TA Announces Reserve-It Parking

[ATeam]

Travel Centers of America Announces Reserve-It Parking

Diane and I saw some of those reserved spaces the other day at the Rockwall, Texas, TA. We did not look close but it seemed that about 6 to 8 spaces had been set aside for this purpose and marked with standing signs in each space.

 

[layoutshooter]

Travel Centers of America Announces Reserve-It Parking

Diane and I saw some of those reserved spaces the other day at the Rockwall, Texas, TA. We did not look close but seemed that about 6 to 8 spaces had been set aside and marked with standing signs in each space for this purpose.

I saw them at the TA in Florence (ya'll) KY. They had about 20 spaces marked with movable signs.

 

[ATeam]

I saw them at the TA in Florence (ya'll) KY. They had about 20 spaces marked with movable signs.

Twenty is a lot of spaces. If we drove into a truck stop and saw twenty empty spaces, we would think it was a slow night. What happens at crowed truck stops if the Reserve-It spaces are not spoken for? Do they sit empty all night?

I'd hate to be the big-rigger orbiting a truck stop looking for a free space while Reserve-It spaces stand open. But then, that's probably what TA is counting on. When 20 spaces sell out every night, it will be a simple matter to increase the number to 25 and then 50 and more.

While the numbers are exagerated a bit because they do not apply to that extent in every case, the TA CEO makes a valid point about using log book time for driving instead of hunting for a parking place:

"Drivers have told us with Reserve-It, they can make more money because they don't have to spend time looking for a place to park," says Tom O'Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters. "Some drivers we talked with spend as much as 2 1/2 hours at the end of their day looking for a parking space. That's nearly 23% of their 11 allowable hours of service, or HOS. If a driver was on the road instead of spending time looking for parking, they could spend more time making money."

The flip side of that is the fact that driver pay has not significantly increased over the years. Paid parking is just another expense added to all others that rise while the driver's pay stays put. The movement of truck drivers into the ranks of the working poor continues as vendors and government agencies find more and more ways to make money off trucks.

Let's say a driver buys into the belief that paying for parking will save time and therefore make more money. Say that driver pays $10 a night to park five nights a week. On a 50 week year, that works out to $2,500 for parking. That's an expense the driver did not pay in previous years.

If the driver's pay from running actually increases because less time is spent hunting for a parking place, the $2,500 expense may be worth paying. But if I was a big-rig driver, I would pay close attention to my time and driving numbers before buying into the notion that paying for reserved parking makes me money.

 

[zorry]

Greenland NH. About 10 blocked. Looks like they were used Sunday Night.

 

[jjoerger]

I have a feeling this is going to turn out to be a bad idea on the part of T/A.
If we can't find a place to park we will move on to another truck stop and so will our fuel and food purchases.

 

[Humble2drive]

Sometimes, the sales pitch can raise flags of suspicion.

TA started out with "drivers have told us" implying that this was a response to driver's needs but, did the driver's comment on what fee if any was acceptable?

TA said . . .
"Some drivers we talked with spend as much as 2 1/2 hours at the end of their day looking for a parking space."

Their example borders on the ridiculous.
It sends up a red flag when somebody chooses to use an extreme example to justify the monetary benefits of what they are selling.

"Some Drivers" ? Could be 2 out of 100?
"as much as"? This would be the absolute most time that the "some drivers" spent on a particular bad day.

It should be presented as "most drivers spend an average of . . ."

Makes me think it was simply a corporate plan for an additional revenue stream and the last 20 drivers to arrive will be forced to pay to stay.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[layoutshooter]

Twenty is a lot of spaces. If we drove into a truck stop and saw twenty empty spaces, we would think it was a slow night. What happens at crowed truck stops if the Reserve-It spaces are not spoken for? Do they sit empty all night?

I'd hate to be the big-rigger orbiting a truck stop looking for a free space while Reserve-It spaces stand open. But then, that's probably what TA is counting on. When 20 spaces sell out every night, it will be a simple matter to increase the number to 25 and then 50 and more.

While the numbers are exagerated a bit because they do not apply to that extent in every case, the TA CEO makes a valid point about using log book time for driving instead of hunting for a parking place:

"Drivers have told us with Reserve-It, they can make more money because they don't have to spend time looking for a place to park," says Tom O'Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters. "Some drivers we talked with spend as much as 2 1/2 hours at the end of their day looking for a parking space. That's nearly 23% of their 11 allowable hours of service, or HOS. If a driver was on the road instead of spending time looking for parking, they could spend more time making money."

The flip side of that is the fact that driver pay has not significantly increased over the years. Paid parking is just another expense added to all others that rise while the driver's pay stays put. The movement of truck drivers into the ranks of the working poor continues as vendors and government agencies find more and more ways to make money off trucks.

Let's say a driver buys into the belief that paying for parking will save time and therefore make more money. Say that driver pays $10 a night to park five nights a week. On a 50 week year, that works out to $2,500 for parking. That's an expense the driver did not pay in previous years.

If the driver's pay from running actually increases because less time is spent hunting for a parking place, the $2,500 expense may be worth paying. But if I was a big-rig driver, I would pay close attention to my time and driving numbers before buying into the notion that paying for reserved parking makes me money.

All but about 4 were full.

 

[Turtle]

If drivers are spending 2 1/2 hours looking for parking and they want to spend money to alleviate that problem, they should spend their money on a CB.

 

[piattteam]

How many of you honestly believe drivers LOG their circling, space hunting time as on duty?!?!
I wouldn't blame truck-stops if they started charging everybody again! It would offset their cost of the extra personnel required to clean-up after the nasty-as. drivers whom throw their trash/urine bottles out the window.
A week or so ago, we were at a Flying J that must have had over 100 trash receptacles in the parking lot. NO exaggeration!
There was STILL trash thrown on the ground!!!!

