Capt._Chaos
July 23rd, 2005, 11:13
After being on the road for several days- or weeks, we all usually look forward to getting home & enjoying some time with our families.
Sometimes, a new driver who doesn't live anywhere near a company-owned or leased terminal will be left on their own to find a safe & legal place to park their truck.
If you own some land that doesn't have a lot of restrictions and have enough room for a tractor-trailer, then great!
Many of us, like myself, live in metropolitan areas where a safe & legal place to park a tractor-trailer is pretty hard to find these days.
I would avoid parking the truck at a truck stop, as it would be susceptible to being broke in to, damaged by a careless hit & run driver who may leave your hood assembly laying on the ground, fuel siphoned out, and even vandalized. If the truck stop manager didn't give you permission to park on the property and gets an idea that the truck was "abandoned", then he/she can legally have it towed away. If the company you drive for finds out that you didn't get written permission to park the truck there, then they can hold YOU responsible for any of this.
Strip malls & grocery stores often look like great places to park, but the same risks I outlined above should be considered, not to mention getting written permission from the property owner.
Parking a truck in a neighborhood, and/or on the curb of a street is often illegal, and can pose a liability risk to you and/or the company you drive for should someone run into a vehicle that was NOT supposed to be parked there.
If the company you drive for has customers near you that they do drop & hook type operations with, then ask your company to check & see if they may let you drop the trailer there. Chances are, they may even let you park your tractor there too at your own risk.
Avoid dropping the trailer at a truck stop, unless it is empty, and with permission from the management. Some truck stops, like the Petro in Sparks, NV (I-80, exit #19), and the Gateway Travel Plaza in East St. Louis, IL (I-55/I-70 Exit #4) have a "pay lot" to drop trailers if you live near them. Your company may even agree to reimburse the cost of keeping the whole truck parked in a secure area.
When I drove OTR, I would usually get a load home, then ask the Dispatcher which customer in the area needed an empty trailer to load. After dropping it there, I would take my tractor to a mini-storage that has a paved lot. I have a parking space rented there that has enough room for both my tractor, and my camper, to fit. It may cost me a few dollars, but having the peace of mind that it's in a safe, secure place is more than worth it!
I know of a few people who have agreements with other trucking companies & repair shops in their areas that will allow them to park their trucks there for a set fee per month (Hellbound-Train, help me out here, would ya?).
Sometimes, a new driver who doesn't live anywhere near a company-owned or leased terminal will be left on their own to find a safe & legal place to park their truck.
If you own some land that doesn't have a lot of restrictions and have enough room for a tractor-trailer, then great!
Many of us, like myself, live in metropolitan areas where a safe & legal place to park a tractor-trailer is pretty hard to find these days.
I would avoid parking the truck at a truck stop, as it would be susceptible to being broke in to, damaged by a careless hit & run driver who may leave your hood assembly laying on the ground, fuel siphoned out, and even vandalized. If the truck stop manager didn't give you permission to park on the property and gets an idea that the truck was "abandoned", then he/she can legally have it towed away. If the company you drive for finds out that you didn't get written permission to park the truck there, then they can hold YOU responsible for any of this.
Strip malls & grocery stores often look like great places to park, but the same risks I outlined above should be considered, not to mention getting written permission from the property owner.
Parking a truck in a neighborhood, and/or on the curb of a street is often illegal, and can pose a liability risk to you and/or the company you drive for should someone run into a vehicle that was NOT supposed to be parked there.
If the company you drive for has customers near you that they do drop & hook type operations with, then ask your company to check & see if they may let you drop the trailer there. Chances are, they may even let you park your tractor there too at your own risk.
Avoid dropping the trailer at a truck stop, unless it is empty, and with permission from the management. Some truck stops, like the Petro in Sparks, NV (I-80, exit #19), and the Gateway Travel Plaza in East St. Louis, IL (I-55/I-70 Exit #4) have a "pay lot" to drop trailers if you live near them. Your company may even agree to reimburse the cost of keeping the whole truck parked in a secure area.
When I drove OTR, I would usually get a load home, then ask the Dispatcher which customer in the area needed an empty trailer to load. After dropping it there, I would take my tractor to a mini-storage that has a paved lot. I have a parking space rented there that has enough room for both my tractor, and my camper, to fit. It may cost me a few dollars, but having the peace of mind that it's in a safe, secure place is more than worth it!
I know of a few people who have agreements with other trucking companies & repair shops in their areas that will allow them to park their trucks there for a set fee per month (Hellbound-Train, help me out here, would ya?).