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Navy salad Member


Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 1600 | TRs Location: Woodinville
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I'm talking about near the truck stop, just east of North Bend. Most of the time I drive by, there are a slew of trucks parked up and down the entry and exit ramps.
I get that truck stops attract trucks, but why parked on the ramps and why so many? My first thought was an incredible restaurant, but I sorta doubt it! |
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Kim Brown Member


Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 5482 | TRs
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Sometimes a driver has to lay over because of timing regulations at the Port, (either the shipping dock, or entrance/exit ramps onto a highway at the docks- those are regulated as well for haulers), or because regulations require a ration of X amount of rest per X hours or miles (I don't know which) of driving. If a trucker gets in early, they have to wait somewhere they can idle.
The town of N Bend did put a cap on idling trucks at that location a few years ago, don't know how that turned out, exactly.
-------------- " I'm really happy about this! … I have very strong good and horrible memories up there." – oldgranola, NWH’s outdoors advocate. |
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Joey verrry senior member


Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 2185 | TRs Location: Redmond
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A few years back a trucker unloading hay at the place next to us said that trucks used to be able to park for free in a large area close to where they get fuel. But then the policy changed and and a fee was charged to park there. |
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RandyHiker Snarky Member


Joined: 27 Jul 2008 Posts: 6730 | TRs Location: Bellevue at the moment.
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I think the rescinding of "free camping" at truck stops has something to do with the number of people living "full time" in RVs, vans and regular old cars on very little income. Wealthy full time RVers don't blink at paying $50/night or more at an RV campground. But people trying to live cheap find the bathrooms and showers at truck stops to be welcome. I think truck stops were fine with people who were "passing through", but when people are living at "Ken's Truck Town" for weeks or months, dumping trash and worse things it was bad for business. |
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Malachai Constant Member


Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 14241 | TRs Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny
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According to an article in the Times in Seattle the “Walter White” RVs are impounded when they have been parked in the same place for too long. When nobody bails them out they are sold at auction for near nothing, because they are totally trashed complete with feces and needles. “Car ranchers“ then buy them up and rent them out to homeless folks. Wash, Rinse and repeat. The city is now proposing to junk them now to break the cycle. Strange Times, I had never heard of car ranchers until today. 
-------------- "You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn |
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cdestroyer Member


Joined: 14 Sep 2015 Posts: 427 | TRs Location: montana
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I dont know the area where the trucks are parking but if there is a large change in elevation they may be letting the packaging adjust. many snack chips etc are packed under pressure and unless allowed to adjust to pressure change they will explode |
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Navy salad Member


Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 1600 | TRs Location: Woodinville
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This makes sense, both the layover rules and perhaps letting the shipments adjust to pressure change.
I've also seen lots of big trucks parked, even in the middle of the day, on the siding road to the south of the section of I-90 east of North Bend, where there's a large pull-out area. |
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MtnGoat Member


Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 11329 | TRs Location: Lyle, WA
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Malachai Constant wrote: |
The city is now proposing to junk them now to break the cycle. Strange Times, I had never heard of car ranchers until today.  |
Break the cycle of folks at least having a roof over their head.... thereby pushing them into tents?
This 'help' is off the worst sort.
-------------- Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers |
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JonnyQuest Member


Joined: 10 Dec 2013 Posts: 386 | TRs
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cdestroyer wrote: |
I dont know the area where the trucks are parking but if there is a large change in elevation they may be letting the packaging adjust. many snack chips etc are packed under pressure and unless allowed to adjust to pressure change they will explode |
Location in question is North Bend, which is at a fairly low elevation. Most trucks their are inbound to Seattle and environs, so sealed packages would be losing internal pressure as trucks descended into North Bend. |
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Backpacker Joe NWH Joe-Bob


Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 23330 | TRs Location: Cle Elum
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Truckers are only allowed to drive so many hours a day. They HAVE to pull over someplace and sleep/wait until their clock resets.
-------------- "If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln |
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alpendave Cat Herder


Joined: 01 Aug 2008 Posts: 742 | TRs Location: Kitsap Peninsula
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Malachai Constant wrote: |
According to an article in the Times in Seattle the “Walter White” RVs are impounded when they have been parked in the same place for too long. When nobody bails them out they are sold at auction for near nothing, because they are totally trashed complete with feces and needles. “Car ranchers“ then buy them up and rent them out to homeless folks. Wash, Rinse and repeat. The city is now proposing to junk them now to break the cycle. Strange Times, I had never heard of car ranchers until today.  |
I just figured that it was people in their golden years retired from panhandling.
-------------- Like a ray of sunshine in a drought stricken land.
What we do does far more than what we think others ought to do. Inspiration is a far greater power for good than coercion. In your own life, show others the good that you wish to see in the world. |
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Michael Lewis Taking a nap


