Virginia to close rest areas?!?!?? - Brown Cafe

over9five · 07-03-2009, 08:00 AM

In an effort to save money, Virginia and several other states are planning to close rest areas.

Any Feeder guys want to comment? I know I'm happy to see that rest area coming up! This is not good.

Story

brownmonster · 07-03-2009, 08:03 AM

Sales of Depends should go up.

over9five · 07-03-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownmonster

Sales of Depends should go up.

We can all pretend to be astronauts!

pickup · 07-03-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over9five

In an effort to save money, Virginia and several other states are planning to close rest areas.

Any Feeder guys want to comment? I know I'm happy to see that rest area coming up! This is not good.

Story

ain't good at all, they may not be much but when you have to go to the bathroom and you need to pull in quick and get out quick, they're great. I think the compromise here is going to be port a johns(those "phonebooth" units with the free tasty mint cakes ) outside of where the restrooms are now.

29th Christmas · 07-03-2009, 08:28 AM

WOW !!
I'm glad my state isn't going through the especially tough times that others are.

rod · 07-03-2009, 08:58 AM

Mn. was going to do close 6 or 7 of theirs a few years ago. At the same time they built a new 3 million dollar one in the middle of nowhere that even during prime tourist season only gets about.a dozen visitors a day. In the winter (and the winters are looooooooog here) it is all but abandoned. Your tax money at work

MobileBA · 07-03-2009, 09:01 AM

I urinate on the exhaust pipe standing on the catwalk. I get to relieve myself and get a steam bath!

feederdriver06 · 07-03-2009, 10:13 AM

Here in New Jersey they closed the northbound and southbound rest areas at the 50 yardstick on 295 a while ago from what I figured to be a budget shortfall. Way Lame. Not as much for me but for alot of guys that you would see parked there at night getting some sleep. Now all the big trucks park on the side of the road out front. Not nearly as safe a spot to sleep.

I haven't been to RICVA in a while but I did stop at those rest areas the last time I was down there on 95. Sucks if they close them.

over9five · 07-03-2009, 10:18 AM

I think states that close rest areas should lose Federal highway funds.

crazymothertrucker · 07-03-2009, 11:52 AM

Well from what I read in the news paper they wont even have parking lot open for us. I only have to stop there on sats on my way back to ric from iad run. They are to put in more 10 to 12 more spaces at the Fredericksburg rest area but that wont help us to much traffic trying to get back on 95. Guess I have to pee my pants or moon everybody on 95.

over9five · 07-03-2009, 12:19 PM

That's true. The rest area will be blocked off, you won't even be able to drive in.

Welcome to Brown Cafe, Crazy MT!

crazymothertrucker · 07-03-2009, 12:33 PM

Tks for the welcome

brownrodster · 07-03-2009, 10:21 PM

When I drove to Chicago I remember seeing a Mcdonalds over the freeway with a gas station on each end. Seems like a better way to do rest areas so the state doesn't have to pay for them.

rod · 07-03-2009, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownrodster

When I drove to Chicago I remember seeing a Mcdonalds over the freeway with a gas station on each end. Seems like a better way to do rest areas so the state doesn't have to pay for them.

years and years ago it was Howard Johnsons

UpstateNYUPSer · 07-04-2009, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownrodster

When I drove to Chicago I remember seeing a Mcdonalds over the freeway with a gas station on each end. Seems like a better way to do rest areas so the state doesn't have to pay for them.

Service areas and rest areas differ, at least here in NY. Rest areas offer limited, if any, services and are basically a place to get off the highway, let the dog take a leak, and relax for a few minutes. Truckers with sleeper cabs use these areas to spend their down time. Service areas offer gas, food, convenience stores and are normally run by the state for a profit.

NY has closed a number of rest areas, citing the cost of $10K per area per year as the reason. They basically let the area go back to nature by removing the asphalt and whatever structures (restrooms/picnic tables) that were in place. Takes at least 5 years or more before you cannot tell that there was a rest area there.

toonertoo · 07-04-2009, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over9five

That's true. The rest area will be blocked off, you won't even be able to drive in.

Welcome to Brown Cafe, Crazy MT!

