Pilot/FlyingJ

Mike484 · 03-14-2016, 05:51 PM

We are about to embark on our first cross country road trip, Texas to Florida. Most of our route is along I-10. The Good Sam travel planner will show us where all the Pilot/FlyingJ truck stops are at. I have also downloaded the Pilot/FlyingJ app which give you a description of what is at each truck stop. It appears as though they are very RV friendly, most with RV fuel bays, many with dump stations and welcome over nighters. I'm hoping we can also get ours washed and the tires balanced at one of our stops.

My question is, have any of you used these, and if so, what is your opinion. Are they worth the stop, are the restaurants generally good, are the facilities generally clean, do the service departments seem RV friendly? There are a lot along the way and we plan to use them as much as possible (probably every stop we make besides the RV parks), I'm wondering if they are all that they appear to be and wanting to know what to expect.

bobbecky · 03-14-2016, 06:54 PM

Honestly, I try to avoid them. They are always much higher for fuel, and we usually fuel up after dropping the rig in a park, and can fuel up at a smaller station at a lower cost. I would also recommend getting the trailer tires balanced before you take off. Most of these wheels should be 'lug' balanced instead of 'hub' balanced, meaning the wheel is centered to the lug holes instead of to the large hub hole, because most of these trailer wheels do not depend on the hub to be centered to the axle hub. Better to find a good tire shop locally to do that. As far as getting the rig washed while on the road, why? It will get dirty again, usually soon after getting it washed, so you will have wasted your money. Also, at many truck stops, the pressure washers run at very high pressure, and besides possibly doing damage to paint and decals, there have been some that have had water sprayed into the electronics of their water heaters and fridges, doing costly damage. Have a great trip.

**chuckster57** · 03-14-2016, 07:13 PM

I did just the opposite. I used them and found the price to be within .05/gal. But then that was in '09. It was real easy to pull up on the truck side with my dually and 35+ feet of trailer, fill up and then pull forward, pay and go to the campground.

I chose to do it this way, because when I parked for the day I was DONE and full of fuel for the early morning start the next day.

I didn't wash the exterior for the duration, 5 1/2 weeks 8511 miles.

Mike484 · 03-14-2016, 07:16 PM

Thanks, great advise. I was wanting to wash it because it has gotten very dirty sitting in storage, but maybe most of that will just blow off. I've even thought about going out to our hangar at the airport, it's only about 5 miles out of our way, I know I can wash it there, or at least rinse off all the dust that has settled on it during storage. I was thinking that power washing wouldn't be such a good idea, a water hose, bucket of soap, and a soft bristle RV brush would be preferred.

Trouble with getting the wheels balanced, most all of the places near us don't have the room to get an RV in otherwise they would have already been done, we did stop at a Firestone and asked them, was told they didn't have anything big enough to lift it, guess they just didn't want to fool with it. This is why I thought a truck stop would be a good place to get them balanced. We will just have to look harder for another place around us. I do want to get the wheels balanced as soon as possible.

As far as what we are going, waiting to get to a park won't really be much of an option, we will have to stop at least once between parks to fill up, wish there were Buckees along the way, but they are just a Texas thing. I was also hoping that the restaraunts at the Pilots/FJ were descent, but, I guess we will have to just watch the road signs and look for better places.

Any other trips we have ever made (without RV) we have always avoided them because the few that we did stop at were usually pretty nasty.

hankaye · 03-14-2016, 08:07 PM

Mike484, Howdy;

Pilot ruined Flying J. Flying J used to have excellent restaurants, when Pilot
bought them, they went to a fast food mentality, it's what they (Pilot), know
Flying J used to have the lowest prices for fuel in most areas, as they had
their own refineries. I don't think the family that used to own FJ sold them
as well. They need some source of income ... Pilot bought FJ in late 2009
and by the Summer of 2010 great damage had already been done to the FJ
name and reputation.
Now the way that they treat Rv folks is good, and they do have amenities
that are geared for Rv folks. The Restaurants have been out-sourced to
Denny's from what I can tell, guess the fast food bit chomped them in the
butt.
Oh well, ya pays yer money ... ya takes yer chances

hankaye

**sourdough** · 03-14-2016, 08:26 PM

All I can say is be VERY careful. It looks like you are running a gas truck. They DO NOT have "bays" for Rvs with gas to speak of. You have to go to car pumps and they are difficult, if not impossible, to get in and out of. Look for other places and beware of the accessibility for a truck/rv. We do the TX to FL trip once or twice a year.

SADLY · 03-15-2016, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

All I can say is be VERY careful. It looks like you are running a gas truck. They DO NOT have "bays" for Rvs with gas to speak of. You have to go to car pumps and they are difficult, if not impossible, to get in and out of. Look for other places and beware of the accessibility for a truck/rv. We do the TX to FL trip once or twice a year.

Every FlyinJ I've been to has an RV island (on the car side of the property) that has plenty of room to maneuver.... Gas and diesel at this pump. Also a dump station (at some locations).

The truck lane, however, has only diesel.

dcg9381 · 03-15-2016, 06:36 AM

I like them too. If you've got a diesel truck, you get in line with the rigs. You typically can NOT pay with a CC at the commercial truck line, so you end up having to go in and often pre-pay (guess your amount). Apparently the way to get around this is to sign up for the Flying-J card...

Another advantage for diesels is cheap DEF at the pump.

