Trouble with Showering on the Road

kinilu57 · Jul 23, 2006

Do the other woman truckers out here feel safe and comfortable in the Truckstop showers?? I DO NOT. I had a freaky incident at a TA Truckstop in Dallas and it was handled terrible by management.

It was about 3 AM and we stopped to shower after driving all day and night. Got our codes and went to the Shower Section. (By the way, has anyone else noticed that the numeral codes for all the TAs are the same everywhere) I took the first door and Brian took the last door. When I opened my door, the lights were turned off. However, there was light shining from the light fixtures in the ceiling. I inspected them closer, and could see into another room above the shower. It was lit up from the TA sign outside. In the mean time, there were 3 attempts of someone trying to come in my locked door. I had not even took my coat off yet.

I got Brian to come down to my shower and take a look. I then went to his shower room to switch with him. Well.....his lights were just like mine. You could see the room upstairs from there too. The reason people kept trying my locked door was because there was a sign hung around the corner pointing to my shower room saying, "Temporary Restroom" with an arrow pointing to my door. NO WAY was I showering there!!

I went to the desk where we got our co-driver shower, she said, the manager is not here till in the morning. ?????. No manager?????
Then she said she couldn't put my shower back on my card. I got the manager's name and number and we left.

When we got into the truck, I called the phone number on our TA Card. Talked to a very nice man who was amazed at what I described. Took my name and number and assured me TA would be in contact. It is now 4 AM. We went to another Truckstop and just went to sleep. About 8 AM that morning, I recieved a call from the manger at the TA where this happened. He was a smart-alleck and said he was Sorry I didn't get the shower I wanted. That's is it. Then hung up. A total MORON!!! Like I was making it up.

I just marked it in our Truckstop Book as a "DO NOT SHOWER HERE!" What would you other ladies have done???

Last year, we heard a story about a Flying J getting caught with cameras in their showers. Peep holes are no joking matter. Now, I do not feel comfortable in ANY Truckstop showers. Has anyone else had any uneasy feelings about showering out on the road????

Any idea how much extra it cost when you get a shower and toilet in your sleeper when specing a truck????? Can't imagine it not being worth it. Thanks for all input on this subject.

Cindy and Brian
D6084

TeamCaffee · Jul 23, 2006

We have been lucky and have not had your bad experiences in the showers. Bob and I share a shower so I always feel pretty safe. We tried getting a separate shower once and I did not enjoy that at all. I don't know what you could do except how you handled it. Sure hope nothing like that happens to you again.

cheri1122 · Jul 25, 2006

I think in your shower shoes, seeing light from a room above, I'd have demanded to see the view from the room above, and I'd have continued demanding, if they refused, until someone called the police - they don't take peeping-toms lightly. Because they know that many rapists begin as peeping-toms, and then go further, when the illicit thrill of just looking isn't enough.
I have never encountered a situation like that - and I feel like I've showered in practically every truck stop in the country, with nothing more to complain about than inconsistent water pressure - I truly hope it was a very isolated incident. But one that bears further investigation, for sure.

ATeam · Jul 25, 2006

>Any idea how much extra it cost when you get a shower and
>toilet in your sleeper when specing a truck????? Can't
>imagine it not being worth it. Thanks for all input on this
>subject.
>
>Cindy and Brian
>D6084

I can't tell you off the top of my head but can say that custom-sleeper manufacturers ICT and ARI can both quote prices to you almost instantly (some others take days to get back to you). An easy way to get your answer would be to call one of them and get a price on one of their standard 96" floor-plans. Then get a price in essentially the same floor plan, only with a shower and toilet included. I say 96" because that size sleeper will likely fit on a truck and leave enough room for a D-unit box too.

LDB · Jul 25, 2006

>Any idea how much extra it cost when you get a shower and
>toilet in your sleeper when specing a truck????? Can't
>imagine it not being worth it. Thanks for all input on this
>subject.
>
>Cindy and Brian
>D6084

You can get exact numbers on www.sst100.com for the with/without models of their units. That should give a pretty good estimate on the upcharge.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5507, 5508, 5509
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

late for dinner · Jul 26, 2006

Are there more than One TA in the Dallas area?? If so maybe you should name the location. I'm with the driver who said you should have called the police, and I don't think its too late now. They can go to the truckstop and look around themselves. The manager should be responsible himself if this is going on. If someone was looking in on my wife or girlfriend in the shower or rest room and I found out about it, someone whould be in the hospital and I would probably by in jail.

kinilu57 · Jul 27, 2006

We were on I-20 at Exit 472. I marked it in my truckstop book. The young girls behind the counter didn't have a clue and the Manager that was on duty, (he was actually working in the garage) said he would pass it on. The main manager that called me, was the smart alleck. When I questioned what was up there, I was told nothing. Personally, I hope they hopped right on getting new light covers up in there. If any of you are that way, stop and look. Let us know if the problem still exists.

Thanks for the web page so I can check prices.

Cindy and Brian
D6084

greg334 · Jul 27, 2006

From what is said about the response from T/A, the manager does not really care or he is in on the action. I would have made it a point to call the police after the first round with the garage manager if not right from the start to ensure that nothing is really up with what is discovered. Let them sort it out and let them get T/A corporate involved right from the start. If the cops are uncooperitive, the press should be able to help out with that. Believe me T/A would not want to answer questions about a hole in the shower in public.

Blondie n Dag · Jul 27, 2006

If this is the TA I'm thinking of they have police that are in the c-store as security. I would have marched right up to them and asked them to come inspect the shower room and above room for peeping-toms. If I could file a formal complaint with them then I would call the Dallas PD and made a complaint over the phone,then I would have called the TA cares number and reported it to them. If the Moron manager called me back and treated me like that I would have called the TA cares number again and made sure that they understood that I would be reporting this to the company I worked for as an unsafe enviorment. I will call every trucking publication, as well as the local print media and tell everyone, not just truck driver that I meet to avoid all TA Travel Plazas all together because they obviously do not care about your safety and it is reflected in thier choice of management and deplorable conditions. If this TA had Idle Air, I would also report it to them. Idle Air is very concerned about the conditions and safety of the establishments that they go into. Nothing like loosing that huge investment on an unsafe or unsightly truck stop. Then I really would sit down and write a, in my opinion type letter, and send it to all the free trucking publications and the local newspaper about my experience and make sure that I made it clear that this travel plaza that is providing a service to the PUBLIC, not just the trucking industry, is unsafe. I would make sure that I sent a copy of the letter to the home office of Travel Centers of America with the cc of all the publications I sent it to.

LDB · Jul 27, 2006

With and without sleeper prices showed $51,760 and $47,300 so it's $4460 more with the toilet/shower and presumably all else equal. That also included generator etc. on both. You should be safe figuring no more than $5k extra for the facilities if ordered at time of purchase. I have no clue how much more to retrofit or even if that's possible. It would be multiples of that amount I'm sure.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5507, 5508, 5509
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.