 

[paullud]

Tom O'Brien appears to be lying, wow imagine that, a CEO lying to make money. Who is this mentally challenged driver that takes 2 1/2 hours to find a parking spot? My guess is good Ol' Tom has no clue about finding a parking spot but knows there is a shortage so he decided to start charging.

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[ATeam]

I wouldn't blame truck-stops if they started charging everybody again! It would offset their cost of the extra personnel required to clean-up after the nasty-as. drivers whom throw their trash/urine bottles out the window.

Whether truck stops charge for parking or not, there will still be those drivers who pee in the parking lot and toss their trash on the ground. Indeed, if they pay for parking, they may feel entitled to do it since they help pay for the clean up by paying to park. Or they may do it as a way of protesting the parking fee. Or they may do it simply because they are pigs whose social consciousness does not extend beyond their urine stream.

The reason does not matter. As any glance at any highway ditch will show a month or two after the adopt-a-highway people have come through, there will always be people who will use public space as their trash can and sewer.

 

[moose]

This is a bad thing to happened to TA, clearly Tom the sells pitcher that came on here only 2 weeks ago did not submitted our concerns up to the management .
when they blocked EXISTING spaces to provide ANY new service, they hurt us professional truckers where it hurt the most. the least they could'v done is make more spaces avialble on those locations, and do whatever they wish with SOME of the newly created parking spaces.
welcome to truck stop with no place to stop a tuck.
when I get to park on those location, and if there's no other place, you'd be finding my rig parked either on the marked reserved spots, on the fuel islands or blocking the entrance to the shop bay. whatever it takes, as long as my Elogs are fine with it.

 

[piattteam]

Well said ATeam. Sad, true, but well said.

 

[aquitted]

6 spots at Antioch TN if anyone is interested Oh and these spots were put in A place that was not designated for parking in the past.

 

[mjmsprt40]

Gotta question. TA/Petro was just here asking how come we don't use them more. Now they do this "reserved parking" thing. I understand this probably applies more to the tractor-trailer guys than it does to straights, and so far I haven't seen vans mentioned here, but--- did it ever occur to these guys that restricting already limited parking even more just might CHASE AWAY customers??? If you can't park because the only open spots are reserved, how long exactly are you going to stay and how much money will you spend there?

 

[ATeam]

The addition of paid parking spaces at TA truck stops may irritate some drivers but it provides a distinct advantage for others. There are those who have publicly supported paid parking at truck stops and/or expressed sympathy for truck stops that provide all that free parking space without getting enough business in return from the trucks that use that space.

Drivers who have such views now have the opportunity to vote with their feet and vote their conscience -- so to speak -- and pay to park in the reserved spaces. Doing so would be an act of integrity that keeps their actions consistent with their views. It would also be a favor to others in that the free parking space the pay-for-parking advocates would otherwise take would be available to drivers who prefer to park for free.

 

[Turtle]

How many of you honestly believe drivers LOG their circling, space hunting time as on duty?!?!

Is this a poll question, or just rhetorical?

In either case, those who are on electronic logs are mostly logging that time.

 

[zorry]

The addition of paid parking spaces at TA truck stops may irritate some drivers but it provides a distinct advantage for others. There are those who have publicly supported paid parking at truck stops and/or expressed sympathy for truck stops that provide all that free parking space without getting enough business in return from the trucks that use that space.

Drivers who have such views now have the opportunity to vote with their feet and vote their conscience -- so to speak -- and pay to park in the reserved spaces. Doing so would be an act of integrity that keeps their actions consistent with their views. It would also be a favor to others in that the free parking space the pay-for-parking advocates would otherwise take would be available to drivers who prefer to park for free.

Phil, this last part is one of the funniest things you've ever said.
I will park for free if there is free parking. I will also spend money there.
If I have to pay I will. The other option may be to drive wasted miles,losing time AND money.
I'm really surprized at the close mindedness of all the proponents of capitalism here.
If you've only driven a van or a straight you really don't understand the parking issue because you don't have the problem a T/T driver has. You can take the 1/2 space. You can get into and/or be tolerated in a retail space that aT/T can't get away with.
As owners you want to charge what you can get away with. Another business wants to cover its expenses and Oh No ! I'm hauling cheap freight because I can so I can't cover any new costs. ( this is directed to anyone,not to Phil personally.)
I can see the need for the reserved parking and understand why it was requested.
I've been in and out of Boston alot this year. An area I am not very familiar with. As a T/T driver that has done dedicated,Oversize, and doubles/triples there are times when I would reserve a space and be happy to have that option. Midnight delivery in Miami. Or quite a few areas that have a parking shortage.
I remember as a truck hauler pulling into Love after Loves looking for a space in Texas.
Or heading N on 95 in Fla. No room in Frt Pierce,roll N and ther's no space in rest area's,of course no parking at the Love's ,and 2 1/2 hours later I find something.
I don't park in fire zones,vacant lots or on ramps.
Paid parking is probably coming. Not because I want it. I do understand it.
Phil,when you retire why don't you open up a 4 million dollar truck only parking as a service to your fellow truckers.
No charge of course. Please leave room for vans.

 

[BigCat]

North canton,oh ta also has it

 

[jjoerger]

When I think of paid parking I think of places like the Petro in Atlanta. Places where the purchase of food or fuel are accepted in lieu of payment. Not reserved spaces. If I can't park in an available space without paying for it I will find another truck stop chain.

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