Biggest Complaint as a Truck Driver

One other pet peeve I have that I just remembered only happened once, but it pissed me off so much I will never forget.

I pull into a huge truck stop. No trucks near me for 20 spots in either direction. I turn on my TV, fall asleep and wake up to what sounds like a lawn mower behind my cab. I open the door and a ####ing reefer is pulled into the spot NEXT TO MY TRUCK. STILL no trucks for 20 spots in either direction, EXCEPT FOR THIS SON OF A #####.

 

These things have a tendency to really get under your skin. I will, however, take one-note as an old reefer puller. There has been many times I would land in a TS either late in the AM or early PM to sit and wait for an evening appointment. Because most truck stops become a zoo in regard to parking after about 9 PM I would always look for a parking spot with a clear escape. I'm not trying to take a side here, but at least for me if I parked beside another driver in a mostly empty parking area that was the reason. However, I always tried to be respectful and not operate a reefer that made a lot of loud noise. If it did I took that unit to TK and got it fixed OR I did it myself. Woe be unto a driver with an overnight appointment that parks facing a curb. Most likely you are NOT going to make that appointment unless and until you wake up another driver or two!

 

There is no reason that guy couldn't have parked that noisy thing a few spots over or in any other spot in that lot other than next to me.

 

Those reefer drivers do that #### all the time.

There was one time I was parked at the truck stop in Iowa on I80 in the McDonald's parking lot next to the outlet. My wife wants to go shopping and that outlet has the best deals anywhere.

We get back to the truck and this old ### beat down white Volvo has a POS reefer parked 2 spots over but it sounds like the reefer is actually inside my skull in the sleeper and is one of those concrete breaking jackhammer things with the resonant frequency to cause your eardrums to explode inside of your ears. Crazy ### ####! I'm not even joking. I felt like my head was going to explode like those martians in Mars Attacks!

Luckily it was still early, I moved over to the other side probably 10 parking spots away and that reefer was still by far the loudest thing heard in our truck.

 

I’ve pulled reefers nearly exclusively since 1997. Pulled a few dry vans, and a live bottom grain wagon too. But, I don’t even notice a reefer running anymore. I feel about the big 8 inch straight pipes on fast idle the way ya’ll feel about reefers.

 

Understand I am NOT defending parking like that. It's rude, heck, I get mad when I am sitting in a near-empty dining room and some moron comes and sits in the table right next to me. I totally understand why you would get angry. All I am trying to say is sometimes the driver is strategically parking so they can get out late. I can tell you from painful experience in some places this is easier said than done. While I know it is a royal PITA when this happens you have 3 basic options. You put up with it, move, or confront the driver!

 

That stretch of 94 is complete Chaos and lawlessness somedays.

I am glad I trained in that area and it made me immune to the chaos being I sometimes drove around Chicago 4-6 times a week

Drives me crazy with all the speed limit changes. If your not immediately doing the upper limit you are getting ran over.

Doesn’t seem like the cops care how fast anyone is going in cars or trucks or the cops themselves.

I have seen cop cars dashing and swerving worst than some of the 4 wheelers.

I got where I had to plead to dispatch to please give me a week off from going around Chicago or I was going to go Postal.

 

I was cruising down I 80 near Joliet one time (not quite Chicago, but close enough), was in a hurry and accidentally swerved into the passing lane a little bit, right in front of a state trooper, who was about to pass me. He got about next to my landing gear and then matched my speed for awhile.

I figured I was done for, and waited for him to hit the lights. but then all the sudden he swerved into my lane, and then corrected it and continued to pass.

He was texting and driving. Didn't even see me swerve a minute ago, lol.

So I blew my air horn and flipped him off. Ok I made that part up, but I did get a good laugh over it.

 

All this hate for reefers, and no logical reasoning for why things might have happened the way they did. Just a serious case of "separate but equal" towards y'all's fellow drivers. SMH.

God gave man the inspiration to make earplugs for a reason, you know

 

I used to have a tee shirt with the rough outline of a reefer and the words "can you hear me now?" under it. I used to sometimes sit down at a truck stop dining room and first thing I said was OK I'm a S*B that pulls a reefer! I would sometimes stand after washing my face and call myself names because I pulled a reefer.

Most of us old reefer yankers have experienced most of the hate, we embrace it and just ignore most of it. Still, most of us were also responsible enough to be mindful of the noise we made. Just something as simple as a loose main-belt slapping against steel is enough to cause someone to start shooting!

I am not a huge advocate of using earplugs while asleep in a truck. Too easy to miss hearing something critical. Of course, drivers are free to do as they feel they should.