Cargo vans/Sprinters not welcome at Flying J in Houston

[rlodonnell]

After spending the day parked at the Flying J off of I-45 in Houston, eating two meals, and planning on staying until Tuesday (and presumably spending more money: fuel and shower) I was told by security ( rent-a-cop) at 10:45 PM that I would not be able to stay the night in the front lot. I asked him if I could park in back and he said no, that lot was reserved for big trucks. I asked if I could park next to the cube van already parked in the "big truck lot" and he said no. I then asked if I could park next to the motor homes at the other end of the front lot and he again said no. At this point I decided he must not fully understand they policy as it really makes no sense to run off an entire sub-set of paying customer so I went inside and asked to speak to a manager. Sadly she informed me that he had it right and there is no place on their entire property where a cargo van/Sprinter driver can spend the night. Plan accordingly on your next trip to Houston.

 

[ntimevan]

If this is the J on I45 N ,,, I find that strange because like 5 to 6 weeks ago I was at that J , for 5 days and nights ....i did do 4 short runs while down there ,but stayed at that location every night .....i was parked in lot to the side of resturant and there was always 5 to 6 other CVs or sprinters there also....and 10 or more cars with locals sleeping in them every night ......there is a Super Walmart like 6 miles away also ...

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[rlodonnell]

No vans in that lot tonight. Manager said policy came down from corporate after they were recently robbed.

 

[Monty]

I just confirmed that with a phone call ..... I will be in contact with PilotFlyingJ later today. That sounds absurd, will they stop parking at ALL PilotFlyingJ's?

We'll see what the day brings.

 

[pandora2112]

Tell them they let straight trucks park in front lot. Actually was kicked out of back lot told to park in front lot...the male manager remembers probably bc we had quite a few go arounds. Guy in car getting naked, hair on my slice of pizza and many discussions about quality of bathrooms! Lol!

)O( ~ Namaste ~ )O(

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I just confirmed that with a phone call ..... I will be in contact with PilotFlyingJ later today. That sounds absurd, will they stop parking at ALL PilotFlyingJ's?

We'll see what the day brings.

Thanks Monty...sounds more like a knee jerk re action by either the store manager or regional manager.....

It is like one of our members got kicked out of the I-Hop lot at the Detroiter...security wouldn't even let him in for pickup take out... I spoke with I Hop Corp. NO way that should have happened

 

[mjmsprt40]

Didn't we just have a thread about the head honcho of TA/Petro asking why we don't make them our primary truck-stop? Now we have FlyingJ/Pilot running the vans off the property. I wonder how long until they ask why we don't make them our primary truck-stop.

Gasoline and a cup of coffee are easy to get. Any gas station has them. Diesel fuel, for those who drive Sprinters and the occasional CV that has a diesel, is a little harder to come by but still possible apart from truck-stops. It's getting so I wouldn't use a truck-stop for anything that I can get anywhere else. Every time I read this forum, it seems I read of truck-stops that don't want our business. Until business is down, that is, then the president of the company asks us to join a conference call on why we don't use them. Read this post, sir, and you'll know.

 

[xiggi]

After spending the day parked at the Flying J off of I-45 in Houston, eating two meals, and planning on staying until Tuesday (and presumably spending more money: fuel and shower) I was told by security ( rent-a-cop) at 10:45 PM that I would not be able to stay the night in the front lot. I asked him if I could park in back and he said no, that lot was reserved for big trucks. I asked if I could park next to the cube van already parked in the "big truck lot" and he said no. I then asked if I could park next to the motor homes at the other end of the front lot and he again said no. At this point I decided he must not fully understand they policy as it really makes no sense to run off an entire sub-set of paying customer so I went inside and asked to speak to a manager. Sadly she informed me that he had it right and there is no place on their entire property where a cargo van/Sprinter driver can spend the night. Plan accordingly on your next trip to Houston.

Does your van have decals or is it plain no lettering?

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[OntarioVanMan]

Does your van have decals or is it plain no lettering?

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Good question....

 

[Moot]

Just last week a Canadian Border Service agent who was working in a booth at the Peace Arch crossing was shot. A man entered Canada driving a white Ford Econoline van at about 2 p.m. and shot her in the neck with a handgun. With his van surrounded, the man turned the gun on himself and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Vans are the vehicle of choice for all manner of criminals; from plumbers and perverts to rapists, killers and suicidal maniacs. We must remove these vans from our city streets and highways now! Please contact your congressperson and senators and urge them to Ban The Van!
​

 

[Monty]

I just called Pilot/J customer service, (877-866-7378) and spoke with a lady named Sam.

She transfered me to Jeff Houston, the regional manager, he stated firmly there is NO restriction for van's parking. If such an action took place it was an overzealous security officer.

He is going to call the store and confirm the above and give me an update.

rlodonnell if you would care to pm me your contact information, he would love to speak with you and get more information.

 

[Turtle]

Reminiscent of the TA East in Ontario when, for years that I know of, they routinely kicked expediters off the lot. They had their reasons, but one call to corporate to inquire about it and that policy got straightened out real quick.

 

[mjmsprt40]

I can understand a store banning an individual. A customer may do something in the store that makes him/her unwelcome in the place, so the store says "no more" to that person. I have a much harder time understanding how you chase off an entire group of customers though. Chasing vanners away from a truck-stop doesn't make good business sense, especially in this day when we have the Internet and such a thing gets noised about as soon as a driver finds out about it.

