So i guess i'm "banned" from the Vegas TA

i gotta type this out now while it's still fresh in my head, it was only 20 minutes ago and friggin' hilarious; i guess this is my first truckers report story:

so here's me, walkin' through the vegas TA parking lot in broad daylight, eating a chicken biscuit, listening to my ipod and taking pictures of company logos to research once i get home and possibly talk to a few drivers about their companies when a scarlet mini van pulls in front of me just as i'm about to peel off to my car. seriously, it took them the entire time i had to make a complete loop through the parking lot. okay. i didn't realize the two guys were security--to me they looked like a fat hispanic trucker and his wiry 21 year old computer geek trainee, complete with peach fuzz goatee--and ignored them to look at the final 3 trucks on my way to the car. the pudgy hispanic guy marches up to me and demands i show him my ID. i'm thinking, oh cmon i paid for this biscuit!

what're you doing here," he demands in a rather thick accent.
"um, taking pics of logos of--"
"why are you doing that?"
"i'm going to truckin' school in a couple days and am researching companies to apply to."

he looks up from my ID and says, "you can't do that! that's against the law."
eyebrows raised, "you're kidding, really?"
"you're on private property doing a private investigation and making all the truckers nervous, you'll have to explain this to the cops."

slightly annoyed (i'm friends with a few of the LVPD and i can have this guy fired if i want), i look around for my friends in the brown suits and finally settle my eyes on the geek kid, "are you the cops?" his eyes bulge and he starts stuttering--for good reason too since i'm 21 and bigger than both these guys (okay, maybe not the guy in charge but i saw even on his face that he was nervous, i commend him for hiding it in his voice) and i'm in the best shape of my post-airforce life.

the hispanic gets my attention again, "we've had reports that you've been here for the last 3 days walking through our lot taking pictures. there's drivers that have taken pictures of you and your vehicle--"
"that's ######## creepy," i interrupt. now i'm surprised, it's like a battle of the camera phones! "i got hit on by a werner driver on tuesday and have been getting myspace pics of me taken without my knowledge and i'm in trouble for trying to talk to these drivers and do research on their companies for the sake of doing my ######## homework? did any of these drivers mention that if they're in the cab, i do ask them for permission to take the pic?" by this time i'm on a roll and both are looking intimidated, it's like high school debate club all over again, "granted i don't ask everybody for permission because some drivers are jerks and i've been told 'i don't care' ten too many times and some are too busy with paperwork and i don't need to bother them to see that, but i'm not aware of why this would be considered illegal when these companies can hire me and get referrals for new drivers through me. tell me who took pics of me and are that bothered by me and i'll be sure not to apply to their company." (this actually went a lot longer and had a few more sentence enhancers thrown in, but i don't remember it word for word, i was pissed now)

"this isn't even a CDL..." says the now timid hispanic guy.
"i told you, i'm moving in two days for school and will get it there."
"but for three days? how many company pics do you need?" he whined. seriously, it was pathetic now and i just wanted out.
"you'd know if you did my research that you should know of as many companies as possible and hit up all of them. and three days? i've been doing this once a week for the past two months! just now, on my last day, you come after me? here, look at the pics, since there's obviously no cops coming."

so i show him all the pics i've taken of a good 30 something obscure companies, skipping over my gf's pics, "you don't need to see those," i smirk and this guy knows he's been sent on a fool's errand. that was priceless.

"well we can't have you coming back here, we have your picture and vehicle plates. this property is private and if you want to do this at flying J's or petro then do it there but we need you to leave, now." i say oki doke and ask him if i can buy one more chicken biscuit cuz they're so boss and he says, "now!"

this whole thing lasted about 5 minutes, in front of a white landstar, under a dark sky. it's gonna rain here, i know it. i felt the electricity going through me when these clowns tried to scare me only to offer that i go do it at "some other station". personally, i like petro better and never knew we had a flyin' j's. i would've alternated lots had i known. oh well. it's just kinda comic that they come after me only after i've done all the business i needed to do and am leaving for denver in 24 hours. if i'm a jerk for this incident, sorry to any truckers that don't appreciate having their (company's) picture taken. i really didn't know that was against the law or whatever and still don't believe it. but really, i would've expected one of them to jump outta their truck n kick my ### like the good ol' days of BAMF truck drivers. i know i would, if it bothered me, which it won't. so yea, feel free to flame me for being a loser or laugh with me for yet another truck stop story. your call. thanks for reading. =D

and for the record, the werner driver that hit on me was a dude. kinda looked like the minnesota vikings coach, child-molester beard, bald head, everything.

 

the line's always been bad there because they refuse to open the second register. and the place is so dang CROWDED! a fool could get claustrophobia in there, i was afraid my biscuit would get cold before i paid for it, so i risked my spot in line n grabbed another one. =D

and i was disappointed to see that they took down my whole point for going there today: the 35 dollar 2010 deluxe trucker's atlas. they replaced it with an oversized lamenated one that cost...80 FRIGGIN' DOLLARS!!! is that normal???

 

haha i think by my body language and their change in attitude after realizing i didn't give a rat's rectum about the cops, they knew their "threat" was kaput. i tried my best to remain civil and try not to put either of them down, in these times i applaud everyone who got off their butt long enough to find or hold down a job at all. even if it's truck stop security. might be more useless than a mall cop with their faux MTI drill hats, but it's better than being a lot lizard with faux hair. these guys just had a faux sense of authority. oh well.

 

true, i guess i could be nitpicky and complain about the size...it's almost unwieldly. but i guess it has to be to get such awesome detail. so it's worth the 80 bucks huh?

 

i hate spending money...but i want it. and another chicken biscuit. i think that TA lost a good bit of its revenue with me. i even bought a beanie there. at least there's one down the street from where i'll be in denver/wheat ridge. i'll try not to snap any pics of the trucks though. XD