Truck safety at rest/truck stops

I had the same thing happen back in the early 80's. I had a Toyota pick up and just bought a bunch of groceries. They were in the bed on the passenger side. I start to leave and pull up towards the exit and a young guy starts break dancing right on the side walk. I watch him for a few seconds in amazement. I get home and take my groceries in.
####! Where's my bag of steaks and chicken. The guy had an accompliss clip me is all I could figure. I'm sure they ate good.

I bet they were doing the same to you. They just didn't find anything.

 

stay out of the pilots will reduce your chances signifigantly

 

I would have to look at a map to give the exact location, it wasn't the J or the other one that has the truck wash in the same lot....it was a smaller place..

 

heck i wouldnt even put $20 in it make a copy of a $20 and write a nasty message on it.

 

we got into an argument as i was walking in...he was in his truck


i come back out to find my 5th wheel release pulled

 

The kitten speaks the truth!................lol

 

I'm sorry, but no. You're free to hate on Pilot all you want, I'm not tremendously fond of them myself, but to call them more dangerous as a chain is just horse hockey.

What is true is that not parking in poorly lit truck stops or at truck stop in urban areas (or both) will reduce your risk significantly. I've been through all stripe of truck stops in urban areas that are small, dark and nasty, and that condition was no respecter of brands.

Yeah, there's risk of getting goosed by somebody (especially for fuel theft or freight theft) anywhere, but not parking in dark places or in the middle of industrial sections of major metros takes you out of range of the densest concentration of folks looking to score something for free.


To reiterate the simplest point made in the thread: lock your doors.

I was parked at a relatively large independent truck stop in Michigan (near the 196/94 split) and hadn't locked my doors and either a lot lizard or a female driver (I never did get a look at her) opened my driver's door and climbed up and almost in before I woke up, sat bolt upright, and hollered at her like a man possessed to get out. I must have seemed pretty loony-toons, because from outside on the ground I hear this rattled woman's voice, "I'm sorry! I got the wrong truck! Are you okay?!?"

So yeah, no blood, no foul on that one, but you can save yourself some blood pressure problems if nobody can accidentally(?) climb into your truck in the dark.

 

Okay a little off track but this reminds me of a potentially embarrassing incident....
My hubby and I had recently moved into a new truck... we were at a flying J with another one of our company drivers who was driving a Volvo 780- the sister to our old truck. We went into the J and ate, came out and went straight to that silly volvo and tried our Kenworth keys out in the lock before realizing (when the key didn't fit, duh...) that that particular truck, was not ours..... the other driver, didn't wake up.... thank the gods...

Worst thing that ever happened to us- we had fuel stolen, and a reefer shut off with a load of chemical on. Weird stuff has happened, tons of it... but nothing malicious other than that.... I think.....

 

One of the "small outfits" i drove for in late 90's......

Was driving a purple pete 379.
The passenger door would not lock at all.

Parked in TS at Ft. Wayne IN.
Went to bed and there was another purple 379 parked 2 spots to my right.
About an hour after I went to bed, the pass door opened and I heard someone climb in, along with the sound of plastic shopping bags.
Lady was telling me about all the GREAT deals she found in the TS bargain bin.
I poked my head out to find a black woman sitting in the pass seat blathering about what she'd bought.
Asked her calmly "How much did you spend total"?.... and she FREAKED.

She literally SCREAMED, jumped out of truck, and ran out into row.

I looked Right, and her husband was laughing so hard he was crying.
So was I.

She finally came and got the bags when he regained enough composure to walk straight and come with her.
She apologised profusely, but seemed a little miffed that I couldn't stop laughing.

 

Fuel thieves need to be PUNISHED when caught.... in a way that they will remember forever.

1997....
I watched 3 drivers "pass around" a guy in OH that they caught siphoning tank of one of their trucks.
They pounded him for almost an hour.

I 100% HATE a thief, but felt sorry (sorta) for the beating they gave the guy.

But the simple fact is, such consequenses DO IN FACT deter thieves from stealing.
(just like the possibility of being SHOT by a trucker does)