mikemccord72:
I can’t stand truck stops for the same reasons. Industrial estates or quiet laybys for me every night
Same here !!! Services are a last resort for me even tho the meal voucher can be quite tempting to a slim chap like merather have a peaceful night
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I am out 4 nights a week. I have to park securely if loaded. I have stayed on one MSA all year, and that was because I’d had a crap run up, and parked up with 3 minutes to spare.
One of my gripes about Beaconsfield is that a certain bunch of Irish fridge tuggers, regardless of the time of night, come and bang their fridge next to you. Shortly afterwards there’ll be a bit of the racket, as they drop their trailers and four cough to a quieter area of the services in their units.
Another is folk who find the rare town centre car parks that will actually allow lorries on, then think it’s clever not to buy a ticket. I’m sure there aren’t many companies that don’t refund a few quid for parking.
If you aren’t prepared to pay to use these places, then don’t bother, but I’m sure you’ll be the first to moan when they’re all shut down.
Empty end of the Truckstop■■?
Do they exist?
goshow:
There’s few things in life that raise my blood pressure but one sure fire way to get my working day off to a poor start is a rough / broken nights sleep.Please add your own advice / gripes
Time and time again (more often recently) my kip has been interrupted by inconsiderate fellow drivers. I thought I’d write a bit of a list giving a few pointers to what experiences make my blood boil during an overnight stay in a wagon stop. The following points are advice between the hours of 21:00 and 07:00.
Excessive Idling - I understand why drivers warm the engine up. The majority of it is to get oils to the correct working temperature, offering greatest mechanical protection. From my experience an engine warms up a lot quicker when it’s driving. Yes, let it idle for a minute before setting off but is it really necessary to let it idle for longer than a minute at 4am? NO is the answer. It’s bloody inconsiderate for others around you who are still trying to get a couple more hours precious sleep. Likewise if you pull in to the stop after 9pm.
My personal record breaker was in Tayside truck stop on Friday morning. The tanker next to me Idled & occasionally revved for 35 minutes starting at 4:15am.
Reversing beep / siren - Turn the bloody thing off in any truck stop after 9pm and before 7am, & definitely take the truck out of reverse once you’ve stopped. Sitting in the truck at 2am whilst doing your paperwork, engine idling and reverse beeper going, is poor. (also see above paragraph!
Trailer changes - Yes, they’ve got to be done and often there’s no lay-bys available as they’re all clogged up with cheapskate foreign drivers. However, if it has to be done, then please make as little noise as possible and preferably do it at the empty end of the truckstop. Don’t however, decide to change the trailers in the middle of the yard, whilst leaving the engines running, whilst having a 10 minute conversation with your fellow driver.
Fridges - All other drivers appreciate that the goods in a fridge need to be kept cool / frozen and the customer has paid a lot of money to ensure their goods arrive in good fettle. However, if you have do an overnighter please try and park at the far end of the yard. My advice would be to park with the cab facing towards the fence. If the fridge has to be left on then run it on constant rather than intermittent. Certainly don’t park in the middle of the yard amongst the other non-refrigerated truck.
Wetting the wheels - Why drivers decide to go for a gypsies kiss at the side of their truck is beyond me. Most truckers use the same stop regularly, so why make it smell like a Tenerife nightclub back alley? It’s nothing more than laziness because they can’t be bothered to walk to the trap. If you can’t be arsed to walk to the throne, then at least walk to the back of your truck / fence / hedge for a jimmy.
That’ll do for now
Why just between the hours of 21:00 and 07:00? night shift trampers need their sleep as well.
scottie0011:
Why just between the hours of 21:00 and 07:00? night shift trampers need their sleep as well.
Yes, that would be my point as well. the OP seems to be saying “I start work at 0700 and go to bed at 2100, and everybody should creep around like mice while I am asleep”.
Well, sorry Mr OP but I’m afraid the Universe doesn’t revolve around you.
This post is the reason I almost never park in MSAs or truckstops
I never will understand why in any truck stop in any country in Europe there is always one engine running.
To be fair to the OP, I think if people did stick to the relevant MSA ‘rules’, more people would be using them.
