Why argue?? Why not pull your hands out of your pockets and give $2.00 to help get the "voice of trucking" for this issue to GATS ... so they can gather more grass roots support for this legislation?
Grassroots or not, the Bill will pass. It's a non-threatening, ultra-non-controversial Bill that costs pocket change and feels good, and more importantly, will make a representative
look good when he snags some of the money for his home district for the show. Beating the grass for the "voice of trucking" to be heard is superfluous and won't matter.
As I said before, the trucking big wigs are sitting back and watching the truckers ... your inaction speaks volumes.
The trucking big could care less. How much money did OOIDA and ATA throw into the pot?
As far as VA rest areas ... this just might be a way to help re-open those rest areas.
Have you not read, carefully, what has been written? Even if this Bill opens them back up, they aren't sustainable because the taxpayer money isn't there to sustain it. Besides, rest areas are one of the most dangerous places to park. They are no more secure than an abandoned gas station in South Carolina. In fact, I've slept at the spot Hope's husband was shot, and there are two gas stations right across the street with lots of traffic, people and activity, which isn't the case at most truck stops at night.
Oh, BTW, do you realize that there is an organization that is fighting against "commercializing" the rest areas ... because they want travelers to get off the interstates into little convenience store areas?
Yeah. These are the same people who have "NO TRUCKS" at the entrance to their establishments, and "NO DOG WALKING" along the sides of the parking lot.
They argue that if rest areas are commercialized .. then truckstops will go out of business. As you and I know ... that is not the case.
The truck stops know better, too.
The issue is providing safe, secure truck parking ... not forcing every truck into already overburdened truckstops, to provide merchants with a buck.
If the issue is safe, secure truck parking, why are you banging the drum for more and larger rest areas, when rest areas are shown, without a doubt, to the one of the unsafest places to park? The only way to have safe, secure truck parking to prevent a random act of violence is to have private armed security, and lots of it, at all these easy on easy off turnouts, rest areas and bull pens. This Bill doesn't come close to doing that.
As I've said before, if giving a $2 contribution is going to break you, please call me personally ... I'll understand. (You can find my phone number on the donation page at GoTruckStop.com)
I watched the evolution of all this at askthetrucker.com (and a couple of other places) as it happened. I think you stepped up and told Hope that you'd get her and her entourage to GATS, no problem, you'll handle it, you'll be the hero, and now you're coming up a little short and don't want to look the fool.
Sir, this is the best way to get the message out...
No, it's not. Besides, it's a message that doesn't even need to be gotten out. It's already in committee and is certainly to pass without a second thought by Congress.
Jason Rivenburgh was KILLED ... Shot dead ... by 2 punks.
It would really help your cause of you knew he actual facts of the case. If he was shot by 2 punks, how come the police arrested 1, charged him with murder, and then arrested his two buddies for accessory after the fact and were both released on bond?
A death that did not need to occur, if there was more safe, secure parking for big rigs.
That's an assumption you cannot make. This was a random act of violence. There are truck stops 9 miles and 14 miles from where he parked and was shot. There are also two truck stops 25 miles north of where he parked, both of which he drove right past to get to Exit 136 where he parked. A lack of safe, secure parking for big rigs did not play a factor here.
