Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by A_Harman
Originally Posted by y_p_w
There's one last rest area around here, and the truck parking area is often full with sleeper cabs. But there's no parking past a sign. Saw CHP knocking on a sleeper cab way past the sign once. Not sure if the driver got a citation or was told to leave. Has to be tough when a rest break is all planned out but there's no place to legally park.
Don't some Wal-Marts allow overnight RVs and truck parking?
I've slept on the ramps of rest areas before where the signs say "No Parking", and haven't had a problem. But I think it depends on the state. I can see California being more strict about that kind of thing. I got hassled by a rest area custodian in New York once for parking my RV trailer across 6 car parking spots in the dead of winter, but I just moved over to the truck parking area. But truckers can get into a no-win situation if they run out of hours and can't find a place to park. What do you say to a State Trooper when he complains you've gone past 14 hours versus parking in a No Parking zone? You're in trouble either way, but it's better to be off the road if you're tired.
WalMarts are generally very trucker-friendly, and I use them from time to time.
I was wrong about that. There are two rest areas left in the San Francisco Bay Area, and technically a third. The one that's technically one is the H. Dana Bower Safety Roadside Rest Area, but most people call it Vista Point because it's right past the Golden Gate Bridge and popular with tourists. Plenty of tour buses park there, but I don't believe that trucks are allowed to use it.
There's one on I-280 in San Mateo County called the Crystal Springs Safety Roadside Rest Area. I looked at it on Google Maps and they've got three large parking spots for trucks and/or buses and no parking on the shoulder.
https://goo.gl/maps/5ELwyJRDVBN2
This is the one where I saw CHP waking up some driver sleeping in his cab. The truck parking area is on the shoulder of the off ramp.
http://www.dot.ca.gov/maintenance/hunter-hill-w.html
https://goo.gl/maps/V4oXPoJmoA42
https://goo.gl/maps/dwm8YWcAtGS2
It's got a wide shoulder for truck parking that ends where there's a sidewalk. I suppose the sidewalk allows for drivers parked on the shoulder to walk to the restrooms. But there were maybe three trucks that were parked past the no parking sign and partially blocking the off ramp. I was able to drive slowly past the trucks, but I think it's pretty clear that they shouldn't have been there. But yeah I get that it's difficult mapping out required rest hours. Must really be a pain getting stuck in a traffic jam that screws up the timing too
What ever happened to trucks driven in teams? Seemed to be a movie stereotype of one driver at the wheel while the other took a nap, and then talking to each other for part of the day to keep from getting bored. I've even heard of married couples doing it.
Oh yes, team driving is still popular in trucking. There are a lot of husband-wife teams that do it. The USDOT has rules covering team-driven trucks, but a truck can basically be kept working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But resets are still required.
I have only made one run to California doing RV deliveries, and that was to Vacaville. I have a niece that lives in the SF area, but couldn't coordinate a get-together when I was out there. I avoid towing through major metropolitan areas, and if I do, plan to run through them before noon or on weekends. California has the highest fuel prices in the country, and the transport company I drive for pays its lowest rate to run there. I basically just took a run to Cali to check it off my list of States Visited. I make more money running to the northern states and into Canada.