Finding RV Friendly Gas Stations Locations (Truck Stop App)
When you take your RV out for a holiday the need to find RV-friendly gas stations is great. Finding places to fill up becomes quite a challenge especially when you are traveling in the different cities along your route. Finding the right aids will make meeting this challenge easier.
When your RV needs filling up, there are two pieces of good news. One, most truck stops can accommodate RVs. The other piece of good news is that there are apps and other aids that make locating these fuel stops easy.
To learn more about where to find RV-friendly gas stations just continue to read our article. It provides the information you need to know about so that you are not caught in the middle of anywhere unable to fuel up. Take a few moments to see how important this information is.
RV Friendly Gas Stations 101
How To Find RV Friendly Gas Stations
Unless you live in or scout the area first, you may not know offhand where all the RV-friendly gas stations are located. It can be a bit tricky to find those gas stations when you are new to an area.
Luckily, some people have thought about this problem and have done something about it. The first step would be to buy the directory Next Exit. This directory lists all the gas stations at different exits throughout the nation.
Or, if you go to Google Earth and use the street view, you can find those stations and plan your route accordingly. But if your computer is not plugged in, this may not be a great option.
There are different apps you can use. One is called Allstays and another is called iExit but apps are not always on top of things and may have drawbacks. For example, iExit only lists those stations along the interstates
Finally, there are different websites you can turn to. These are called GasBuddy, Diesel Boss, trucker Path, TruckRouter. Plus, truck stop chains usually have their gas stations RV-friendly as well. You can drive and just pick the one you like the most.
Best Apps For RV Friendly Gas Stations
There are some good apps for RVers that you can tap into. But they may not be perfect nor provide all the information you want to know. One reviewer said that there were not that many that were that good for finding RV-friendly gas stations.
We have already mentioned two that you can try, Allstays and iExit, and there is an app for GasBuddy as well. In reading the reviews of the different available apps, it seems that they are more concerned with finding campgrounds and dump stations. Two very important details every RVer needs help in but they do not seem to locate RV-friendly gas stations.
We will list 6 more apps and you can check them out but we make no guarantee about the accuracy of their information or if they will help you find an easy to access gas station: Cruise America App; The Dyrt App; Hipcamp App; KOA App; CoPilot TV App; and finally, inRoute.
You may be able to find more apps that provide better service than these. We did like CoPilot’s details as it would indicate routes where there were hazards including low bridges and so on.
Tips For Finding RV Friendly Gas Stations Near Me
One of the biggest tips we can give you is to go on the different RV discussion forums and talk to experienced RVers. These men and women have traveled the US and know where the best gas stations are.
Plus, they know about different apps, directories, and other aids that will help make your fuel search easier. When you are a novice, you should talk to those who have traveled the same roads you will be traveling. Their advice and location knowledge will make your road trips much easier and go smoother.
Another tip you should adhere to is to start looking for gas stations about the time you hit 1/2 a tank. It is one thing to cruise along in the Prairies where roads are flat but once you hit those western hills and have wind resistance, your gas supply is not going to last a long time.
Gas stations are few and far in between in some western locations and the experienced RVers can fill you in on those details. Google earth is good to use if you have time to sit down and plan your route. You can see if the gas station will accommodate your RV or not.
Gas Stations For Travel Trailers
You can use the same apps and websites that you use for self-drive RVs. They will tell you if you can pull your trailer in easily or not and then pull it out just as easily. The Flying J truck stop chain does have a good app called MyPilot and it helps you locate their different locations across the nation.
For Canadian RVers, this app may be just as useful as it does locate different Pilot and Flying J gas stations in that country. The thing about finding RV-friendly gas stations is that they are not going to differentiate between self-drive and towable RVs.
Usually, if it is friendly for one, it is friendly for the other. When you use truck stops, you have to make sure that they also offer a gas pump. Not everyone does so you have to be careful when accessing these locations.
RV Friendly Truck Stops
Trucks stops are built to meet the needs of those long-haul truckers who drive big rigs. These truckers cannot just pull into just any gas station nor do they have the time to look for a friendly station.
