May or may not be a silly question, but how the hell do you get in to of some MSA parking slots when they’re nearly full? or out when completely full?
I’ve parked in a few over the years but not nights out, and often wondered how I would get out if trucks where either side of me and in front! Some are better designed than others, Toddington and Scratchwood seem O.K with the herringbone layout, but Corley n/b seems a right pig, getting in or out when busy, no room to swing in between other trucks, and I’m sure not enough room to pull forward enough to swing out when leaving.
You don’t. If it looks too tight, park somewhere else.
Michelwood on the M5 is a right ■■■■ up now they’ve changed the HGV parking areas both N/B and S/B! 
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Michelwood on the M5 is a right [zb] up now they’ve changed the HGV parking areas both N/B and S/B!
+1. This one alway throws me. It ain’t the worst the layout but its a PITA.
Scanner:
You don’t. If it looks too tight, park somewhere else.
Excellent reply and if he parked there with nothing around and then a couple of others park either side of him. He asked a perfectly sensible question perhaps when you grow up and one day finally get your licence you may understand…
I’ve always managed to get somehow if its tight then ask someone to keep an eye out for you, I had it down in Lodi CA this week when trying to park up i just turned round asked a guy to watch me back.
Went to pull out in the morning in Ripon CA and some arse had parked in the way so he got a nice wake up call at 04:30 to get out of the way.
I parked up at junction 26 services last night ,it’s a bit of squeeze when it’s busy and has a one system …sort of ,and when i parked up all was well ,when i woke a dirty great fridge had parked opposite and the only way out was the wrong way round .Don’t suppose it mattered at 3 am
Great meals there by the way
Scanner meant if parking is too tight then you move on dafman not if you’re trying to get out.
Silver_Surfer:
Scanner meant if parking is too tight then you move on dafman not if you’re trying to get out.
Correct. A a very recent post about a foreign vehicle damaging somebody’s cab whilst exiting a parking bay would seem to support my advice.
Dafman:
Scanner:
You don’t. If it looks too tight, park somewhere else.Excellent reply and if he parked there with nothing around and then a couple of others park either side of him. He asked a perfectly sensible question perhaps when you grow up and one day finally get your licence you may understand…
Did you actually read the question and my reply, or are you just posting at random?
Now the pair of you go and read what he says again especially the bit about trying to get out.
And if he runs out of time he has no choice he has to park
Its only going to get worse.
Population increasing year on year, ever more and bigger lorries to service their needs, and no change to available parking acreage.
Quart into pint pot won’t go.
There’s no answer to this one other than to avoid MSA crap holes for overnights if at all possible.
Juddian:
Its only going to get worse.Population increasing year on year, ever more and bigger lorries to service their needs, and no change to available parking acreage.
Quart into pint pot won’t go.
There’s no answer to this one other than to avoid MSA crap holes for overnights if at all possible.
Definitely!!! +10!!!
MSAs are the curse of any driver’s life. Badly thought out, hugely expensive, poor quality food and these days they are mostly infected with high street ■■■■■■■■■ such as Costa, Starbucks (WTF, £3+ for a coffee worth 25p, I realise the UK contained so many stupid people as to pay this sort of dough for a cup of coffee!!!), Burger King MaccyD’s and other various overpriced ■■■■■■■■■ charging top dollar for food I wouldn’t give the dog…
The staff are often rude, the fuel price is bordering on extortion and on top of that as the OP says there’s often no where to park…Attractive proposition, I don’t think!
There, I feel much better now… 
Truckulent i couldn’t have put that better meself.
I can’t understand this fetish for overpriced overrated coffee as supplied by costalotatstarbucks either.
Even bloody Tescos, a company i can’t otherwise abide have gone down this route, used to be handy to park near one and nip in for a pot of real tea and some toast or a bit of brekky, now so many of their caffs have gone over to costalot so i have no reason to ever cross their threshold again.
Have you been upstairs at Leics Forrest, the queues of pasty unhealthy looking drones fighting to get their next serving of tastless and processed to the nth degree junk food from the fast swill sites is incredible.
It seems theres bloody thousands born every minute.
My favourite nights out were when i used to get off the motorway, find an old road running my way and then look out for a layby within walking distance of a real pub that does food.
Something decent to drink, a bit of good grub, sit in comfort away from the bloody lorry and read a good book…oh and discreetly clock the totty…thats a night out.
Not sitting in the bloody tin can in a ■■■■ stinking MSA lorry park deafened by the racket all night.
I stayed in one last night, that’s if you can call it that but it was Carlisle Truckstop. Coffee £1 and it’s a big mug and the food was cheap and you get a plate full. The site also had loads of room for parking.
Toddington when I have stopped there for a break can have it’s problems with people dumping there trucks on the bend as you go in
Dafman:
Now the pair of you go and read what he says again especially the bit about trying to get out.
And if he runs out of time he has no choice he has to park
Now read this carefully. If it looks too tight to enter or exit, don’t park there. If people didn’t move because someone parked next to them, Corley sevices would be full of AEC Mandators and Atkinson Borderers, unable to move since 1972.
This isn’t a Driver CPC course, where everything is spelled out to the last letter for the benefit of the thick. I’m assuming GORDON 50 wouldn’t go for a gap he couldn’t make, simply because he had the sense to ask for advice. People who do that would generally do sensible things whilst manoeuvering, like get out and have a look or shock horror ask someone to watch the rear of the trailer as he pulls in or out.
If he runs out of time he has to park, you say. What if it’s full, no space at all? Does he become the problem by parking somewhere that causes headaches for everybody else?
Maybe one day when you’ve been out in the real world and done some real work, you’ll understand.
Nice one Scanner, I agree wholeheartedly, If you think you can’t get in, don’t try, you should know what you can do and what space you can get into, so find somewhere else.
Sapper
Now read this. It’s the bit about getting out, if he parks in a space that Is easy to get into but wakes up in the morning and because of bad parking struggles or cant get out it is hardly his fault so no need to moan that he shouldn’t have even parked in the space Oh and been doing it now for 31 years and currently on wagon and drag.
sapper:
Nice one Scanner, I agree wholeheartedly, If you think you can’t get in, don’t try, you should know what you can do and what space you can get into, so find somewhere else.Sapper
Have you got the hots for Scanner or something.
Dafman:
Now read this. It’s the bit about getting out, if he parks in a space that Is easy to get into but wakes up in the morning and because of bad parking struggles or cant get out it is hardly his fault so no need to moan that he shouldn’t have even parked in the space Oh and been doing it now for 31 years and currently on wagon and drag.
So you are still in Corley! Glad I’m not paying for the parking.