If there’s a greater shortage of something other than professional truck drivers, it might just be a good place to park a rig at the end of a long day in Minneapolis, MN.
As most haulers know, when it’s time to get off the road, the options to find a safe place to park are limited and getting even more scarce by the day.
The Electronic Logging law is placing strict hours of service on truckers and creating an even greater space crunch at truck stops in the Minneapolis area and across the country.
At least one of the bigger truck stop chains is offering a solution to truck drivers for a price. Pilot Flying J is offering a phone app and something they call Prime Parking. It’s a way to reserve or guarantee you’ll have a spot to park at the end of a day.
But, like most things, the convenience comes at a price. A recent search of the truck stop’s web site turned up parking spots for sale at its locations around the Twin Cities and across the border in Wisconsin and South Dakota. The asking price ranged from 12 to 15 dollars a night for semis, bobtails, and RVs.
Whether haulers are really interested in paying to park is anyone’s guess. While there are several “free” spots at each truck stop, there’s no guarantee about their availability. It’s that need as the hours of service tick away, the unproductive time spent looking for a place, and the allure of a guaranteed spot that’s something drivers may have to think about.
The state of Minnesota and other surrounding states are rolling out a sensor system at their rest stops that will alert truck drivers via roadside signs about open spots. While the idea clearly has benefits and should help, location and the clock trump other considerations when attempting to plan some downtime.
Bay & Bay Transportation of Minneapolis tries to help truck drivers maintain the balance needed in order to be safe and successful. That means keeping an eye on hours and potential places to park along the many routes we travel nationwide.
Safety is one of the major reasons why Bay & Bay is known as a quality driven tradition. If you’ve got the right stuff, call (888) 801-3026 or visit our web page for more information about how you can join our growing team in the Minneapolis area and other parts of the country.