Hey guys, long time lurker here, took the plunge and became a trucker with Schneider a couple months back.
I'm a salaried bulk driver based in the west coast, which I'm quickly learning means they want me working primarily in los angeles. I'm not from around here so I need to live in the truck, which has been fine everywhere except for LA. Bulk drivers use the tank wash a lot, so the tank wash companies have driver lounges, showers, etc like truck stops. Sounds good right?
Well, there is almost zero places to park in LA, no truck stops, nothing, so this tank wash with its one shower stall is it. It's in severe disrepair from overuse...it's not like they have staff to clean it. There is a vermin problem (rats, roaches, etc) and it's right next to a chemical facility that routinely deals with toxic materials.
This sounds like a raw deal to me, just wanted to see if people put up with this kind of stuff for weeks or months on end.
Is this normal? Living in truck, no parking, no truck stops.
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by bobthurman, Aug 15, 2018.
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Maybe you should change to regular OTR, or get yourself to the TA/Petro in Ontario every night?
gentleroger and Sirscrapntruckalot Thank this. -
Trimac Transportation may have something for OTR; coast to coast. I think they service some type of chemical plant in LA when they run back to the west coast. Trimac hires new grads right out of cdl school.
Sirscrapntruckalot, Lepton1 and VIDEODROME Thank this. -
jammer910Z, JTAN and x1Heavy Thank this.
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It is part of the trucking life.
I am constantly thinking about where I can put 18 wheels later that day. In the area I was running along US 15 for example west of DC there are a number of patches I could stick 18 wheels for the night and not be bothered. Tuscarora Maryland comes to mind off the bridge on the diner hill. They can fit 20 trucks 24/7 It's a really really really tiny stop not a truckstop, but for our purposes it's a truckstop. Everything is in the truck and once you are legally parked that's that.
I have written many times you don't park in Boston. In the Boston Chelsea Market (Aka the Combat zone, is that even valid today?) you only dock long enough to unload. Then they kick you out. As in all the way out the city until you hit US 1 foxboro for example and then park there. Logs? Forget it. Eat the violations stacked by the computer. Document the situation and be prepared to make a case when safety hauls you in to be talked to.
Once in a while, Im really bad about this and feel very terrible I'll stick that 18 wheeler on a pile of destroyed no parking signs ruined by other trucks and sit. The police show up, yell, scream and write tickets. But because they are parking tickets they have no bite.
Let's say there are a couple of half written tickets with just a unit number and company name sitting in the mud somewhere in the rain when I come out of dinner. Aw what a mess. Paper is all ruined. What a shame. (They really hate that.)
This was in the days before computer and big data, internet etc.
The best most memorable parking would be in the area of Cape Cod Mas. In the old town core.
7 parking meters fed with all the quarters they can take. All the wheels within 3 inches of the curb. Howling reefer in -20 screaming 8 feet from a row house second floor windows and fans eat the exhaust in 10 household windows.
They call the law Irate. Law showed up went over everything, eyeballed me and my big freightliner hat in the window of the diner across the street as I put away breakfast, shrug and tol the homeowners they cannot enforce anything until the meters quit.Rideandrepair, shatteredsquare, windsmith and 1 other person Thank this. -
steveophoto, longbedGTs, Swiss Mountain Dog and 1 other person Thank this.
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I have scrubbed up in the truck sometimes. I carried a water storage container and had a small electric water heater then i put the water in a spray bottle. I got a plastic container to stand on to catch dripping water.
This was mostly for situations when I spent the night at customers or rest areas and wanted to be able to clean up.
I would do that all the time if I were in your situation rather than shower under polluted water in a disease ridden stall.TheyCallMeDave Thanks this. -
Fontana also has a few trukk stops at exit 61. Never had any issues there.
Dave_in_AZ Thanks this. -
Most people who spend most of their time driving in Orange and LA county have living arrangements there ... or they don't take such an job there in California in the first place. There are some hotel options in the area that are reasonable. At some point you're going to have to loosen your grip on the money your making and shell out for a rental place and/or occasional hotels, or find another gig.
bobthurman, brian991219 and x1Heavy Thank this.
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