access to shopping

[copdsux]

has anyone else out there gotten ticked off when they find out
where the nearest wal-mart, k-mart, etc. is, only to arrive at
the entrance and find that they have erected barriers 10-12 feet
high, to prevent trucks from entering? i ran into this problem
again last saturday in louisville, ky & it made me mad enough to
call a consumer law attorney this morning to inquire about this
OBVIOUS discrimination. his para-legal said she would talk to
him and call me back.

anyone else want to jump on the bandwagon on this issue? maybe
we can turn it into a class-action suit.

p.s. this is the kind of thing i stir up when i have to much time
on my hands! i'll let you know what they say.

 

[RichM]

Find your way to the back of the staore,they get Big trucks delivering all the time. Sounds like you have been laying over too long .One of the things I do is to fill out a Generic Bill Of Lading ( which you can buy a package at office depot etc) for that particular Wal Mart you are at.Have the Bill of Lading sa ,4 pallets of electical equipment.Meet GE represenative TOM HANKS or TOM CRUISE at 0800 the next day.DO NOT DELIVER EARLY.This works like a charm to allow you to say in the parking lot all night,works in Meijers and K Marts also.

 

[copdsux]

hi, rich:

thank you for your reply sharing one of your "tricks of the trade". However, you missed part of what i was trying to do:
if things are too quiet, start something! your answer should
come in handy in the future & i'll certainly give it a shot.

believe me, i posted that message with a "tounge in cheek"
attitude. you're right, too much time alone & too much caffiene.

 

[Wild Bill]

I'm with you 100%! I truly believe there is an issue of equal access and discrimination. (Finally I get to put my college education to use! lol) If I was a person of color or disabled there would be no question.

The sad part of it is I have heard why they are doing this. I heard on the Truckin Bozo show that Wal-mart "associates" refused to clean the lot because a few drivers would leave gallon jugs of urine on the lot and assorted other "Packages". It is a case of a few good apples ruining things for everyone.

I think if you are serious contact OOIDA (http://www.ooida.com)and get them on board too.

 

[geo]

i have been ask to leave a sam's club and a walmart to
show them my walmart credit card , and sam's club card and
said no need to shop here anymore and they said we didn't know you were a memeber and credit card user. manager walked me in and brought me breakfast, to say he was sorry for hurting my feeling's

also maybe if your home and at walmart or kmart let them know your a truck driver and here to pick up the parking lot
and making up for ones who for get to pick up .

like going into woods you bring it in and you carry it out
or put it in right place

remember you mom or wife isn't going stand for that around the house

 

[Weave]

One thing I have noticed about the drivers who pig up parking lots- they tend to be people who drive company owned trucks rather than O/O's. I guess O/O's in general carry a more professional attitude with them and aren't too lazy to find the trash can. What I think bothers the store managers isn't the fact there are a couple of trucks parked there, but as you know one truck attrracts another and so on... then the lot becomes a little truckstop with the litter and pee-pee bottles etc. I highly doubt a lawsuit would do any good as in most states it is up to the management of that store to decide their parking policies as the property the store owns or leases is private.
-Weave-

 

[Trucker Matt]

We were parked at a WalMart in Tennesse last winter with two other trucks in front of a large sign that said "No Truck Parking". We did a little shopping, fixed lunch and were engaged in a little give and take with dispatch over a TPS load. The two guys in the CFI truck next to us came out with some things in a shopping cart. We saw them come out and joked that they were probably too lazy to return the cart (we were all parked in the extreme far corner of the lot). Well... they did us one better. They left the cart sitting there with three gallon jugs full of piss in the cart!
We weren't paying attention when they pulled out, otherwise we'd would've been on the phone with the police and their company pronto. I get mad when WalMart won't allow trucks, but who can blame them with what some dirtbag truck drivers do to their lots?

 

[Weave]

This is exactly what I have noticed- see the first sentence of my first posting on this thread. Typical esp. of big companies.
-Weave-

 

[franke]

"One thing I have noticed about the drivers who pig up parking lots- they tend to be people who drive company owned trucks rather than O/O's."

