Jump to content
UnevenEdge

Truckers are really cool guys


cyberbully

Recommended Posts

I go to this truck stop every once in a while for breakfast because their food far surpasses anything you'll get at a Denny's or Ihop or whatever....The guys there automatically assume you're a trucker.  I've sat through many a long monologue about their experiences and what they are hauling just because I guess this is how they interact with like people.

More than on one occasion, I've had these dudes offer to pay for my food....Mostly because I guess truckers do this on the regular.  So I went by there today, as I placed my order the guy next to me, who was paying out, said "add his to mine, I got him and the kids". As usual I said, "nah man...I got this....But why do people always try to pay for my food here" He said "Man, we are on the road all the time and if you got the little one, I know your per diem didn't cover them so I'm just helping out....We gotta take care of each other (truckers)".

So after explaining to him I wasn't a trucker and all that he said "Oh, well I'm still paying for it....I made twice off this run than I thought and I don't mind"....Fuck it, I let him do it....I think the embarrassment of his assumption, and my awkward questioning made it weird so just to avoid a lot of confusion from the cashier, we just let it ride.  But I didn't realize these dudes take care of each other like this...I left the waitress an nice tip since I didn't have to pay, and honestly I feel like it was the right thing to do.  

I even thought "Why didn't I become a trucker" then I remembered....I drive like shit and I hate driving in general.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I even thought "Why didn't I become a trucker" then I remembered....I drive like shit and I hate driving in general.

 

I think this all the time after talking to the long haul guys that work here. If you get the right contract, you can make bank easy. Or you can get married and not have to deal with your wife for real xD

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, bnmjy said:

. I imagine night truckers just hate humanity in general.

What's a night trucker....These dudes have to drive across country...Day and night....I assume when they finally stop some may be irritable, but I don't serve them so I don't know

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

some OTR drivers prefer to run at night because less traffic or whatever. they're only allowed to run for so many hours per day/week, so they treat driving like clocking in and do it for the same 8 or 10 hours every day.

team drivers can swap out and stay on the road for a lot longer, which is great for the company. there's several married couples here that team drive for the big distro. actually, you probably see those blue DOT trucks over there some too.

as for being good people...eh. it's like any industry i think. the assholes probably just don't strike up the conversation or offer to buy, so you don't notice them.

Edited by wacky1980
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad was a trucker before I was born, then he went into business for himself as a septic tank installer and landscaper. He owned 2 bulldozers, a backhoe, trackhoe, several semi trucks and trailers, a fleet of dump trucks, etc. Then one day, he decided he had had enough and went back into trucking. He got another semi truck and went back on the road. he made a lot more money per week driving a truck. Most of the time, he was bringing in over 2k a week as an owner/operator. He didn't even have to haul nationwide. He just hauled regionally. Georgia, Florida, the Carolina's and Alabama. 

He had the CB radio in his truck, and those guys always looked out for each other. Giving cop warnings to each other. Road check warnings, etc. Sometimes they would all meet up and eat. You get to meet new people and become friends, especially when you and some of the other drivers are hauling the same route everyday. 
 

Also, truckstop showers and bathrooms are like the locker room for those guys. And the tales they have are funny and spooky in lots of instances. And don't forget about the infamous ''lot lizards.'' Lord, I have heard some tales about them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I worked at BH our Shipping would close mid way through 2nd shift so any truckers that got there after that would have to just stay the night in their rig

One dude would always bust out a grill and offer of us burgers on our lunch break at 3 am, that dude was the real MVP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a trucker, but a couple of times I've driven non-stop from here to El Paso on the I-10 in a box truck.  For whatever reason, the truck stops we hit up 1am, 3am, etc are devoid of life.  Don't even see lot lizards.  The one thing that kind of stands out for me is how truckers seem to have this unwritten code of conduct out on the highway that isn't readily apparent when you're in a passenger vehicle.  It's not even anything you can describe other than there's this pattern truckers seem to follow when passing or approaching a hill.  After about 15 hours of driving, you start to feel a little affinity for them even though you're in a piece-of-shit Ryder with a speed limiter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad always told me that when a semi passed me on the road at night, to always flash my high beams at him when he is clear to get back over safely in front of me. I do that now. They will either honk or hit their brake lights a couple of times to let me know they appreciate it. Just a courtesy to truckers.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, cyberbully said:

