TruckStop and Rigs

BigBusBob · Jul 18, 2006

Hello everybody... I'm now residing in upstate SC. I'm "mostly" out of the bus biz, now attempting the local lifestyle - driving locally. I'm up by exit 52 on I-26 in SC, where there's almost always a very crowded Pilot T/S. I've been watchin' it closely as I pass by it every day, and there's land for sale both across the street directly beside it and in front of it... this Pilot is a Gold Mine for Pilot. They only keep up the cement and pavement that belongs to them. They're smart cookies. They more or less force drivers into gettin' fuel and gettin' outa there because parking is so limited and the shoulder on the roads around it are in such rough condition. I'm surprised no gas station or other T/S chain has not gone in there and snatched up the land around it. Next time you're around that area and need fuel... there's the Pilot there at exit 52 on I-26 Westbound. on the Eastbound side there's a Hardee's with truck parking, and a Waffle House with truck parking as well. if you're goin' West up towards Spartanburg on I-26 there's a decent T/S less than 10 min. past that Pilot on the west bound side with plenty of parking, and a fairly new Waffle House across the street from it. if you're rollin' East down towards that Pilot outa Greenville, SC area on I-385 there's a rest area on I-385 before you get to I-26 that always has plenty of parking, exit 52 on I-26 where the Pilot is has limited places to park. Further East on 26 down past the Pilot is a rest area with plenty of parking as well.

Some of you may be wondering 'Why is he telling me this?'
Because I'm tired of gettin' stuck ina traffic jam due to limited parking for trucks - so spread the word... somebody needs to build a truck stop with ATLEAST 100 parking spaces at exit 52 on I-26 in SC.

That's all for now, I'm done venting, hope all is well with everybody. Have a good day. BigBob.

chetjester · Jul 18, 2006

Bob, Bob, Bob. How the heck are you. Only you would write a post about a truck stop giving you trouble.

Not driving OTR? That won't last. Once a truck or bus driver, always a truck or bus driver.

You chose a nice state to live in. My first wife, the mother of my two wonderful daughters just moved from Warwick, RI to Charleston, SC in January. She loves it and both of my daughters have had an opportunity to visit with her (one lives in Cary, NC and the other lives with me in Arlington, TX).

Let me know when you get back on the road.

RichM · Jul 18, 2006

The trouble with that Pilot is that it has no real nearby competition so the fuel prices are about .10 per gallon more then in Columbia or Greenville. Used to be a good Southern Restaurant across the street.

arkjarhead · Jul 18, 2006

Bigbusbob,
Why are you always so negative about everything? all you do is complain. do you want some cheese with that wine?

tec1959 · Jul 18, 2006

Arkjarhead he was with Swift transportation thats where that comes from,Heck i was with M.S.Carriers for 5 yrs before Swift bought them out so i know what i'm talking about LOL....

arkjarhead · Jul 18, 2006

tec,
you know what swift stands for don't you? So What I'm Fing Trying.
Sure Wish I Had a Fast Truck.

Tennesseahawk · Jul 18, 2006

Sounds like Pilot is being stingy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a truckstop's main revenue comes from selling their overpriced caca. If a driver feels hurried after fueling, he's less likely to browse the caca. Pilot would be smart to buy some of that adjacent land and make some much needed parking.

Bob... I don't think you're being negative. You're pointing out the mistakes ppl make in life, including yours.

tec1959 · Jul 18, 2006

Arkjarhead yep i think i've heard most of them LOL.That pilot does suck when i'm in the area i use to go to the Flying Hook or the old 76 truck stop,The pilot just does not have any room and the ppl that work there are rude at times...Ark have a good one....

MSinger · Jul 19, 2006

SWIFT backwards:

Two
:censoredsign:

s
In
White
Semi

MSinger · Jul 19, 2006

How to tell if your wife is cheating on you with a Swift driver:
If you come home and catch them in the act and it takes him an hour to back out of your driveway.

