Socializing At The Truck Stop

Brett, I am remiss that you left out Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the UP of Michigan. Just remember to finish every sentence with "eh".

"Don't ya know... eh!"

Sounds like everybody just keeps to themselves at the truck stops. I'm kind of a social guy so that is going to be hard for me to do. Surely there are some people you've met out on the road that you had some interesting and funny conversations with that you still keep in touch with.

I socialize at shipper/receivers, but I stick to myself at a TS. There are some weird cats out there. TSs tend to have more than their fair share of them. LoL.

I just hope people don't see me as the weirdo when I am being neighborly at shippers/receivers.

I am situationally social if that makes any sense. I have met some very fine people on the road. I met a driver about 2 yrs ago at a TA in Louisana that was kind enough to provide me a wealth of information about cruises. He is pretty much an expert on them. It was a very inprompt discussion at the dining counter and it helped me make some terrific choices for my honeymoon. I'm kinda quirky. Try this. While walking to and from at a truckstop, as you pass other drivers greet them, I.E. Good morning, afternoon etc. Watch for the facial reaction. Sometimes it is fun to watch. Some will ignore you, but many times you find they will return the greeting but the look on their face will tell you if they are social or just trying to be polite and feel they are compelled to speak. Maybe I'm just weird, but it's what I do

It depends. I liked to go into the tv lounge sometimes. I'd usually end up striking up a conversation with a few people, but if they were really weird I could just focus on the show haha. I didn't usually eat at the sit-down restaurants in truckstops since that can get pretty pricy, but when I did I always enjoyed sitting near a couple military vets. They always have the best stories to tell. I only go to one truck stop regularly now, a Love's in Pueblo. I enjoy joking around with the staff, especially now that I'm a regular there. That's about all I have time for these days.

Renegade, I'm like the others. I generally eat one sit down meal a week, and I sit at the counter just to force myself to socialize a bit. What Brett said is dead on. (BTW Gladhand, if things go south, we old guys are going to blame someone else.)

The TV lounge can be dangerous, especially if your team is playing and the rest of the people are Raiders or Cowboys fans.

As far as juicy stories, I've heard all kinds of ridiculous things at the trucker's counter, from 20 year drivers bs-ing how they pulled a trailer with no brakes for two years and gave hell to the DOT at the scales every time they went through, to real weirdos talking about things I'd rather not mention in public, even if they did.

The best and most interesting conversations I've had have been while doing laundry. It's generally a relaxed time, since most people do laundry while they're on a reset.

For me it depended upon my mood also. I've always been a loner by nature so most of the time I grabbed a newspaper (a collection of thin sheets of wood pulp with text printed on them in ink containing the day's news which could be bought for 50 cents from a metal box outside) and went to a booth in the restaurant and had me a nice, quiet dinner.

But sometimes I was just in the mood to chat. That's when you go to the counter at the truck stop restaurant and join in on the neverending roundtable discussions.

Warning: sitting at the restaurant counter instead of a booth can be hazardous if you're not prepared. If you sit at the counter:

• You should not expect to sit quietly and eat in peace. You are now in the discussion, like it or not
• If you say the name of any President, past or present, you have less than 45 seconds before a fight ensues
• If you say the name "John Wayne" out loud you will make at least two new friends and one may even want to hug you. But you better know your John Wayne movies
• If you say "NASCAR" without mentioning "Earnhardt Sr" you will be given one chance to correct your error or no one will talk to your "Jimmy Johnson Pretty Boy Lovin *ss"
• If you're in the South, just say real slowly, "The South's Gonna Do It Again!!!!" and you might get free pancakes and you'll definitely get some redneck solutes, which come in many different flavors
• If you're in the North just talk real fast and call the person next to you some horribly insulting names for no reason and they'll assume you're from there and you'll make friends easily

Hope this helps!

Now THAT is funny

I rarely stop and chat with other people, but if someone stops me with a question or comment, I'll chat for a minute or three.

When I'm at truck stops. I roll in, park, PTI, grab something to eat and a shower, fiddle on the internet for a bit, sleep, and roll.

If I'm doing a 34, I'll tether my laptop to my smartphone and either write fiction or poke at the patent application.

If I'm just stuck somewhere for a few hours, I'll play games on the laptop or smartphone.

This 34 I spent a few hours on a trip to the USS Texas, but I normally just stay in the truck. It costs money to pay for Uber rides. I spent $50 just getting to and from the Texas because Stevens set me to a service center about 15 miles from the Texas, rather than the service center less than 5 miles away. (But it was worth it!)

Well if you guys or gals meet somebody at a truck stop that talks and laughs a lot, don't be alarmed, it's just me.

LOL !

Depends on my mood. Most of the time, I pretty much keep to myself unless someone else initiates a conversation.

Come to think of it, I had a real doozy the other day.

I had just parked and finished my post-trip, when this guy comes ambling up to my window. I rolled it down, and he started talking about how he used to drive for Interstate , but the company he's with now pays SO MUCH better. He went on for a solid 15 minutes.

And then spent the next HOUR ragging on how horrible his company treats him and how crappy their equipment is, and how he'd jump back to IDC in a heartbeat if they paid more.

I guess there's just no pleasing some people.