That means that truck stops will be located along the interstate and other highway exits to make things more convenient for truckers. That purpose does double duty as that means most truck stops are already RV friendly.
They have the room for you to maneuver, high canopies so you won’t bang your roofs and other amenities that make using this gas station stops RV friendly. The trick is to find a truck stop that has regular gas pump islands you can use.
Not all will have these so you do have a little search on your hands. The good news is that there are truck stop apps, as we just mentioned, that will help your search. As long as there are regular gas pumps you can pull up to, then the truck stop will be RV-friendly.
After all, business is business, and truck stops will take the money from RVers as well as traditional truckers.
What Does RV Friendly Mean at Flying J
You already know two of the main reasons why Flying J is RV-friendly. They have the room to maneuver and they usually have gas pumps for those vehicles that do not burn diesel fuel.
But, Flying J takes RV friendliness to another level by offering RVers a discount card program as well as providing Good Sam cardholders with special discounts. Some of their gas stations operate an RV dump so you can fuel up and dump at the same place.
On top of those conveniences, Flying J has created RV lanes and an area for RV parking if you need to stop for the night. When you get hungry, you can eat at their restaurants.
To be RV friendly means to offer more services that are beneficial to RVers and their needs. The Flying J does its best to help those RV owners meet their many needs and help them save money too.
Are Love's Truck Stops RV-Friendly?
The word is that it is hit and miss at this gas station chain. The older Love Gas stations may be declared RV friendly but they seem to be anything but. The newer ones have a different attitude and provide more space and a few other amenities for RVers to use.
Some Love’s gas stations do have a dump station but at last word, they are charging $10 to use it. The price is changed to free if you have a Love’s Loyalty card. Also, some of this chain’s stations offer overnight parking but at what cost we are not sure.
The one station we checked did not mention any price but did say you can pay through your own devices. It is safe to say that Love’s may be changing its way of doing business with RV owners and it looks like the change is for the better.
Are TA Truck Stops RV Friendly
TA seems to be more like Flying J than it is Loves. They are very RV friendly as they have seen the trend and have adapted their stations to accommodate RVs and their owners.
According to their website, they offer motorists top-quality fuel when they fill up. Then there are laundry services, per areas, restaurants, one-stop shopping outlets, and other amenities you can access.
You will have to reserve a parking space if you are intending to spend a night there but the system seems to be user-friendly. You can book up to 30 days in advance. We did not see if they had dump stations at their locations or not. You would have to explore their website further to get that information.
TA also operates under the brand name Petro shopping centers and TA Express. Check them out as these locations may be handy to know about when you are on the road again.
RV Friendly Gas Stations on I-95
If you are talking about regular car and truck gas stations, those may be harder to navigate as they normally, they are not made for RVs and travel trailers. The lone exceptions would be those brand gas stations along the interstate.
Those may be built to accommodate RVs and travel trailers. You can pick any brand of gas you want in these situations. Most RVers we read stick to the different truck stops along the way. They use Flying J, Pilot, TA, and Loves whenever they need fuel.
You would have to use the websites of the different companies to get the exact locations of those outlets that are RV-friendly. Truck stops are built specifically to handle big rigs and towables.
These gas stations know that they will lose money and business if they do not cater to the RV community
RV Friendly Gas Stations on I-75
The above information applies here as well. Since the different gas companies know that RVs and travel trailers use the main Interstates, they do not risk losing business by being unfriendly.
For both interstates, some of the truck stops may be in-state only and not national. For example, Florida has a B & B truck stop as well as a Busy Bee outlet. They also have Chevron and all are along the I-75. There may even be a Circle K outlet that will be RV friendly
The standard national chain outlets are present along the I-75 and you should use their website’s locator web page to find specific locations. That is the best way to get up-to-date information.
If we publish a location and it has closed, that is not good for us or for you.
Some Final Words
The world has changed a lot as more and more people are hitting the road in RVs and travel trailers. The different gas station brands and truck stops have seen this trend and have made many changes to their individual outlets.
It pays to do some pre-planning before you hit the road. Check out those apps and websites we mentioned above and see how their locations will fit the route you want to take. It pays to be prepared especially when you do not want to run out of fuel.