Joined: 27 Apr 2009 Posts: 551 | TRs Location: Lynnwood, WA (for now)
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Don't know for sure. Perhaps someone could illuminate more on this.
But when I was a truck driver I learned that FMCSR require that an operator of a class A CMV cannot drive longer than 11 hours within a 14 hour period without a 10 hour rest period in between. Given that operators are also limited to 70 hours of operation in a given 8 day period, careful planning of routing and timing must be made to avoid getting stuck on ramps or any other place not safe for shutting down. Depending on the company they work for, likely they use an Electronic Logging Device which keeps a record of their time for DOT inspection. You can't park a class A just anywhere due to possible property damage risk from load distribution on roads, clearances, etc, so drivers get desperate when their clock runs out. Driving team almost eliminates this issue because of the 1 hour overlap so I'd reason most of these drivers are probably solo.
My guess is unforeseen major traffic issues either on the road or at the destination receiver and a full truck stop at the time they arrived caused them to shut down on the ramps to avoid a DOT violation on their Hours of Service Availability. Of course in my opinion it's not a safe option. They could get hit by other drivers. I saw this happen all over the country and think it's a major issue that's getting no attention. Solo truck drivers using ELDs stuck in traffic run out time and can't even get to a safe place to rest without breaking the law.
I was solo when I ran out of HOS time once in west Texas and took the violation over sleeping next to busy traffic. Dinged my record a little but seemed far safer to me to find a spot off the highway near a truck stop. The company let me keep driving and I left more room for error in my trip planning. Wasn't perfect though. Eventually realized over the road wasn't my thing. |
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treeswarper Alleged Sockpuppet!


Joined: 25 Dec 2006 Posts: 9180 | TRs Location: Don't move here
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RandyHiker wrote: |
I think the rescinding of "free camping" at truck stops has something to do with the number of people living "full time" in RVs, vans and regular old cars on very little income. Wealthy full time RVers don't blink at paying $50/night or more at an RV campground. But people trying to live cheap find the bathrooms and showers at truck stops to be welcome. I think truck stops were fine with people who were "passing through", but when people are living at "Ken's Truck Town" for weeks or months, dumping trash and worse things it was bad for business. |
I think you should look at all the fancy RVs staying the night in Walmarche lots. Wealth doesn't seem to matter when it comes to saving a few bucks. Canadians like our Walmarche for "camping". You'll see some pretty spendy looking rigs parked there during the flight and return of the Snowbirds.
Now, back to topic, trucks pull off on exits because of the required rest times. Also, I bet they are girding their loins for the traffic west of North Bend. They also use Rest Areas for ..... resting. Sometimes parking hard to find at Rest Areas in the truck area.
-------------- What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities |
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RandyHiker Snarky Member


Joined: 27 Jul 2008 Posts: 6730 | TRs Location: Bellevue at the moment.
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treeswarper wrote: |
I think you should look at all the fancy RVs staying the night in Walmarche lots. Wealth doesn't seem to matter when it comes to saving a few bucks. Canadians like our Walmarche for "camping". You'll see some pretty spendy looking rigs parked there during the flight and return of the Snowbirds.
Now, back to topic, trucks pull off on exits because of the required rest times. Also, I bet they are girding their loins for the traffic west of North Bend. They also use Rest Areas for ..... resting. Sometimes parking hard to find at Rest Areas in the truck area. |
I think the key question posted in the OP isn't why do trucks park, but rather why are they parked on the off ramps instead of the large parking lot at Ken's Truck town where they have parked in decades past.
Earlier in the thread someone mentioned that Ken's is now charging for overnight parking.
RVers do use Wally world lots. If the usage was simply "snowbirds in transit" , I don't think we would be seeing more and more Wally worlds restricting overnight parking. |
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Navy salad Member


Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 1600 | TRs Location: Woodinville
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RandyHiker wrote: |
I think the key question posted in the OP isn't why do trucks park, but rather why are they parked on the off ramps instead of the large parking lot at Ken's Truck town where they have parked in decades past. |
Correct, that is what I was curious about. But I think the question's been answered -- at least to my satisfaction. |
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