When traveling and looking for an overnight stop, we stay at a rest stop 90% of the time. Sometimes the rest stop has RV parking that is separate from the trucks. Even if not, we use ear plugs, which helps a lot.

 

Just make sure your junk is locked up. Things have a habit of growing legs at truck stops.

And some legs have things growing you don't wish to know about.

 

What I've noticed is that many of the convenient rv parks along our trips seem to be near railroads and other noisy areas, lol
We have had to run a noise generator on our stereo to block it out at times...

 

My question is what are you expecting at a place like Loves? It is what it is, a place to stay overnight, dump your tank, fill up if needed, sleep, pack up in the AM and move on. It serves its purpose, of course you're not going to get the campground experience or tons of space between campers, they are there to serve a purpose of overnight camping for one night and the closer the spaces are the more campers each one can fit. If you want something nicer, quieter, or more room, look ahead and book a spot at a "normal" campground for the evening. It'll be nicer, quieter, and cheaper....

 

As a former truck drive I ask you not use the truck parking for your RV's as there is not enough truck parking. There are multi bills nation wide to increase truck parking, many city want the goods the trucks bring but want them out of town as soon as possible. The truck drivers can not got to the RV park for the night they need the spaces in the truck stops, maybe the only parking available for them or they park on ramps. I did that in VA and the local trooper assured me it was illegal and had me move on. You spend thousands for an RV and then want to take the working mans place to cheap out? Please leave the truck stop parking for the big rigs, its their way of making a living and they need the down time at the truck stop to eat, sleep, and do laundry.. Truck stop article

 

Nevermind... off topic....

 

I am not expecting much and what has been written is about what I was expecting. Again, we may use Love's RV stops if we are too tired, the weather is crap or the situation warrants it. It will not be a destination, but merely an overnight stop. Although, we find most rest stops to be decent if we stop early enough to get our pick and close to the grass for the dogs.

I prefer to learn from the experiences, lessons and mistakes of others instead of making them myself. We attempted to stay at two different truck stops during our cross country travels over the past decade and we did not feel it was a good idea.

Thank you for your insight and thoughts on what to expect.

 

Sir, perhaps you misread the intention of this thread. Love's has opened up a series of RV overnight "parks" at some 35+ locations around the country. I was in no way advocating that someone traveling or on vacation take a "working mans (or womans) place in order to cheap out. My brother is a long haul truck driver and has been for 20+ years, so I get it.

Although, if the weather was poor enough for us to not continue on, I might resort to the closest stop and that may be a truck stop. We have been lucky in our travels across WY, MT, SD, etc and stopped at rest areas when the cross winds were too strong. This would not be in an effort to be cheap and take away from someone working, but it would be in an effort to keep my family safe.

I can replace the RV, truck and experience, but I cannot replace the family.

Take care and please know that most (all?) of us have the utmost respect for truck drivers and would not intentionally set them up for failure.

 

I watched the video and the RV spots look very nice, they are RV spots. If you read the tread you will see there are some park in the truck stop itself not the RV sites. My point was the Truck Stops are just that Truck Stops not RV stops and they are privet property not public. My comment on bills for truck parking are not truck stops but rest areas, You want to share a rest area it's first come first served in the large vehicle parking area. I can tell you truckers plan ahead and may plan on eating in the truck, I did many nights, I owned my truck and it was a camper setup to pull a 53-57ft trailer. Company drivers have less options as company trucks don't have the amenities of owner trucks. Again I ask you leave the truck parking for the working, RVers have many more choices. As an aside I may have to try a Loves just because.

 

Thank you for your input and contribution in this productive thread.

 

After watching the video I know I will never use a Love's RV Park at $50 a night. The ones I used in the west were $38-42 a night and that was still hard to swallow. In our travels around the US we find many communities that have signs posted about "No overnight Parking" or No Overnight Camping" but permit trucks to park overnight. Generally speaking, CA and OR are the worst offenders from our experience. Tractor Supply has been some of the friendliest places we have overnighted at across the country and buy 99% of our propane from because of their policy.

 

We have been very lucky to always find a place for over night stays while traveling. Most have had hookups. Campgrounds, a state park, county parks, town parks, and a Cabela’s. Those wih no hookups include Walmart, a casino, and an another Cabela’s.

 

Like you I have never not been able to find over night. RVparky and the wife calls ahead, I may not be able to stop exactly in the town I want. If that's an issue like a family birthday, I have a reservation far in advance. Just traveling we find no vacancy just look a bit further down the road, I'm retired and don't have any schedule, joy of RVing. Ading to the places to stop many fairgrounds have RV parking some with full hookups.

 

Have spent 100s of nights at truck stops and rest stops with an RV and never had an issue. Some RVs are so large (40ft++) you dont know if you can pull into an RV park somewhere off the beaten path, in the dark. Its just not an option. Electronic log books have made it much more difficult to travel with a big RV than say 10 years ago. $40 just to park your trailer for the night and leave early the next morning doesn't make a lot of sense either.

 

I'll start with what does electronic log books have to do with an RV, that logs for commercial drivers and has noting to do with an RV. Your in an RV and can plan ahead on stops and not take a trucks spot with an RV, take your forty foot RV and get parked before dark if its an issue. I have been a commercial trucker looking for an over night place to find spot with an RV in it. I feel so strongly its wrong I wish the truck stops would post signs no RV's in the truck parking, pass a law if needed. My perspective is as both a trucker and Rver. I am retired now but still want the truck stop for truckers. I have never had my RV Parked overnight in anything but designated RV spots or rest areas and like wise I had never taken my class 8 with or with out trailer to an RV park, state park or city park I leave those for the RVers. Be pretty nice if the Rvers would reciprocate. I will never understand spending what we do for an RV to cheap out on a free parking space in a truck stop or Walmart for that matter. You can afford an RV you should damn well be able to afford paying for an RV site or go to a rest area where it's first come first served, it's free too. Your failure to plan ahead should not be an issue for a working truck driver trying to make a living.