Not too long back, it might have made some sense for a store to chase off an entire group of customers. Individuals were pretty powerless, and communications such as they were would be in person, maybe over the phone. Today, it's on the 'Net and news gets out "before the ink dries", so everybody finds out fast. Can any business today really afford to tell a lot of customers to take their business elsewhere?

 

[purgoose10]

I just called Pilot/J customer service, (877-866-7378) and spoke with a lady named Sam.

She transfered me to Jeff Houston, the regional manager, he stated firmly there is NO restriction for van's parking. If such an action took place it was an overzealous security officer.

He is going to call the store and confirm the above and give me an update.

rlodonnell if you would care to pm me your contact information, he would love to speak with you and get more information.

Good call, thanks for the update. Oh by the way whens the conference call?? LOL!

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I can understand a store banning an individual. A customer may do something in the store that makes him/her unwelcome in the place, so the store says "no more" to that person. I have a much harder time understanding how you chase off an entire group of customers though. Chasing vanners away from a truck-stop doesn't make good business sense, especially in this day when we have the Internet and such a thing gets noised about as soon as a driver finds out about it.

Not too long back, it might have made some sense for a store to chase off an entire group of customers. Individuals were pretty powerless, and communications such as they were would be in person, maybe over the phone. Today, it's on the 'Net and news gets out "before the ink dries", so everybody finds out fast. Can any business today really afford to tell a lot of customers to take their business elsewhere?

With so many "unmarked" plain vans....who is an expediter and who is the child abductor?..

 

[butterfly610]

I lived North of that Flying J for several years around The Woodlands, TX. That Flying J is in a really bad area anyway. They have forced straight trucks out of spots and tried to make us move to bobtail spots we were too long for, or the front. This was security that did this. If you go North on I-45 about maybe 5-7 miles, there is a Walmart that trucks park in front of all the time. Also, there is a Target that trucks park in front of all the time as well. A little better area than by Greenspoint. Sometimes its kinda too busy, but where isn't it in Houston. Luckily, we always just parked in front of a relatives house until we got a call in Houston. If you are there for the day in a Sprinter or van, just go park at The Woodlands mall. We parked there in a straight truck ALL the time, and never got bothered. Much better area.

 

[xiggi]

If a van has no markings i can kind of understand asking them to leave. I know it might ruffle some feathers but plain Jane doesn't make a van look like a professional anything. I don't limit t that comment to expediters look at a plumber who looks more like a really business the one who pulls up in a van with professional lettered vehicle or the one with no markings. Perception right or wrong goes a long way in business.

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[Monty]

I spoke with David, the manager of that facility. He stated he was aware of this very situation, and it happned the day after the robbery. He said his security was a bit overzealous.

He also stated that should another problem arise, to contact the on duty manager and if that didn't work, have them call him

He also said, some of these expediter vans are not marked, so he, and security, have no clue if indeed you are an expediter, if not marked.

Seems this was a one time happening .... we can hope!

 

[21cExp]

Whether being in an unmarked vehicle or not, someone bent on doing bad is going to do it.

Vans get an undeservedly bad rap.

When the Anthrax scare was going on years ago up and down the East Coast, it was reported to have likely been a white van. We know now it was an employee of the Defense Dept, if I recall correctly. I'll bet he drove a Toyota sedan or similar. What he drove actually had nothing at all to do with the crime, but a van was immediately blamed.

When the DC Sniper still ran rampant, the media said it was a white van or box truck, largely based on a single witness report at one of the various shootings. It was repeated and reported widely. One commentator said it had already been ditched in a nearby lake. I remember fueling up 600 miles or so from DC and the general public all over the US was worked up enough they eyed me, in my white van 600 miles from DC, suspiciously. The DC Sniper vehicle of choice ended up being a 1990 Chevy Caprice, still very much dry.

I get my hackles up when people automatically connect rape or abduction or other crime with white vans.

When a friend, acquaintance, or family makes any kind of crack like "your rapist van" or "your child molester van" I let them know it is not appropriate, and is based largely on media fed bull playing off long-held unfair misconceptions.

They typically say "I'm just kidding!" to which I always reply in a calm tone "Well, if you can explain what you find the least bit humorous about rape, molestation, or abuse of any kind, I will pretend to laugh, okay?"

White vans are simply one of the most plentiful vehicles out there and make an easy target for blame. It actually behooves us--those of us who employ vans, white, marked or unmarked, or otherwise in our daily work--to actively try to dispel the misconceptions. Keep your vehicle looking fresh, be professional and polite, don't lay waste to where you park, and just generally make a positive impression on those around you.

It should not matter in the least if a van is unmarked or not to be able to park anywhere. That simply should have nothing to do with it. I see more rat cars and rat pick-ups with shady characters in parking spots than I ever do vans, especially at truck-stops. I also see more lettered white vans that look trashy than I do unmarked white vans.

 

[21cExp]

I can understand that, to a point. Though if I have a choice between a clean white unmarked van that has obviously been well taken care of (no matter the age) and an ill-kept banged up, but lettered vehicle, I will go with the clean unmarked one every time.

Just having markings does not a professional make.

If a van has no markings i can kind of understand asking them to leave. I know it might ruffle some feathers but plain Jane doesn't make a van look like a professional anything. I don't limit t that comment to expediters look at a plumber who looks more like a really business the one who pulls up in a van with professional lettered vehicle or the one with no markings. Perception right or wrong goes a long way in business.

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