5 Advantages of Staying Overnight in your RV at Truck Stops

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You can find us on the road in between workamping gigs, usually stopping in at truck stops some nights. They are quite possibly the most convenient and inexpensive overnight stays along our route, as opposed to always camping at costly RV parks.  If you find yourself low on cash or energy, without reservations at a campground, or running behind on your travel itinerary, consider staying at a truck stop.  You’ll discover that many offer an array of conveniences for the RVer.

Gas and Air

Usually, we refuel at night before finding a parking space to settle in for the night. Other times we’ll fuel up first thing in the morning before continuing our travels on the open road.  

Truck stops like Flying J and Pilot are our preferred fill-up locations because we are discounted on gasoline, diesel, and propane using our Good Sam membership card.  Not all truck stops provide propane service, but we make sure to use  Allstays, to locate one in our vicinity.  It’s more efficient and less of a headache to make one stop for all of our immediate needs.  

A few times, we’ve filled our tires with air.  This usually happens when we travel from one region to the next with extreme temperature change.  

Aside from those services, we are confident when pulling into the station to fill up at the pumps knowing that the roof overhang is high enough over our motorhome to maneuver in and out. They are designed for tall big rigs, of course!  

Hook-ups

Many truck stop chains have a dump station with non-potable/non-drinkable water and if you are lucky enough, electricity.  Dump stations typically come at a small cost, but we have dumped for free at a few stations. We’ve also been able to use our Good Sam membership card at select stops for a slight discount.

There has been one occasion where electric hook-ups were available, but it came at a cost.  We always use our generator anyway and don’t really have any qualms about running it late at night or early in the morning simply because all of the trucks in the parking lot have their engines humming throughout their stay.  This noise doesn’t bother either of us also. It’s almost like a white noise sending us off to slumberland.

Amenities

We’ve stayed at mediocre travel centers with a restaurant and restrooms and top-notch centers with spotless showers, laundry facilities, lounges, food courts, fully stocked convenience stores, and even repair shops.  It’s all of the comforts of home and shopping just a few paces from your RV.

Often times, we’ll do our longer drives on the days we stay at truck stops just so we can partake in a victory meal at the center’s restaurant.  If we’re out of grocery items or need a part for the rig, we’ll purchase our goods at the store, and if we’re low on freshwater then we’ll opt to use the showers.

Convenient Location

Probably the best thing about truck stops is the no-fuss entrance and exit.  There is no check-in process and you can come and go as you please.  Albeit, there may be instances where the parking lot is full or angled at a slope, but there is always another truck stop up ahead.  Also, by utilizing the app, Trucker Path, you can see the most updated post on available parking.

Since overnight stays are in narrow parking slips, it is nearly impossible to extend your slides, however, we have been able to extend our bed slide out a few times if we find ourselves parked alongside a curb or facing away from any parking spaces.

 

4 thoughts on “5 Advantages of Staying Overnight in your RV at Truck Stops”

  1. I buy fuel, I patronize the restaurant, I buy stuff in the store, I drive a truck towing my RV, I have a right to park.

  2. Be cautious about taking up truck parking spaces in busy commerce areas. Unlike someone with an RV, truckers really can’t stop anywhere but the truck stop or rest stop. And by law, after a certain number of hours they HAVE to stop. It really breeds resentment if, when they get to the point where they have to stop, there are no places for them to park at the truck stop because rvs are using all the big spots. Little wonder that some truckers don’t like rvers.

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