It's the end of an era. I couldn't believe it when I heard that the I-55 Auto/Truck Plaza at exit 257 in Joliet, Illinois is closing on November 3. A fixture on I-55 for more than 30 years, developers are tearing down our little spot of comfort to build another concrete shopping center. I've spent a lot of time driving between the Windy City and the Gateway. The Joliet stop was a good place to fuel up -- both me and the rig -- before tackling Chicago traffic or making the run down to St. Louis. Boasting 180 truck parking spaces, there was usually room for one more rig. You could catch a few winks when you needed to, touch base with your buds and catch up on the news. I'm going to miss it.
Now I'm sure Joliet is feeling the pinch to keep up with the Joneses. Nearby Naperville has mega-huge Fox Valley Mall and neighboring Woodbridge has swanky Seven Bridges. I suppose the old Louis Joliet Mall is too outdated to be much of a draw for Joliet's growing suburbs and the town fathers want something new and spiffy. But if you ask me, the last thing America needs is another half-empty concrete shopping center or strip mall.
And here's what gets me: What are they going to do about those lost 180 parking spaces? Illinois ranked an abysmal 42 in commercial truck parking availability in a 2002 Federal Highway Administration study. Finding a place to pull over and rest when you're tired or your mandated hours are up is getting near to impossible in this country. This summer more states, including Arkansas, joined a national trend to outlaw parking on highway entrance and exit ramps. But is anyone giving us more legal places to park? No!
So what are we supposed to do? Most stops are full up by sundown. Fast food joints and big box stores like Wal-Mart won't let you park overnight. When you're tired or especially when your hours are up, you have to pull over and rest. It's the law and it's a matter of safety. Commercial truck parking just isn't keeping up with the national need of a growing trucking industry and no one seems to be doing anything about it. (Click here to read more about the problem in the Salina Journal.)
I had to laugh at a plan Virginia and Massachusetts are studying. Sensors in the parking lot pavement would signal truckers via cell phone when a parking space was available. So where are you supposed to park while you're waiting for a spot to open up? And what happens when the call goes out? I can just see 10 tired truckers exiting at once, barreling into the lot in an 18-wheel game of chicken to see who can slip into the spot first! Just doesn't sound like much of a solution to me.
I'd like to hear from other truckers out there. What kinds of parking problems are you running into -- and where? Let Trucker to Trucker know; just click your 2 cents below to leave a comment.
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