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03-14-2016, 05:51 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 380
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Pilot/FlyingJ
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.
__________________
2016 Passport 2890RL
2007 GMC Sierra 1500
Reese 26000 Weight Distribution and Sway Control
Champion 2800/3100 Inverter Generator
American Ranger Auto Gyro
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03-14-2016, 06:54 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 2,910
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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.
__________________
Bob & Becky
2012 3402 Montana
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC
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03-14-2016, 07:16 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 380
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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.
__________________
2016 Passport 2890RL
2007 GMC Sierra 1500
Reese 26000 Weight Distribution and Sway Control
Champion 2800/3100 Inverter Generator
American Ranger Auto Gyro
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03-14-2016, 08:07 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
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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
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...
Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
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03-14-2016, 08:26 PM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,702
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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.
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03-15-2016, 02:44 AM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 82
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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.
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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.
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03-15-2016, 06:36 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Texarkana, TX
Posts: 1,052
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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.
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03-14-2016, 07:13 PM
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#8
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Site Team
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,357
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Pilot/FlyingJ
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.
__________________
2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.
Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
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03-22-2016, 05:37 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Baton Rouge, La
Posts: 127
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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.
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03-23-2016, 04:58 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
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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.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L
Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
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03-23-2016, 07:23 AM
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#11
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Permanent User Ban
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: South Texas
Posts: 119
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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.
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I'm with you all the way!
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03-24-2016, 06:22 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Las Cruces
Posts: 4,665
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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.
__________________
Brent
2013 Alpine 3500RE
2019 Silverado 2500HD Duramax
U.S. Air Force Retired (25 yrs)
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03-28-2016, 11:47 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 487
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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.
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I also don't feel like debate on this topic here either, but I appreciate you posting this.
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Pilot for fun, Computer geek for a living, and happy 5er owner who wants more time to go play in the camper!
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03-29-2016, 12:16 AM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Jefferson
Posts: 38
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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.
__________________
2014 Bullet 272BHS
2016 Ram 2500 Crew 4x4 6.7L
2004 F-150 XLT 4x4 Supercab Replaced
2000 Damon Challenger MH - Totaled by wrecker driver
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03-30-2016, 01:40 PM
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#15
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Utah
Posts: 9
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My experience is that they are very noisy! Trucks coming and going ALL night. I never get much sleep at truck stops
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2014 ram 3500 w/cummins diesel
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03-31-2016, 06:18 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Ocean Isle Beach
Posts: 1,431
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tperonek
My experience is that they are very noisy! Trucks coming and going ALL night. I never get much sleep at truck stops
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I prefer a campground, even for an overnight. Rest areas come next. Dealers, pimps, and HOs would rap on the semi door but never had it on a camper at truck stops so they are on the list after Walmart.
__________________
2022.Montana 3855 BR
2019 F350 6.7 4X4 DRW
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04-01-2016, 05:54 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
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tperonek, Howdy;
Quote:
Originally Posted by tperonek
My experience is that they are very noisy! Trucks coming and going ALL night. I never get much sleep at truck stops
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Yea, the Big truck parking lot is kinda noisy ... that's why I check with the
fuel desk and or the Manager and ask where I can park in the Restaurant
lot for the night. Then I go to that area and find an overhead light to park
under an overhead light. Much quieter ... besides, I'd like to think that I'm
not taking a spot from a driver that probably been going a lot further than
I have an truly needs the space more than I do.
hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...
Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
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04-01-2016, 07:08 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 2,910
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Met a couple a year or two ago that had parked in a truck stop parking area with their 5er, went in to eat in the restaurant, and when they came back to their rig, discovered the rear cap had been trashed by what appeared to be a flatbed trailer that probably made a turn a bit too close and caught the cap with the swinging end of the flatbed. The truck driver probably never had a clue that he'd hit the 5er, and that couple had to use a lot of duct tape to hold things together until they could file a claim with their insurance. If you dare to park where the big rigs park, be very careful to park in a way to prevent damage from the big rigs.
__________________
Bob & Becky
2012 3402 Montana
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC
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04-04-2016, 08:39 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Las Cruces
Posts: 4,665
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hankaye
tperonek, Howdy
Yea, the Big truck parking lot is kinda noisy ... that's why I check with the
fuel desk and or the Manager and ask where I can park in the Restaurant
lot for the night. Then I go to that area and find an overhead light to park
under an overhead light. Much quieter ... besides, I'd like to think that I'm
not taking a spot from a driver that probably been going a lot further than
I have an truly needs the space more than I do.
hankaye
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This is a big concern, trucks are very limited on locations where they can park and have no choice, but to shut down to avoid busting hours. I try to stay out of the big rig parking area as much as possible, but every now and then, you find yourself in a location where it's just the best option.
__________________
Brent
2013 Alpine 3500RE
2019 Silverado 2500HD Duramax
U.S. Air Force Retired (25 yrs)
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04-05-2016, 12:06 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: PA
Posts: 620
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I'm a big fan of Flying J's. They generally have RV lanes with diesel and gas. They have dump facilities, if needed. Their store is a convenience store + truck/car accessory store. Bathrooms are always clean. They allow you to park/sleep there overnight...assuming you get an RV parking spot. With GoodSam, They have a fuel credit card with a .03 to .09/gal discount....I believe based upon your type of GoodSam membership and fuel type. We have the lifetime membership and get .09/gal off gas and I believe .06/gal off diesel. If you have a big rig...avoid Pilot stations. They are typically more of a typical convenience store/gas station. OK for a truck and moderate sized TT.
__________________
Chris and Patty
2015 Keystone Montana 3791RD Legacy Edition, MorRyde 4000, Dual pane windows, Goodyear G rated tires.
2013 GMC Sierra 3500HD, Duramax, SLE, SRW, Crew, Hensley Trailer Saver hitch, Blue Ox BedSaver.
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