That's bull@#$%!!! I have witnessed O-O's around truckstops dumping trash behind their trailers because they were to lazy to walk an extra few feet to the trashcan. I have ridden with OO's that PREFERED to use a "BIG GULP CUP" as their urninal, then dump it out while their moving down the road. All for some insane reasoning that they "hafta keep rolling to make a buck!".
Yeah Right...!?! I've waqtched O-O's change the oil in the truckstop's back row, and not worry about where the old oil was dumped.

I've also seen OO-'s scrimp, beg, borrow, cheat, steal and lie to anyone to save a few pennies here and there, and that includes "begging" for a shower ticket on the radio at some truckstop while their sitting in a brand new $140K Pete or Star. Then after the "free shower" spend $25.00 dollars on lottery tickets or video games.

There are many pigs in the trucking industry as a whole, but to characterize company drivers as being the basis for the "bottle baby syndrome" is pretty big of you, and shows the common attitude among many O-O's that for some reason they believe owning a truck, or several trucks for that matter, places them above anyone else in the grand scheme of things.

I'm sure your proud to own your truck, and that you consider yourself a smart small businessman; but remember that humility and respect for one's peers and associates has a far greater impact than a blatant statement / characterization as THAT post.

Your owning a truck doesn't give you any rights to critize the company drivers out there. If you wanna trade blow for blow; who's smarter in this industry. You or The Company-Driver..?

He shuts the door and goes home forgetting the truck: You on the other hand gotta worry about maintenence.

He gets his taxes done and takes a refund, You on the other hand have to pay additional taxes each quarter and at tax time.

When his truck breaks down on the road, he just makes a call and somebody else takes the responsibility. You on the other hand are up to your elbows in grease and grime, and your paying out of YOUR wallet for the repairs.

The company driver doesn't worry about the price of fuel, repairs, permits, authority, decals, or anything other than getting the job done. You on the other hand have all of that to worry about.

So before you start complaining too loudly about the virtues of being an Owner-Operator, and critizing company drivers in the process, you'd do well to remember the fact that EVERY driver out here is a company driver, even if you OWN the truck yourself.

Smoe That One Fer' Awhile Budro:

 

[Weave]

I'm sorry to have offended you, franke. My opinions were just a casual observation of mine- Don't take it too seriously. I do not put O/O's on a "pedestal", as I was once indeed a company driver myself. There are a lot of seedy truckers out there, both O/O's and Co. drivers.
I'll stop stereotyping co. drivers. I have been making about double the amount of money as an O/O over a co. driver, even after expenses, but like you stated I do have to work quite a bit harder for it. Worth it? Hard to say. At least I know for sure I'm not a parking lot litterbug
-Weave-

 

[guest]

We just dropped a load at Ford Louisville Truck and also observed that things at wal Mart aren't the same since O'l sam passed on. Still there are some Wal Marts that let trucks park. OTOH, we were parked in an ABANDONED parking lot in Oakland County MI a couple weeks ago and some sob ##### called our dispatchers and bitched about the nasty stinking truck fouling their neighborhood. As though there was any decent place to park north of 8 mile.

And YES, we carry a trash container in our truck, which we dump in the appropriate place at truck stops or pickle parks. I agree, the guys (and maybe gals, too) who leave a jug of piss sitting in a lot oughta have their nose rubbed in it. I'll admit to stopping along the road to "inspect the tires" (what other option is there if you run US-31 south outa MI? [not a single pickle park after Holland until you get to Seymour IN]), BUT I do it on the grass.

 

[Christyrose]

We have not had a problem parking at any of the Wal-mart or K-Mart stores. We park in the back near delievery area. We also check with management, after we park the truck. If they have a problem with us there then we leave. Its thier property. No big deal. Its their loss.

Now about Michigan, you have one truck stop at exit 32 and I-75, the next truck stop I believe is after Flint off of I-75. If you deliever any where in the Sterling Heights area or Warren,Michigan Beware. The laws for truck parking has changed. If your just shopping at any of the stores, check with the store manager first. Let them know you need to shop and you will be leaving when your done. If your truck is left unattended, and they are not aware that your shopping, YOUR TRUCK WILL BE TOWED. You will receive a ticket for traspassing that could run from 25.00 to 500.00. This just started this year around May. Warren police are getting into the act.
We live very close to a K-mart in Warren, we where parking there on down time. We came very close to having this happen to us.