cheri1122 · Jul 19, 2006

BigBusBob, hey! Good to see you back, even though you're not your usual fun self at this moment - but we all have days like that. And you've always brought a lot of info & laughs with you, so I say keep on posting!
I'm at the Spartanburg TA at mm 63, though thought it was the Detroiter for a second, when I got here: 7 vans already there! I am actually at the McDonald's next door, there isn't a speck of shade at the TA - it almost seems deliberate: shade trees everywhere you drive, but none where you park?! Or, you pull into a lot with lots of islands of shade, & find every one of them is on the aisles, not a bit anywhere that you can park in - it's nuts! It's like dying of thirst in the ocean x(

greg334 · Jul 19, 2006

Yea what is up with that - No trees anywhere at most of these truck stops. if there were trees life would be so much nicer. When I went to Tampa, I found a great spot four trees arond my truck, so nice.

cheri1122 · Jul 19, 2006

That was what the 'dying of thirst in the ocean' anology meant: there are trees, brazillions of them - but not a one that shades the parking spots!
In a van, McDonald's is usually a good place to find shade, or WalMart. But not the truckstops, they're like public swimming pools: good luck getting out of the sun! x(

Jefferson3000 · Jul 20, 2006

Hey Greg,

Where did u stay in Tampa? TA, the J or some other spot. If you were here recently, you probably got to enjoy a nice thunderstorm.

Jeff

greg334 · Jul 20, 2006

>Where did u stay in Tampa? TA, the J or some other spot.
>If you were here recently, you probably got to enjoy a nice
>thunderstorm.

Jeff

Stayed at the J.

Jefferson3000 · Jul 20, 2006

Yes, the J has way more cover. TA is right out in the open. Plus you have Cracker Barrel around the corner...:9

TeamCaffee · Jul 20, 2006

Hey BBB you just have to get back on the road!! We are really going to miss your winter driving stories. You really have a flair for writing. I am sure you will get bored and be back out here with the rest of us. Keep up the posts so we dont get to missing you to much.

BigBusBob · Jul 20, 2006

Hello, wow, I did not realize that such a simple post would get 16 replies. WOW.
ok, now... Arkjarhead, you said I was being negative, but out of 16 replies you were the only one that thought that. Everybody else seemed to comprehend very well the point of the post, and to cover myself - at the end of my post I did put "ok, I'm done venting". Perhaps you did not read the entire post though.
Anyways, moving right along, Yes, Pilot is being stingy, there's over 3 acres readily for sale around that Pilot, and while that is not a whole lot of land - it's enough to afford more paved parking area's for trucks. For the comment about Swift, yes I drove for them - if that makes me a horrible person then oh well - My Mother always told me "if your mind is not open, then keep your mouth shut too" And to top that comment off... Forest Gump said it best with "And that's all I have to say about that".

The point of the post was to clue drivers in about the area in case they were going to be passing thru - and for them to have that info in case they do go thru there in the future.

I'm runnin' local now, unless somebody has a 100" sleeper with a full plumbing system for me and my Fiance' and is gonna pay me good money. I like the home cooked meals, and sleeping in the same bed every nite in the same town... I've done the 60 cities in 70 days bit, I've done the 3,500 to 4,000 miles a week bit as a solo as well. I enjoyed the big road, but I've found that I can enjoy the "little" road just as much. I'm not done with "the road", I'm simply scaling back to experience what many on here have already experienced... family life. I've done 90,000 miles to 95,000 miles a year driving a tour bus and while that may not seem like alot to some - consider that most of those miles are with fully loades busses - as in 49 to 57 people at a time. I've done in upwards of 85 to 90K miles a year driving trucks of various shapes and sizes... and while I did, I saw America in all it's beauty... and while I did I found a Beautiful woman, we'd talked for some time and then while I drove for Swift, yes, I said Swift, she managed to convince me to get off the big road. I did. She says she'd run with me (not driving) if I made 800 a week - I knew I'd never see that with Swift. So, here I am... making considerably less off the big road, but being considerably more happy.

I'm not going to say sorry for being negative, because I don't think I was. I'm not going to feel bad about driving for Swift, because if you've never driven an 18 wheeler before, you gotta start somewhere.

Just like some of you, when you got into a semi, straight truck or cargo van to drive commercially you had to start somewhere. Though I know some drivers think they were born with experience, fact is nobody was... experience is something you have right after you needed it. I can say I've got experience. I can say I'm a driver.

I'm glad that you all took the time to read the post.

Now... lets pool all our money together and build a Truckers Disney World... a Petro, J Bird and a Wal-Mart all under 1 roof...
with 350 parking spaces out back - with trees.

That's all for now...
Later, BigBob