questions/observations of truckstop from a non-trucker

I read that trucks usually get around 7 mpg. How many gallons can a truck hold before it needs to be refilled? And do the companies tell you when to refuel or do you have a company card they let you use?

When I went on my road trip I got my showers half price because they'd let me share it with my bf but a free shower sounds even better.

 

My truck carries about 200 gallons of fuel which I think is pretty typical. They don't tell me when to fuel, but I understand some companies do. I have a limited number of places that I can fuel, and there are accounts set up there.

 

I heard a couple of years ago the national average is 5.5 mpg. That being said, there are enough things that can be done that will move a given truck from 1 mpg to 20 mpg. I took over a company truck awhile back... the onboard computer showed the last driver was getting 4.9 mpg over a fairly long period - I squeezed 6.2 out of it without even trying hard.

Depends on the installed tankage. My company has 200 gallons installed - 180-ish of which is actually usable. It's not uncommon to see large enough tanks on a truck that could hold 300 or 400 gallons. It goes fairly quickly when the vehicle is moving all the time, as in a team-truck situation.

Depends on the company. Most company drivers go where they are directed to go, because of the contracts (and discounts) arranged by the company. Also, it's quite common that fuel stops have to be authorized by the company, so you go to the truckstop you're directed to go to.

At my company, the lease operators have complete freedom of choice as to where to go for fuel, how much to purchase, etc. That may not be true everywhere though.

As far as "cards" go - depends on who you're driving for. We use COMDATA fuel cards, that allow your fuel purchases to be charged. For our lease operators, the purchases are deducted from their settlements on a weekly basis.

Yup! Most truckstop chains use a driver's reward card to deal with bonus points (a penny per gallon) used to induce you to buy their stuff, and keep track of showers. They don't allow you to accumulate showerw any more - unused shower credits go away after 5 days now.

You can't always count on being at a truckstop daily for a shower - due to location or your schedule, so there are "tricks." A common one is to have a package of baby wipes with you. Great invention for truckers, good for a quick cleanup to remove the "smell," and gets diesel off of your hands. Another thing you can do is carry a small plastic tub and a gallon of tap water with you for a quick sponge bath.

 

1) i think the whole B.O. "epidemic" has been and is blown way out of porportion; i have never, that i recall, ever smelled another driver. Yes, granted i don't have that much OTR experience being mostly a local/regional/linehaul driver for most of my carrer. But still, i do have a substantial amount of OTR to, i think, qualify to comment on this topic---i have been to every state except alaska, hawaii, south dakota and colorado, almost every province and have been to many, many truckstops.

a) There are only 6 people that i have ever smelled, 5 of them i know. One was a homeless person in the library; This was understandable. The five others i all knew; One was actually homeless when i bumped into him and he came over and took a much needed shower. End of smell. The other 3 were also friends and this was not a normal thing for them so it's ok---everyone stinks every now and then. The other was a co-worker i don't know her story as i didn't see her after that. i'm assuming it was a one-time thing as well. The last person was myself--and this is a rare occurance although it does happen from time-to-time---very busy these days.

b) i do not judge drivers at all based on looks; Does the driver deliver the frieght on time and safely and get the job done? If so, then i do not care what the driver looks like or how much they weigh. If they like sweatpants and if they wear flip-flops(which i actually think is inappropriate) then fine!
If the driver does smell, then maybe stop breathing thru your nose or move away if possible; It's not that big a deal.

It's true that in the 60's drivers looked alot different, but this is how i feel.

2) Using a restroom sink as a "shower," in my opinion is just crude and disgusting and the practice should be abolished.

a) i don't feel that the cost of a shower is prohibitive as i think they generally run from $5-$10, also as pointed out earlier 50 gallons of fuel purchased generally means a free shower at most truckstops which means you can bank up lots of showers.

b) Some companies do reimburse.

c) This is actually a good question as when i eventually plan to return to OTR, i will have to figure out where/when i will get a shower; i feel that most truckstop showers are disgusting and an insult to all truckers. My last OTR gig the company paid for hotels. i am looking at on-board showers which i feel could do a good job. i think one of them is called the Hartline.

3) As far as looking tired/ragged etc.
This is only because some drivers accept that "this is the way it is." And thus, they go along with the f'ed up hours, poor living conditions etc. It doesn't have to be that way. If the conditions are poor, look for another gig. Of course, some drivers may not be able to have as much options due to criminal records, driving and work records etc.

a) Again, please refer to 1b above.

4) Suggestion:
If possible, try Dunkin Donuts and/or McDonalds for coffee as i think theirs is up to par as the truckstops.

 

Terminal showers can be filthy since they are cleaned only once a day. Some of the bottom feeder companies route their drivers into terminals to fuel. Add in the lack of mileage and low pay you may have a driver thats doing the best he can to not be offensive. At least the guy hogging the sink is trying to keep clean.

Be more offended about the filthy mongrel that dumps his trash in the middle of the parkinglot, leaves his piss bottles on the fuel island and returns from taking the browns to the superbowl without washing his hands and goes straight to the buffet with buttflakes intact with his fingernails.

 

1. Its a truck stop, donot like what you find dont stop.
2. My typical day may included loading and unloading several times over a 14 hour period, If the last thing I loaded was CKD, it took me 45 minutes to load in a very dusty dirty enviroment, then about another hour to get my trailers where they can go down the highway without looking like pig-pen and the Pilot is 12.5 hours into my day, Im fueling and will be at home in 45 minutes to an hour. Am I dirty and stinkin, probably, but I wont be when I get home. these fuel depots are a stop in the meiidle of our working day. You do care for it then goto AM PM. They are there for you just like the TS in there for us. If you ever saw some of the showers in the TS's you probably would not use them. Sometimes the dirty driver is cleaner than the showers provided.

 

oddly enough alot of people do go to trucksops for a meal usually the buffet i dont understand why ,we only stop there because we only go there because we cant get trucks into a better place to eat

 

i am a truckers wife, and i did not understand about showers and all that untill i started riding with my husband, he is a flatbedder and they work hard, we use to hot shot and back then i helped him secure the loads, but we could stop when and where we wanted to shower etc. but since he now works for a company we can not always stop at a truck stop when your hours end you may be in the middle of nowhere, sometimes you have to stop on the side of the road. you may have to stop at a rest area but they are getting few and far between. so people give the drivers a break ,everything you use in your daily life is hauled by truck, where would this world be without drivers ?

 

...and the buffet is frequently the cheapest thing you can order, compared to everything else on the menu.