I stopped at the Pilot at exit 7 on 78 in NJ on Thursday morning, get fuel and saw a spot right opposite the pump, I backed in and went inside for a much needed shower. There was one woman at the Subway counter and 3 at the sales counter, on the monitor there were no showers available so before checking in for a shower I walked to the area and saw 4 doors open and figured they were being cleaned, I then booked a shower. After about 15 minutes of standing there the Subway woman shouted at the others “There’s a man waiting for a shower here”
They all ignored her and I asked “Is anyone setting the showers up ?”, I got no answer. “Is anyone setting showers up ? I don’t have all day”
The senior looking ■■■■■ behind the counter who had been yacking on with the others then said “We don’t have any towels”
"Then why don’t you just say that instead of just ignoring customers "
“We are very busy sir”
“Very busy ? … I have not seen a single customer walk in in 10 minutes, I need a shower, I will even go and get my own towels from my truck if you want”
She walked into the back room and returned with warm and dry towels, put them in shower room 4 an said “You can use 4 if you want”
I showered after kicking the dirty towels under the counter, went back out to get a coffee and said “See, I am human again”
“Your coffee is on us sir”
I should think so too.
You should have bought a lottery ticket instead, the fact you even managed to get in to the truckstop due to the massive queue of trucks out on the road waiting to get in to the Pilot and TA that usually block up the whole show, let alone a ■■■■■■■■■■■■ in that hell hole of a Pilot means that lady luck was shining on you that day. The Pilot further east at Clinton is a hole but its infinitely better than Bloomsbury.
Mind, you seem to be like one of my Irish mates here, he can roll in to any truck stop or rest area in the North East at 9pm, midnight or whenever and there is always without fail a ■■■■■■■■■■■■ or someone just pulling out as he rolls in. Haven’t you even managed to get in to the Pilot in Milford, CT relatively late before?!
I know exactly what you mean, unfortunately we have to use Pilots, the one at exit 12 has no DEF at the pumps, as it happened there was not line and as I said there was a space opposite, I swung around and backed in. I always respond to the online surveys I get from Pilot, I get 100 points every one I do.
I must have the luck of the Irish too, I have never failed to get parked at night and I never usually stop before midnight. The one place that always used to make me chuckle was Amarillo TX, I used to stop in the Petro there and about 6 times on the trot I pulled in there in the early hours and backed into a space right opposite the entrance to the main building, I mentioned it to a friend who was going to be stopping there for the night and he pulled in and “my” spot was wide open, he backed straight in lol
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A lot of it has to do with the fact that the remaining spaces require blind side back in’s, not many are brave enough to even try it in daylight, let alone in the dark. I recently stopped at the Flying J at Frystown PA (exit 10 on 78), the place was crawling with drivers trying to find a spot, I found one around the back the was a tight blind side back in, it did take me about 6 pull forwards and I got out to look once but I did it, the following week I ended up at the same stop and again it was full of drivers searching for spots, it was this time I noticed something others had not. There is an IDLEAIRE section along the middle of the truck park, most hook up spots were occupied but at the far end the last 6 spots each side of the gantry do not have the equipment and only a few had realized this and nosed in, I pulled right in to a space with 4 empty spaces next to me and still guys were driving around looking LOL.
Robinhood, I think the luckiest spot I found was the night I pulled into Darien and found one blind side back in right next to you 
There seem to be more and more Pilots offering a very poor service to drivers. But I have always thought they just want you to buy as much fuel as possible and then leave. That never was the way at Flying Js and TA/Petros. Loves used to be much like Pilots but I have noticed that most of their new truck stops have a lot more parking spots than the older ones.
The worst Pilot in the entire country is in my opinion the one in Milford CT, drivers do not seem to care about anyone else, they park on the approach to the pump and go off for food or a shower, pulling past them and doing so is bad enough but these ignorant gits are so ignorant, I pulled behind one few weeks back and the guy openly got out with his back pack to walk in, I shouted at him and asked if he was going for a shower ? His reaction … “What if I am ?I will only be about 30 minutes” I had to back out, I then found one of many spaces and went for a shower.
I find Flying J’s are the best bet even though they are the same group.