I hate truckstops!

How about the driver that kicks out hundreds of pounds of produce on the back row, into the snow or dirt. Someone has to clean that crap up, and let me tell you it stinks to high heaven on a muggy August afternoon. Or potatoes, thye were really bad as well.
I used to work for Fultons in Rogers, MN before Bob sold to T\A and they ruined the place.
I did like when the Baskin Robbins trucks came through, we had a fuel account with them and sometimes they would give us a flat of quart tubs for free. Learned more in that job than most of the others I have had. Mostly about how to treat people nice and be respectful, not something many 16 year olds new then or now.
As for T\S being dirty and nasty, I was the one cleaning up after the drivers and 4 wheelers who came through and let me tell you. Drivers could do a lot to thelp themselves by not being so slovenly. THough most were very nice and considerate, there were a few who were not.

 

I prefer the mom and pop joints off the beaten path. Food is better and the atmosphere is better. Alot of the old timers hang out in these places. The lots can be rough, but its worth it. Theres almost ALWAYS parking, and noone blocks you in. You dont see the reefers at the mom and pop joints, but the stick trucks, hoppers, and bullwagons. Reefers dont bother me, but a loaded bullwagon does. My God!

The loudest thing ever is a Detroit going through a regen cycle in a truckstop.

 

I think truck stops are relaxing, do your laundry and hit the game room. Someone will play doubles on the shooting games or 3 players looking for a 4th player. I usually stay out for a good spell and don,t see how you can hate t.s. so much, if you use your head and park in the most difficult spot then your odds of having a truck pull out and a truck you don,t like won,t pull in next to you. You must hate going to customers too, because there,s trucks there and not everyone is acting like you want them to. I hope you don,t have the bad adittude going down the road and make us all look bad. Relax and tolerate

 

So if you avoid the major truck stops and the mom n pops are getting rare, where do you usually stop?

 

another wining driver about this or someting wrong with that''

 

I to like the mom and pop's. I very seldomly stay at the large chain truck stops. I stay at the customers or on a occasion a truck friendly wal mart if one can be found.

 

i'd say my only complaints regarding truckstops are:

1) The noise. Everyone has to idle for some reason; Cold and hot weather excepted. All other times perplexing.......

2) Cleanliness problem in restrooms, restaurant areas and the whole truckstop in general.

3) (ties in with #2) white trashism, pimpy, trashy, scummy(dirty) atmosphere. No excuse for this; Managment needs to get on the ball---unless they too are white trash. In that case, they need to be canned.

4) lack of parking.

5) higher prices than "on the street." Much like the airport charges higher prices than outside.

 

Yeah, I'm one of those guys playing games during my 34hr downtime. I use truckstops, because of the availablility of showers, food, laundry facilities, and other drivers to shoot the breeze with if I'm down for awhile due to OOS or slow freight. I've met some of the most interesting people at truckstops, and there's always somebody around with a good story or two. I've also had the opportunity to talk to some real veteran drivers, and have learned alot talking to them about trucking, and about life. Bear in mind that if I have freight, I'm gone like the wind. But at truckstops, I find other truckers to talk to, and common interests to talk about. And since I park on the back row (without any trouble in 2 years, no less!), I avoid damage to my truck because everybody wants to park as close to the building as they can manage. I like the walk since it's sometimes the only exercise I get.

 

As far as Issue Three is concerned ... I saw new signs (Thursday, August 27, 2009) at the TA Jessup, MD ... something to the effect of NO ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES ALLOWED ON PREMISES ...

I saw it twice on the wall in the Country Market Restuarant, twice in the lobby, once on the wall next to the Drivers TV room.

The manager of the restuarant was walking around checking up on things to such an extent that two drivers called him over and made a complaint about it.

 

I nearly always sleep at truck stops. I'm in one now. I've never had someone hit me. I've only once had a LL knock on my truck (I've never been back to that TS). I've never had anyone dump a piss bottle near me, or throw out their trash. And I seek out reefers because my truck has an Opti-idle system where it turns on and off automatically just like a reefer, so I figure I won't bother them and they won't bother me.

Very few customers still allow trucks to park overnight. Retail places are also kicking us out. And I personally can't stand all the drivers filling up the rest areas at night because it means I have no where to park to pee when I'm driving overnight. There's very few states that have truck parking areas. So where else am I going to park than a truck stop? It's one place I know no one will knock on my truck at midnight and tell me to move, and I have no desire to spend my break arguing with a cop.

If you are really having all those problems with truck stops, you are obviously choosing the wrong ones to park at.