I’ve experienced both… I stopped at Route 74 last week. Nice truckstop. Nice staff; good food; good facilities. Rules and regs were simple: Fridges, and arrivals after 2200/leavers pre 0600 parked on one site across the road; everyone else parked up on the main site.
Trouble was, a number of units were starting and leaving the main site well before 0600, so can only assume they told porkies or (maybe) had late notice schedule changes leading to split rests…
Then a few days ago I parked up in the overflow car park of a leisure centre. Slept all the way through, and got my shower and a morning swim for the same price as a truckstop shower. The only draw back, I risked the wrath of the local council for parking there…
Both have pro’s and con’s…
Harry Monk:
scottie0011:
Why just between the hours of 21:00 and 07:00? night shift trampers need their sleep as well.Yes, that would be my point as well. the OP seems to be saying “I start work at 0700 and go to bed at 2100, and everybody should creep around like mice while I am asleep”.
Well, sorry Mr OP but I’m afraid the Universe doesn’t revolve around you.
Good point well made by Scottie.
Harry, get a grip pal. The world doesn’t revolve around me. I’ve not suggested that in any way shape or form, quite the contrary. If it did then I’d have named the thread “Only when I’m in a truck stop etiquette”!
My 21:00 - 07:00 was a suggestion because that’s when “most” trampers will be asleep. But I stand corrected that it should be a 24hr policy.
goshow:
But I stand corrected that it should be a 24hr policy.
next you’ll be complaining about the motorway traffic
I’m with Harry, an ind est on the edge of town every time.
Lay bys never, we have been forced into these ■■■■ holes miles from civilization over the years by local authority toss pots, after most town parks closed, and I refuse to play and co.operate with the ■■■■ s. 
MSA s ,… never , absolute rip off places, parking provided for trucks by law, but in reality you aint wanted…end of.
The very nature of these places makes them noisy, a constant flow of traffic all night, as well as changeovers. (although I do agree with the lack of consideration and manners by a large element of the thick as pig ■■■■ amongst us) you can not really say much.
As for ‘cheapskate’ foreigners in lay bys, who can blame them if their firms (E.Euro) pay a pittance for nights out, and no parking fees. I would do the same.
I was on Truckers Rest last night for reason already mentioned, this ■■■■ whit 3 trucks up came back from the pub with his mate and a couple of birds, got in his cab and done a 10 sec or so blast on his air horns at about 1am. The security guy had a word.
I got up about 6ish and the security guy told me which one it was who was in the bog with his mate. Ok I’m a big mouthy ■■■■, but I aint stupid so I hung around until his mate walked out, and asked him wtf he was playing at waking the entire park up. Tb fair he did look a bit embarrased, but then gave me some old crap about pressing the wrong button, and the alarm going off instead,…yeh right.
I just looked at him thinking, ok, I’ve said my bit, what can I achieve by getting into a ruck with him (and his mate)…and although he did look a bit sheepish at me he was younger and fitter. so I just gave him a look and walked.
As for me, I’m old school, if I see a fellow driver with curtains up, I am the epitome of consideration, but I also can not stand ignorant bad mannered ■■■■ whits in trucks.
Rob, was that Truckers Rest in Cannock?
Radar19:
Rob, was that Truckers Rest in Cannock?
Yeh why, was it you I spoke to?
robroy:
Radar19:
Rob, was that Truckers Rest in Cannock?Yeh why, was it you I spoke to?
No, I was gone at 01:45am this morning. I don’t remember being shouted at by a bald guy with frilly tasseled curtains. 
Radar19:
robroy:
Radar19:
Rob, was that Truckers Rest in Cannock?Yeh why, was it you I spoke to?
No, I was gone at 01:45am this morning. I don’t remember being shouted at by a bald guy with frilly tasseled curtains.
Yeh ok.
It was at the front of the cafe where I was parked, not around the back, so you either didn’t hear it or you would have gone.
It would be around 1 or 2 ish I reckon.
You got the bald guy bit right, but you missed out the handsomely macho bit
As for the curtains, I’m incognito for next few weeks, taken down until I get my new motor…I feel naked without them
robroy:
Radar19:
robroy:
Radar19:
Rob, was that Truckers Rest in Cannock?Yeh why, was it you I spoke to?
No, I was gone at 01:45am this morning. I don’t remember being shouted at by a bald guy with frilly tasseled curtains.
