Community Forums

meant2shop · 04-01-2017, 05:00 AM

We're currently on 2 month road trip in our 38 ft MH with toad. Traveling thru AZ, NM, TX, LA, MO and then taking more northern route to eventually return home to OR.

I already have several APPS on my smarphone that we use to help find the nearest T/A, Pilot and Flying J gas stations; but sometimes you need gas and none of these 3 are close by.
Is there an APP that shows you all gas stations along your route that are specifically "MH FRIENDLY", i.e., easier for a large MH to get in and out of than a regular station?
This is helpful to know as we travel through unfamiliar areas and along I-10 where towns are very small and far apart and also in larger cities with heavy traffic.

Secondly, is there an APP that shows you best route to take for a MH and toad, and/or which roads to avoid, I.e., not safe or conducive to MH driving (too narrow, treacherous, no turnoffs, very steep climb, poor road condition, construction, etc.?

Thank you,
Susan and Jim
'06 Pace Arrow, '14 Honda CRV EX

lrsses · 04-01-2017, 06:50 AM

I find an App called truck path helps with the best route and services on it and I also use Waze those my help and welcome to Louisiana

Ron_H · 04-01-2017, 07:42 AM

You did not mention if your rig is gas or diesel. If it's diesel, simply look for gas stations that are frequented but highway trucks. These will all have ample space for maneuvering. We drive a 43 ft DP with a toad and I simply look ahead when I see a station and gauge the available space. I typically don't frequent Flying J, Loves, TA or the other big truck stop locations as their prices are always higher than can be found elsewhere. On my last fillup I stopped at a Velaro with truck pumps and paid $2.14/gal (cash) verse the nearby Flying J and a TA at $2.29 and $2.32 respectively. On a 100 gal fill, it makes a difference and on a 1-year trip across the continent and back, like we're doing now, it really adds up.

I am not aware of any apps that list ease of access. You can find several truck stop listing apps and those will generally have easy access, at least for diesel.

You might also consider a truck or RV specific GSP to assist in road selection. If they are doing their job correctly, they will steer you around weight restrictions and low clearance problems. The only problem is they don't alway do their job properly.

Another option is to get a Motor Carrier Atlas that identifies the truck roads. I like the laminated version that allows you to mark out a route with a dry erase marking pen and then wipe it clean later when it's no longer needed.

lrsses · 04-01-2017, 08:29 AM

Gas I also use GasBuddy and most Shell Stations has diesel you can get a Fuel Rewards card and save up to 10 cent a gallon and a Kroger card as well

meant2shop · 04-01-2017, 08:51 AM

Thanks. Our MH is gas, not diesel, so I guess searching for a truck stop station would be futile?

meant2shop · 04-01-2017, 08:53 AM

I do have Gas Buddy APP and RV Parky APP on my phone already.

meant2shop · 04-01-2017, 08:54 AM

Thanks 😊

Mody n Domy · 04-04-2017, 01:23 PM

Pilot, Flying J charge card from Good Sam club. I use the Pilot Flying J app to find Flying J stations they seem to have dedicated RV lanes and I plan my gas stops using the app. Using the credit card the gas pump doesn't stop at $100 it keeps going until your full plus you get a discount. Then you go to their web sight and pay the bill once per month. No more worrying about if you can get in or out of a station. other than that I have used the book called THE NEXT EXIT.
Before I got the card and found the app I had a few close situations and had to unhook the toad once blocking the station.

lnanne · 04-04-2017, 02:24 PM

We use Gas Buddy and Google maps set on satellite view and zoom in to see what it looks like. Sometimes we use street view as well. We mostly use Costco so we can pretty much tell with the satellite view. But sometimes we're surprised when we get there!

George Schweikle · 04-05-2017, 10:51 AM

Surprised?. Been there-done that. You have to develop the capacity to make an almost instantaneous decision as you pull in: Proceed or Abort. Even the Flying J stations we like sometimes have entry or exit routes to their RV pumps that are not navigable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lnanne

We use Gas Buddy and Google maps set on satellite view and zoom in to see what it looks like. Sometimes we use street view as well. We mostly use Costco so we can pretty much tell with the satellite view. But sometimes we're surprised when we get there!