Life on the road

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by adamdzy, Dec 19, 2006.

  1. adamdzy

    adamdzy Bobtail Member

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    Dec 19, 2006
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    Ok guys, I have searched through what seems to be thousands of posts, and have yet to have one that talks about this...so here it goes.....

    I am going to be starting school soon, and one thing that concerns me is life on the road, and by that I mean this....there are a lot of horror stories out there, ie....drugs, guns, knifes, other truckers trying to rape you in the shower stalls, getting robbed, just about every type of bad thing you could imagine, i have heard happens. Now, of course i take everything i hear with a grain of salt, and dissmiss some, however being new to this scene, it is a little concerning hearing these things. can anyone shed some light??

    thanks
     
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  3. pro1driver

    pro1driver Heavy Load Member

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    carry a "big gun", and wear a "chasity belt".............

    wanna buy the Brooklyn Bridge now...........?? i own 35% of it myself....and i'm letting it go for beads and trinkets.........
     
    MTN Boomer Thanks this.
  4. luvmyhubby

    luvmyhubby Road Train Member

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    First welcome to the "newbie" world of trucking, secondly you need a really BIG grain of salt for all those horror stories.

    The showers that are at truck stops are used by only one person at a time, they have locks on the door with either a key, or code to get in, and most of the time there are signs all over saying .....only one person per shower.

    There are bad examples of humanity in every profession, and there are bad areas of some towns where crime is prevelant, HOWEVER most of the guys/gals that are out there on the road are only trying to make a living, find a place to park, grab a bite to eat and hit the hay. I am sure you can find the seeder parts of life out there on the road all ya gotta do is look for it but, most of the drivers are just regular people, with families, they just dont work a "normal" job.

    I hope once you start school you will keep us posted on how things are going and what company you decided to start your career with. Good luck to ya!:thumbleft:
     
  5. runaway

    runaway Bobtail Member

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    Oct 17, 2006
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    WOW !! I'm on the floor with this one !!
     
  6. buck and a half

    buck and a half Mr. Miles & Miles with Many Smiles

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    luv your hubby,great response, I especially liked the term hitting the hay,in my younger days it was fun,only kidding,I think. have a Great New Year to you and yours,from mine to you guys,see ya.
     
  7. luvmyhubby

    luvmyhubby Road Train Member

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    Sidney MI
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    Thanks buck, same to ya!:flower:
     
  8. Burky

    Burky Road Train Member

    Just out of curiosity, where do you hear these stories at? I don't believe that I have ever heard a story about a driver being raped in the showers. Granted, I don't take a great deal of showers at truckstops, but even the worst looking place I have ever been in gave me a key to the locking door of the shower and I locked it behind me as I showered. It's not like the truckstop has some kind of high school gym class communal shower room in the back. Truckstops make a fortune off of having showers available at $7-9.00 dollars a shot, and they are not about to let a lack of safety and security cut of the golden goose.

    As for drugs and guns, you are probably no more at risk of them at your average truckstop than you are when you jump in the car and drive down to the loacl 7-11. The problem is that people only talk about the unusual things that happened. I might tell you about the time someone backed into the corner of my truck, but I won;t bother to mention the hundreds of times that someone backed in and never even got close.

    There are some things, like prostitutes working the lot at truckstops that do happen. But even then, I think I get approached about twice a year at the very most. I politely say "No thanks" and that is the end of it. It's no diffferent from someone asking you if you have a cigarette and really isn't an act with any great social meaning. Someone asked me something, and I said no, andthat was the end of the interaction. They moved on to the next possible customer, and I went to sleep or whatever I was planning to do.

    Do I carry a pocket knife sometimes? Yes. But oftentimes I carry it in my pocket because it is a useful item to have, not because I am in fear for my life. If I have doubts about where I am parked, then I may carry it, but my usual reaction to a place I am unhappy with is to start up the truck and move to some other place.

    There are always possibilities of something extreme happening on the road or while you are away from home, but the chances are minimal. Most likely you will find that the majority of the time your daily life is uneventful and not worth telling the tale of. When something unusual does happen, you will remember, possibly embellish it some in the telling, and everyone here will read it. But, it will be the unusual event you are relating, not the average dy on the road. For every mile I have had worthy of a tale, I drive thousands that aren;t worthy of a single word.
     
  9. Cerberus101

    Cerberus101 Heavy Load Member

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    a little short on cash so can i just get about 5% of that now with option to buy more later? haha
     
  10. pro1driver

    pro1driver Heavy Load Member

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    sure buddy, i'll sell you 5% of the bridge...........

    just be sure to sign on the "dotted line" where it says something about "your first born"................:toothy10:
     
  11. Cerberus101

    Cerberus101 Heavy Load Member

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    Oct 25, 2006
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    sweet, i'll even throw in my ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law for collateral.
     
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