Truck Stop Bums

I was at the Flying hook in Columbia, SC one day a few years back. Just backed into a spot, gathering my stuff for a shower when I hear a knock on my door. I roll the window down, and I get the wheel polish speech. Being a broke company driver, I had no interest, and I told him so. He leaves, and I start across the lot for my shower. He comes running back over toward me, harrasimg me about polishing my wheels again. I politely decline, telling him I don't have the cash for such things. (He wanted like $75 to do the wheels). He goes away, I get my shower, come back out and there he is again. He approached me a third time, telling me I really need to let him polish my wheels. I tell him 'no, I already told you I don't have the money'. He asks me if I have a credit card, I could pay that way. Having a couple in my pocket, I tell him no I don't use credit cards. As I get to my truck, he's following me rather closely, too close for comfort. I opened the door, pulled out a tire thumper, turned around to face him, and told him I don't have any money. He backs up a few steps, puts his hands up, and I could see the needle tracks in his arms. I did call the police that day, dunno what happened to him, but he was close to meeting his maker that day....

 

As for the Hot Pockets guy, it's possible he was telling somewhat of the truth.
I just did a load for Kelloggs last month.
Stupid lumpers took half the night to take 28 pallets off and managed to spear 11 cases.
(you can't put punctures into a case and say the drive did it #######!)
So I'm now the proud owner of 4 cases of Fruitloops, Applejacks and Frosted flakes.
(2 cases WERE a total loss, and the rest I turned into the company, I kept four for myself and told the boss they were dumpstered)

But man it takes a long time to eat 64 boxes of cereal! Good thing they don't expire until Dec. 2015!

Yeah if I could sell some of them at a TA/Pilot, I'd rather have the cash.
I could have moved all 144 boxes at a buck a piece.
Drivers wouldn't have to pay $3 for those little "single serve" bowls and I could have made some lunch money.

But then I'd be "THAT GUY"

 

When I cleaned out my truck, I had a bunch of canned goods I couldn't take with me. The Trucker Chapel was happy to take them off my hands. They give out food to people sometimes.

 

This is good to know. Would they give some of it to me? Because the people bummin' aren't really interested in food. They just want money. Every time I'm hit up for money I offer to buy them a meal and not once have they ever accepted.

 

Every time I'm hit up for money I offer to buy them a meal and not once have they ever accepted. Few years ago in CANADA delivering to HI RISE building construction project , panhandler was bothering a few of us for lunch $, site foreman offered to take him across the street and feed him , came back an hour later with " Should of just given him $10 , that guy ate $30.00 worth of food .

 

Thought this would fit the situation

 

Dallas, TX...hands down. Sitting in the Love's on I-20 west of town. A older dude walks up, wearing a decent polo type shirt, clean shorts, expensive looking shoes and a golf visor. He claimed that his truck was in the shop getting brakes(that Love's doesn't have a shop). He was asking for a few bucks to buy a couple hot dogs for him and his son (no kids were anywhere in sight). When I told him "sorry, I haven't gotten my paycheck cashed yet" he started grumblng. After the 2nd "no, I can't help you, sorry", he started getting loud and insulting and calling me stingy...now I am not the kind of person to judge. I've been on rock bottom so many times I was tempted to change my address to "1 rock bottom way"...but my wife and I always pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and start over...without any outside help. When he started really getting insulting I told him to "go beg from Uncle Obama...after all, the government is handing out our hard earned tax dollars to every lowlife that won't get off lazy ### and take care of themselves...what is one more lazy ###, now get the #### away from my truck before I call the cops and tell them there is a drug dealer here bothering drivers, and give him your description"...all the way across the parking lot he would walk a few steps, turn around and ##### some more then walk a few steps...after the third time I held up my phone like I was taking a picture, then put the phone up to my head like I was making a call. He hot-footed out of sight...until I saw him drive away in his....Cadilac Deville...

But the funniest....Elkton, MD T/A. Homeless guy walking around with a sign "will work for beer"...I normally don't hand out cash, but it made me laugh so hard I gave him $10 just because it was refreshing to see some honesty from someone who had nothing. And I had been having one of the worst days...that simply made my day.

 

Had a guy with that same kind of sign back home. He was making money like crazy.

 

This is how I approach bums, especially in nyc where I get approached ALOT....'HEY man do you gots a dollar? No do YOU HAVE A DOLLAR.?'