for your safety so use your gut feeling. Good luck.

Brian, For Truck Stop locations, it's hard to beat the Trucker Path app.

As for your request, here's Tucker Path's view of Detroit:

Check the (unmoderated) reviews to be sure. Yes, central Detroit is an interesting place at night. Must larger truck stops are ok, though.

Oh! Don't forget to get a Detroit Coney Dog or two!

Brian, any Pilot should be ok, even in the Detroit area. Stay as far out from the city center as possible and try to do your driving in and around Detroit in daylight. Parking at the Pilot at 20:00 is just the luck of the draw. It’s best to call ahead or use their app to reserve a paid spot to be sure. In my experience, Petro and TA tend to have larger lots. Does your company pay for your parking? That’s a great advantage if they do. In a pinch, I usually look for a Pilot because the free parking might be full but there are usually paid spots open.

My first part of my parking plan is to check with the customer to see if they allow overnight parking. That’s sometimes noted on my Qualcomm assignment or sometimes I have to call the customer to find out.

I go to Michigan regularly, but not to the Detroit area ever. So I’m not an authority on safety there. But if I got an assignment there, I would really try to do everything I needed to do during daylight hours, especially the first time I went. That may not always be possible, so exercise your situational awareness and keep a good padlock on your trailer. Common sense rules the day, or night.

I was just in that area a couple weeks ago. I delivered first in Napoleon, OH on US-24 and then 100 miles to Detroit for final stop.

There was good parking in Napoleon. I would check it out on Trucker Path app as Errol recommended

The highway is US-24/US-6

Brian, most truck stops will be just fine. But, if you can get yourself to Toledo and it's not out of the way, get there. Not too far from there, in Perrysburg, Ohio, at the 280/76 interchange, there is a Love's, TA, Petro, Mr. Fuel, Pilot, and Flying J. My favorite is the Petro across from the Love's because it has plenty of parking and a restaurant.

Also, there is a Love's just south of Detroit in Monroe, MI en route to Toledo. ALL of these should have spots at 8:00 pm.

Best of luck. I'm sure it will work out for you!

FWIW, the service stations on the I-80 toll road are my cup of tea. Very nice places.

When in doubt, I'll try to find a rest area before a truck stop. I dunno why but I just find rest areas more serene. Well, some are.