FYI Motorhome not allowed at a truck stop

[skychs]

July 1st, after fueling (TSD) and eating at the restaurant in the truck stop I was approached by two males who told me and I quote “if you don’t have a DOT number on your vehicle you can not park here”.

This occurred at a TSD approved TA truck stop in Laurel Montana. I was in a 2015 Newmar Ventana LE motorhome.

Are motorhomes (RV’s) not allowed anymore?

 

[Neal]

I've never heard that so I'll be following this discussion. You weren't in a reserved spot by any chance where you? I did that once and got the knock on the door, there was no parking anywhere else.

 

[redbaron]

you where victim of a trucker with an attitude. Best to just leave in that situation. Never happened to me, but have heard of it happening to others.

Every trucker I have met has been kind and conversational.

 

[Neal]

Every trucker I have met has been kind and conversational.

Ditto - I've been amazed how friendly they've been with me in their lanes at the truck stop. They admire RV's which is amazing, from the little experience I've had talking with them.

 

[skychs]

I've never heard that so I'll be following this discussion. You weren't in a reserved spot by any chance where you? I did that once and got the knock on the door, there was no parking anywhere else.

I was not in a reserved spot. The parking area was wide open. It was around 1pm in the afternoon. I was waiting to check in at a local RV park.

 

[Neal]

In my short 4 years I've never had a confrontation. Let's hope yours is the only one we ever hear about again. Sorry you had to be treated that way. Bummer! I wonder if that does happen again if someone inside the facility should be informed??

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Were the two guys truckers? The OTR folks get a little protective of their parking spaces once-in-a-while.

My guess is they weren’t employees of the truck stop. I would pick up the phone and call that T/A. Ask for the store manager and ask whether motorhomes are no longer welcome to park there. Explain what happened to you. My guess is that the answer will be that motorhomes are always welcome.

We do try to avoid parking in truck stalls whenever possible as they are a limited resource for truckers. Unlike motorhome drivers, they MUST take mandated rest breaks after so many hours on the road and if they can’t find a place to park their rig, it becomes a problem. We have never experienced a problem with short stays at truck stops.

You probably just hit a sensitive spot with a couple of truckers.

TJ

 

[skychs]

It’s hard to say who they were. They did not identify themselves. There was another RV beside me who had to leave. Again, the place was wide open with more empty spaces than full.

Maybe I should let TSD know about it as well?

 

[Neal]

It’s hard to say who they were. They did not identify themselves. There was another RV beside me who had to leave. Again, the place was wide open with more empty spaces than full.

Maybe I should let TSD know about it as well?

About 3 times I've been approached for money, typically at gas stations not truck stops. This situation could be along the same lines, rather than asking for money they are harassing/bullying customers. Take a picture with your camera, if safe, and I'd report them. This is a good lesson we can all learn from. Thanks for sharing.

 

[AbdRahim]

I try to park somewhere other than in the truck parking spaces - eitherRV/bus spot or “illegal” spot. They do have to stop by law, so they need their spots. Of course lately, I have run into little cars and bobtail in the RV spots. Sometimes it is a battle for spaces.