Gasser - it's like any other big gas station.

notanlines · 03-15-2016, 07:44 AM

All the Flying J/Pilot stations we frequent "that have the RV lane" also have gas at both their pumps in that lane.

hankaye · 03-15-2016, 01:50 PM

Howdy All;

Going back to my previous post, Pilot bought Flyin' J, the ones with the RV
lanes and set-ups were the Flyin J's those without were the Pilots.
Those with a restraunt (Denny's), were FJ, those with Wendy's, or someother
fast food establishment were the Pilots ...

hankaye

gearhead · 03-15-2016, 02:39 PM

I will use them only if I can't find something else. They all don't have RV islands. Check your app before pulling into one. I have the Fling J credit card through Good Sam and it works at the truck lane pumps. At some of the locations it will not work inside the store.
I have found their diesel prices high, and their diesel lanes and pumps are usually filthy. You get diesel on your shoes and track it inside your truck.
I avoid Firestone, Goodyear, Mineke , etc. like the plague. They are usually owned by some money grubbing franchisee. Discount Tire can balance your trailer wheels, they have done mine on 2 trailers. I tow it there and park off to side and they go at it. I don't know where you store your trailer but the Discount Tire on Decker Dr. in Baytown has plenty of room. The newer one on Garth Rd., not so much.
Look around your area for car washes with a high clearance bay. I use one in Dayton a lot for my bay boat.

Mr30RLI · 03-22-2016, 03:44 PM

I have 7 overnighters scheduled for flying j's while going to Yellowstone from VA this summer. I tend to use flyi j to fuelup anyway since the diesel lanes are big rig friendly. Get a flying j card and then have a stop register your credentials, drivers license, ect. You should then be able to activate the pumps with your card. Yes they tend to be pretty nasty though so buy some yard gloves to dedicate to the fuel stops.

Most around here have a Denny's so the food is at least as eatable as a McD.

Have fun.

Frank

carwheel_09 · 03-22-2016, 05:37 PM

I use Dyna Beads in my fifth wheel tires seem to be the easiest thing to do when I put new tires on. Supposed to keep them balanced as they roll.

Bob Landry · 03-23-2016, 04:58 AM

I used to look for Flying J exclusively, but that changed on Jan 1 when the Open Carry Law went into effect in Texas. Flying J chose to opt out by posting signs at their door prohibiting open carry of firearms and that's their prerogative. It's not a big deal since most people carry concealed, except the ones I have been to also decided to prohibit concealed carry as well, where this was not previously the case. It's not a problem to a lot of people, but it is to me since I carry everywhere I go. I'm not going to entertain a 2nd Amendment argument here, just stating my personal preferences, and I exercise my rights as a guy with the credit card, so I look for fuel and food elsewhere.
While firearms are not allowed inside the building, there's nothing to keep you from leaving it in the vehicle if you want to go in. I'm just making everyone aware of this so everyone stays legal as sometimes their signs are not obvious when you walk in.

filmtex · 03-23-2016, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

I used to look for Flying J exclusively, but that changed on Jan 1 when the Open Carry Law went into effect in Texas. Flying J chose to opt out by posting signs at their door prohibiting open carry of firearms and that's their prerogative. It's not a big deal since most people carry concealed, except the ones I have been to also decided to prohibit concealed carry as well, where this was not previously the case. It's not a problem to a lot of people, but it is to me since I carry everywhere I go. I'm not going to entertain a 2nd Amendment argument here, just stating my personal preferences, and I exercise my rights as a guy with the credit card, so I look for fuel and food elsewhere.
While firearms are not allowed inside the building, there's nothing to keep you from leaving it in the vehicle if you want to go in. I'm just making everyone aware of this so everyone stays legal as sometimes their signs are not obvious when you walk in.

I'm with you all the way!

bsmith0404 · 03-24-2016, 06:22 PM

When I was transporting I used Pilot/Flying J exclusively because I got a .15 per gallon discount. If you get the Pilot/Flying J Good Sam card you will get a discount as well, I believe it's either 5 or 8 cents per gallon. As for the restaurants, Flying J has Denny's, Pilot will have a mixture of McDonalds, Subway, Wendy's, Arby's, Cinnabon, and Huddle House typically with multiple at each location.

Some have good overnight parking locations for RVs, others you would be best parking in with the big rigs. I personally don't like that because many run all night and there is always a truck leaving and another coming in. Just too much activity.

One good thing about them vs a Walmart is that they have very nice showers that are cleaned after every customer. It's a great to get a nice hot shower and relax after a long day on the road.

I always planned my trip out before leaving, checked distances from one location to the next, used the website to check fuel prices and new exactly where I was going to stop to maximize my fuel savings. The website shows location right down to which exit each is at.

msp2jxr · 03-25-2016, 05:31 AM

I usually only go to them when I need to buy DEF for the diesel. The diesel per gallon cost is way to much for me to pay. I usually look for service stations with no roofing or high roofing and a long stretch to pull straight in. I can usually find them nearby Pilot and usually at lest a nickel a gallon cheaper. Jay

CaptnJohn · 03-28-2016, 09:39 PM

When on the road with the 5er in tow I look for easy in/out for fuel. A nickel or dime a gallon more is less concern than getting into a tight situation or into traffic. Just let me get fuel and back on the road. I can find a rest stop to eat at.

denverpilot · 03-28-2016, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

I used to look for Flying J exclusively, but that changed on Jan 1 when the Open Carry Law went into effect in Texas. Flying J chose to opt out by posting signs at their door prohibiting open carry of firearms and that's their prerogative.

I also don't feel like debate on this topic here either, but I appreciate you posting this.

Model A Driver · 03-29-2016, 12:16 AM

I have seen posts where there were problems with diesel fuel at this big truck stops. But my main point is safety. When I was a cop the truck stops along I-85 seem to be a haven for "less than stellar "human beings. Stay in very good light and crowds if at night. Enjoy your trip. We are one year behind you.

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