They did that to one in Ohio, that many, many truckers would be pulled into in severe weather. Its a North south highway, and begins at Lake Erie (RT 11)
They say they closed it because some dummy sued for tripping on a crack in the side walk. So before it can be reopened they have to fix the sidewalk. I say tear out the sidewalks, it was fine when it was a footpath to an outhouse.
ANd you cannot even pull in or off, and I did use it many a times to pull in and regain my bearings when in a white out.
Yet there is a million dollars worth of machinery sitting for the eventual rehabilitation. How much is that costing, our taxpayer dollars sitting idle. Its the small things we notice that our numbskull state leaders do that help add up to the budget problems we have.

www.moveoutcongress.com

lazydriver · 07-04-2009, 08:32 AM

The service areas in Maryland I95, New Jersey Turnpike and Penn Turnpike I think are run by the HMS Host http://www.hmshost.com/Motorways/Locations.aspx
Which is owned by an Italian company.
The rest areas on I81 in Virginia get very crowded with trucks, I would sometimes just pull off on the exit ramps and nap. I do use the rest areas on I85 and I95 in Virginia now and they are staffed with state employees 24 hours. I do know of some feeder drivers who were ticketed by Virginia troopers for public urination so if you can make it to restroom would be better than off the catwalk.

barnyard · 07-04-2009, 10:26 AM

Why is it the responsibility of the state to provide a parking space for OTR guys to park???? Shouldn't the OTR companies pay for that????

TB

over9five · 07-04-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnyard

Why is it the responsibility of the state to provide a parking space for OTR guys to park???? Shouldn't the OTR companies pay for that????

TB

But it is a government requirement that OTR guys have rest periods. As the government requires it, shouldn't they have to provide a place to actually get the rest???

barnyard · 07-04-2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over9five

But it is a government requirement that OTR guys have rest periods. As the government requires it, shouldn't they have to provide a place to actually get the rest???

Absolutely not.

They do not provide hotels for railroaders that start at one terminal, finish at another, sleep, leave for their home terminal the next day.

They also do not provide hotels for pilots.

Both also have federally mandated rest periods.

TB

Hoaxster · 07-04-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazydriver

I do know of some feeder drivers who were ticketed by Virginia troopers for public urination so if you can make it to restroom would be better than off the catwalk.

We have pecans in Georgia.

over9five · 07-04-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnyard

Absolutely not.

They do not provide hotels for railroaders that start at one terminal, finish at another, sleep, leave for their home terminal the next day.

They also do not provide hotels for pilots.

Both also have federally mandated rest periods.

TB

But both your examples have parking at the terminal or the airport. It would be very dificult to make a rest area for an airplane. I'm talking about the OTR trucker between terminals who has to park his rig in order to take his government mandated break.

lazydriver · 07-04-2009, 12:59 PM

There is a 2 hour parking limit in rest areas for cars and trucks in Va rest areas. Not enforced all the time. It has been awhile since I have seen MD troopers ticketing truckers for parking along the shoulder into the rest area. OTR drivers have it tougher than UPS. When I did layover UPS provided a hotel room. On a sleeper team you are in the bunk for your 10hrs off. So no the State if VA does not provide a place to legally rest. The state of MD does allow trucks to park in the weigh stations when closed to legally rest.

tieguy · 07-04-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnyard

Absolutely not.

They do not provide hotels for railroaders that start at one terminal, finish at another, sleep, leave for their home terminal the next day.

They also do not provide hotels for pilots.

Both also have federally mandated rest periods.

TB

You're taking a tough position. You never know when a driver may get drowsey and need that rest area to stretch and our take a power nap before rolling again. The benifit of having that rest area may be less family members getting killed by sleepy truckers.

barnyard · 07-04-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tieguy

You're taking a tough position. You never know when a driver may get drowsey and need that rest area to stretch and our take a power nap before rolling again. The benifit of having that rest area may be less family members getting killed by sleepy truckers.

I disagree.

It is up to the driver to arrive at work rested. A railroader does not have the option to 'pull the train over' if he/she needs a nap.

This leads to the larger debate concerning logs and drivers that fudge them and companies that turn a blind eye to it.

If truckload freight moved similiarly to LTL, providing parking for the homeless would not be an issue.

As taxpayers, we spend billions providing the trucking industry with steering wheel holders so that they can continue to treat employees so poorly, that 125% turnover is the industry norm.

If trucking companies had to follow hours of service laws as closely as the railroads, most would go out of business.

TB