It was at the front of the cafe where I was parked, not around the back, so you either didn’t hear it or you would have gone.
It would be around 1 or 2 ish I reckon.You got the bald guy bit right, but you missed out the handsomely macho bit
As for the curtains, I’m incognito for next few weeks, taken down until I get my new motor…I feel naked without them
What time did you get there? I arrived about 16:30 to 17:00ish. I walked to Maccys down the road so may of seen you!
goshow:
There’s few things in life that raise my blood pressure but one sure fire way to get my working day off to a poor start is a rough / broken nights sleep.Please add your own advice / gripes
Time and time again (more often recently) my kip has been interrupted by inconsiderate fellow drivers. I thought I’d write a bit of a list giving a few pointers to what experiences make my blood boil during an overnight stay in a wagon stop. The following points are advice between the hours of 21:00 and 07:00.
Excessive Idling - I understand why drivers warm the engine up. The majority of it is to get oils to the correct working temperature, offering greatest mechanical protection. From my experience an engine warms up a lot quicker when it’s driving. Yes, let it idle for a minute before setting off but is it really necessary to let it idle for longer than a minute at 4am? NO is the answer. It’s bloody inconsiderate for others around you who are still trying to get a couple more hours precious sleep. Likewise if you pull in to the stop after 9pm.
My personal record breaker was in Tayside truck stop on Friday morning. The tanker next to me Idled & occasionally revved for 35 minutes starting at 4:15am.
Reversing beep / siren - Turn the bloody thing off in any truck stop after 9pm and before 7am, & definitely take the truck out of reverse once you’ve stopped. Sitting in the truck at 2am whilst doing your paperwork, engine idling and reverse beeper going, is poor. (also see above paragraph!
Trailer changes - Yes, they’ve got to be done and often there’s no lay-bys available as they’re all clogged up with cheapskate foreign drivers. However, if it has to be done, then please make as little noise as possible and preferably do it at the empty end of the truckstop. Don’t however, decide to change the trailers in the middle of the yard, whilst leaving the engines running, whilst having a 10 minute conversation with your fellow driver.
Fridges - All other drivers appreciate that the goods in a fridge need to be kept cool / frozen and the customer has paid a lot of money to ensure their goods arrive in good fettle. However, if you have do an overnighter please try and park at the far end of the yard. My advice would be to park with the cab facing towards the fence. If the fridge has to be left on then run it on constant rather than intermittent. Certainly don’t park in the middle of the yard amongst the other non-refrigerated truck.
Wetting the wheels - Why drivers decide to go for a gypsies kiss at the side of their truck is beyond me. Most truckers use the same stop regularly, so why make it smell like a Tenerife nightclub back alley? It’s nothing more than laziness because they can’t be bothered to walk to the trap. If you can’t be arsed to walk to the throne, then at least walk to the back of your truck / fence / hedge for a jimmy.
That’ll do for now
■■■■ it up buttercup.
Earplugs… Only saying
Radar.
I got there about 2030, had tea and back to cab.
If I’m there other times I sometimes have a short walk down A5 to that pub, but couldn’t be arsed last night, and I was on a 9 off anyway being Fri night.
You want to try and sleep in an American truckstop, they idle constantly and not just a gentle tickover either, but 1200rpm of CAT or ■■■■■■■ blasting out of a set of 8" straight thru pipes. They even leave it on high idle when they go in for a meal or shower. It will drive you mad if you let it, there are only two ways to combat the noise, first is to avoid parking in truckstops, the second is to idle your own truck and drown out the noise with your own engine.
Now it’s a little different in Britain, but as drivers will all be starting and finishing at different times, there will always be somebody backing into or pulling out of a space, so the only way to avoid this is to keep out of truckstops.
Changeovers will make noise, you don’t need to make it any noisier than it is, but drivers do, they always will, so the best solution to this is to avoid truckstops.
Fridges now, like it or not, they’re here to stay, some companies insist on using the stop/start cycle function, so that’s a part of life too, want to avoid them? Stay out of truckstops.
Reversing beepers, I’m with you on this completely, turn them off, if you can’t then please learn to reverse so that you don’t need to shunt back and forth for ten minutes, but again, the best way to avoid them is to stay away from truckstops.