DOT operates out of OK....The headquarters is here.

the warehouse in ardmore is a regional distribution center, one of a dozen across the continent. the corporate hq is about a quarter mile from my house. 1500+ trucks roll in and out of there on a schedule. we have just a couple truckers in this community.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, wacky1980 said:

the warehouse in ardmore is a regional distribution center, one of a dozen across the continent. the corporate hq is about a quarter mile from my house. 1500+ trucks roll in and out of there on a schedule. we have just a couple truckers in this community.

Well all I know is my Father in law drove for them and he called it headquarters...Maybe that's just what the drivers call it.  Just know that's what it's called.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, cyberbully said:

Well all I know is my Father in law drove for them and he called it headquarters...Maybe that's just what the drivers call it.  Just know that's what it's called.

i'm sure the employees at all the dc's call their respective bases "headquarters" and i don't think there's anything wrong with that. we like to call the place here in town "the empire" because they're expanding operations faster than the romans.

one of my good friends spent a couple weeks in ardmore when they opened that dc in 2005-ish, to help train pickers and spotters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/5/2019 at 11:21 AM, KimopoBotar said:

My interaction with truckers is usually letting them change lanes in heavy traffic because everyone else is an asshole to them. Working folks gotta look out for eachother. 

A trucker (probably inadvertently) tried to kill me once. I was driving next to it, like even with its middle, and it started merging into my lane without any warning. My only hope was to quickly go to the next lane barely even checking for traffic on the other side of me. I like to think that guy was awake for an absurd amount of time, and not just a fucking asshole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/5/2019 at 3:50 PM, midnight said:

My dad always told me that when a semi passed me on the road at night, to always flash my high beams at him when he is clear to get back over safely in front of me. I do that now. They will either honk or hit their brake lights a couple of times to let me know they appreciate it. Just a courtesy to truckers.

 

Jesus fucking Christ, how slow do you have to be going for SEMIs to pass you???? I don't know if it varies by state or whatever, but around here on roads where the speed limit is 65, the speed limit for semis is 55 on those same roads. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Doom Metal Alchemist said:

Jesus fucking Christ, how slow do you have to be going for SEMIs to pass you???? I don't know if it varies by state or whatever, but around here on roads where the speed limit is 65, the speed limit for semis is 55 on those same roads. 

whoa simba. trucks tend to move a little faster at night on the interstate, esp out in the middle of nowhere. it's nothing to see them moving 10+ over the limit if traffic is light.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Doom Metal Alchemist said:

Jesus fucking Christ, how slow do you have to be going for SEMIs to pass you???? I don't know if it varies by state or whatever, but around here on roads where the speed limit is 65, the speed limit for semis is 55 on those same roads. 

Interstates are 70, regardless of vehicle. Semi's tend to move faster, because they are getting paid by the mileage. The quicker they can get there, the better for them. They haul ass here.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Doom Metal Alchemist said:

Jesus fucking Christ, how slow do you have to be going for SEMIs to pass you???? I don't know if it varies by state or whatever, but around here on roads where the speed limit is 65, the speed limit for semis is 55 on those same roads. 

Those are the rules between truckers, not necessarily between truckers and passenger vehicles.  Yes, truckers do tend to move at a clip (sometimes even over 70) in the open stretches of nowhere, but they typically do not pass passenger vehicles at such a high rate of speed because it's difficult to do.  More often then not, they're passing other, slower trucks.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, midnight said:

Interstates are 70, regardless of vehicle. Semi's tend to move faster, because they are getting paid by the mileage. The quicker they can get there, the better for them. They haul ass here.

Sends on company, though. There are some companies that won’t let their trucks go over 65, for safety reasons. HAZMAT stuff does that, too. Here in Texas, if you don’t hurry the fuck up, a truck has no fucking problems passing your ass, so go the fucking speed limit, or faster (in the left lane). Fuck, there’s even spots that have NO SPEED LIMIT, so get fucking up there. 

Edited by lupin_bebop
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...