Proper attire

And it doesn't make you think twice that most of them would replace you for the guys wearing flip-flops for a few less dollars? Or most of them would happily take the money of someone wearing flip-flops and give him the space ahead of you in line for a few extra dollars?

How much are those "relationships" really worth and how much of them are only in your mind?

 

I never looked homeless. But I wore pants.
Some people sport the shorts really good.

As long as they showered and smelled clean.
That's all that matters.

 

Last year I was making a delivery to the Walmart DC in Sparks NV and waiting in the driver's lounge for my paperwork. A heavy set driver walked in, long and baggy green shorts down to his knees, flip flops with black feet from the dirt and a dirty stained T shirt. It was extremely obvious this guy hadn't showered in at least a week or put on clean clothes in an even longer period of time. As he walked passed my chair the smell of fresh butt funk was overwhelming, and rather than going to the bath room, he sat 2 chairs down from me. After around 30 seconds I couldn't stand the stench any longer and left the room. He literally stunk up the entire lounge, and within 5 minutes the other drivers in there ware waiting outside with me.

Normally I don't care what drivers wear or how they look, but when you see (and smell) a driver like this, it's no wonder some people have a poor opinion of truckers.

 

That is nasty but it is a hygiene issue not really an attire one.

 

Sloppy attire can give the impression of poor hygiene to some. Just sayin

 

So I guess this is what has become sadly of the American Truck Driver....

 

Some of you guys are equating attire with hygiene. Weather permitting, I wear sweatpants during fall/spring and basketball/gym shorts during the summer. And then just cheap plain colored t-shirts with a toboggan when it's cold and a sports hat when it's warm. I wear slippers when I drive and reebok tennis shoes when I get out of the truck (and winter boots when needed as I do drive the Upper Midwest quite a bit).

That said, my sweatpants/gym shorts/t-shirts aren't dirty or stained. I take a shower everyday and prioritize it so much that last year, despite running OTR pretty hard, I think I only went 1 or 2 days without taking a shower at least once per day. It's VERY rare for me not to take a shower because I prioritize it. I keep the inside of my truck clean and scrub it with soap and water every 2 weeks or so. Oh, and last but not least I have only used a pee bottle in my truck TWICE in the past 2 years of driving OTR. I always go inside to use the bathrooms wherever I'm parked at and yes, that includes rain, snow and freezing temps (-10 F in the Upper Midwest and I'll still get out of the truck and go inside to use the bathroom).

Hygiene has nothing to do with attire.

 

So what do you do when you have a emergency go to the bathroom moment?

 

About the only time I wear shorts after my workout..

 

I have a pee bottle and a bucket for emergency bathroom moments. I've never had to use the bucket. I used the pee bottle twice in the past 2 years - Once out of laziness when waking up in the middle of the night and the second time was the only time I have had an emergency. That was in Atlanta during the afternoon at something like 1:00pm where there was an epic 1.5 - 2 hour traffic jam where I only moved 2 miles during that time. I had to pull off to the shoulder (traffic was at a standstill and when it moved it was 1 or 2 MPH for a few feet), throw on my 4 ways, close the curtains and go in a pee bottle.

For #2 stomach problems, I've always made it the bathrooms inside. For peeing I drink water and fluids with a purpose, not just when I feel like it. I know if I drink a 16 oz bottle water I'm going to have to pee in 45 minutes to 1 hour. So I'll just make sure that there'll be a rest area or truck stop to stop at in 1 hours time frame. That way I never really have emergency bathroom moments.

I actually made a thread about that if you're interested. Apparently it's pretty rare for drivers to always go inside to use the bathroom like I do:

https://www.thetruckersreport.com/t...a-pee-bottle-unless-its-an-emergency.2043056/