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Old 03-20-2018, 02:40 PM   #1
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What was Flying J thinking?

It was past 1:00; my wife and I were tooling down I-95 near Cocoa, Fl and looking for a place to have lunch. Lo, and behold, a Flying J with a Wendy’s lay ahead at the next exit. Great, we thought, lunch without parking headaches.

The place looked new. Signage was pretty specific: “CARS AND RVS” here and “TRUCKS” there. Were we, with our big moho, and towing, no longer welcome in the truck area? Obediently, we followed their directions. Great access to pumps. Lots of marked parking spots, at least if you were less than 20’ long. Not a single big rig parking space, and no string of 7 adjacent car spaces in a row was in sight.

We made a big loop and headed for the truck area. Here, a fully paved area with a zillion big marked parking spots loomed ahead of us; unfortunately, every one of them was back in! There was maybe space for three units, in an unmarked area, where a big rig could park, but only if trucks hadn’t grabbed them first.

We did park there and have lunch, but I wondered how a company like Flying J could not be aware that motorhomes towing dinghies cannot back-up. I talked to the manager, and she said, “Gee, I never thought of that.” Well, duh! I used to think Flying J coveted the RV business. What were they thinking?

Maybe the guy who picked the Brown’s QB draft choices is now in charge of Flying J facilities layout (Don’t get it? Ask a rabid NFL fan).
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Old 03-20-2018, 02:45 PM   #2
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I never felt like the truck stops "wanted" RVs there. Just some companies are more tolerant than others. IMHO, YMMV

Glad to hear it worked out for you.
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Old 03-20-2018, 02:46 PM   #3
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yes, we find that 'RVs' on signs does not typically apply to a 40' motorhome or fifth wheel, especially ones with toads... and we've never been turned away from using the 'Trucks Only' lanes!

so, my thought with flying J is this: they would rather RVrs use the 'retail' pumps, not the semi truck lanes, but that's easier said than done when you need diesel, and when you are 60' to 70' long.
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Old 03-20-2018, 02:47 PM   #4
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Hi jswickard,
What you saw has basically been they way for decades. Not all FJ's but most are like what you saw. We have lunch in rest areas. And we always go to the truck pumps. FYI, we are a truck.
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Old 03-20-2018, 02:48 PM   #5
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I figure I’m as big as a truck so I park with the trucks. Never been told not to. There are truck stops that have no pull through parking. When we find one of those we continue on to the next one.
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Old 03-20-2018, 03:46 PM   #6
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38' towing a Jeep: we typically only fuel at Pilot/Flying J. While in the fuel line one of us will slide into the restaurant & get something to go. We'll eat somewhere else down the road. I don't like taking up a truckers slot. They're working, we're on a full-time vacation ~~~
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Old 03-20-2018, 03:53 PM   #7
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Hi jswickard,
What you saw has basically been they way for decades. Not all FJ's but most are like what you saw. We have lunch in rest areas. And we always go to the truck pumps. FYI, we are a truck.
Aren't the taxes different (more) in the truck lanes?
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Old 03-20-2018, 04:04 PM   #8
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I use the " My Pilot " App to locate Flying Js that have RV parking.

They probably send RVs into the car pump area, because they don't have gas in the truck lanes.
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Old 03-20-2018, 04:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jswickard View Post
It was past 1:00; my wife and I were tooling down I-95 near Cocoa, Fl and looking for a place to have lunch. Lo, and behold, a Flying J with a Wendy’s lay ahead at the next exit. Great, we thought, lunch without parking headaches.

The place looked new. Signage was pretty specific: “CARS AND RVS” here and “TRUCKS” there. Were we, with our big moho, and towing, no longer welcome in the truck area? Obediently, we followed their directions. Great access to pumps. Lots of marked parking spots, at least if you were less than 20’ long. Not a single big rig parking space, and no string of 7 adjacent car spaces in a row was in sight.

We made a big loop and headed for the truck area. Here, a fully paved area with a zillion big marked parking spots loomed ahead of us; unfortunately, every one of them was back in! There was maybe space for three units, in an unmarked area, where a big rig could park, but only if trucks hadn’t grabbed them first.

We did park there and have lunch, but I wondered how a company like Flying J could not be aware that motorhomes towing dinghies cannot back-up. I talked to the manager, and she said, “Gee, I never thought of that.” Well, duh! I used to think Flying J coveted the RV business. What were they thinking?

Maybe the guy who picked the Brown’s QB draft choices is now in charge of Flying J facilities layout (Don’t get it? Ask a rabid NFL fan).
That FJ is new -- and I don't like it either. But it is still way better than the much older Pilot just a mile down the freeway at exit 201. That one is impossibly small for all vehicles!

I've been in a couple of FJ's like this and at least have been able to pull up to a curb for the few minutes it takes to walk the dogs. Otherwise, I agree the lack of pull-through spaces is really bad for those of us towing.
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Old 03-21-2018, 07:24 AM   #10
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Hi Mikenchelby,
Not that I can tell from the sign and the receipt. At a J, the price I pay at the truck pumps is the same as at the RV pump.
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Old 03-21-2018, 07:37 AM   #11
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Aren't the taxes different (more) in the truck lanes?
No, tax is on the fuel, not who buys it.

The only different taxing is for "off-road" fuel, especially diesel for farm equipment.
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Old 03-21-2018, 07:46 AM   #12
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Some J's next to the 2-3 RV pumps many times there is space for few (2-3) longer units to park. Even with our 25' tt, we would park in the truck lot many times. I'll fuel up at the RV island, the wife and kid would go in to use the facilities. If I had to also use the facilities, sometimes after fueling I would have to drive out and into the truck lot to find a space. And many times that would be all the way to the rear of the truck lot. It is what it is.....
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Old 03-21-2018, 07:54 AM   #13
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Let's face it, it is a truck stop, not an RV stop. Their primary business is trucks and so they optimize their space to service the trucks. The Flying J RV lanes are a nice exception, for the shorter rigs. Even when I drove a 40 footer and toad, I could usually use the RV pumps. Now that I drive a 45, no way. I have to use the truck pumps. If there is no pull through parking, then I fuel up, move on, and have my lunch somewhere else. But if you look hard there usually is someplace that you can park, unless the whole place is filled to capacity.
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Old 03-21-2018, 08:15 AM   #14
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Flying J isn't the same since it was bought out by Pilot several years ago. Many of the old FJs had separate RV pump islands with both gas and diesel. From what I'm reading here, that isn't happening anymore. Also, FJ used to have the lowest price on fuel anywhere. Not so anymore. They are as high or higher than anyone else now.
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