Truck Drivers and Your Local Town

Yesterday I went to get my lunch and take to the shop with me. I ordered and was waiting for it to get done and while waiting a man was ordering.

This man asked the order taker how to get back on the main interstate going south. That poor girl looked totally lost. She told him she didn't know as she didn't drive. I think that way too many people do not know their towns well enough to give directions. I have seen this before, but I don't have a problem. I had better not. The hubby use to work for a company that had trucks come every day for delivery and since he was the off load man he had calls coming day and night to the house. I got to answer those calls and give directions.

Anyway the girl tells the man she doesn't know. So he turns to me and just looks and I go on auto in my instructions. It was what I was use to. I also use to be on CB (citizen band radio) and gave many drivers directions to places in the local area. I cannot believe how badly dispatchers are at giving their delivery people the right directions, even in this day of internet maps.

Then once the man had the right directions and knew where to turn, quite easy actually, one left turn from the road he was on, a one way, one block over to the one way in the other direction, a left turn onto that one way, keep to the right lanes and run straight into the entrance to the interstate going south. Easy ones this time.

So the man suddenly asks me if he has a chance of getting a ticket parked where he was. He points out the window of the Carl's Jr we are in. I glance outside to see a big rig parked alone the side of the street. OH boy, I look back at him and tell him it is possible. I continue to tell him that we do not have a truck friendly community. That there is even a sign on the interstate before the exit he used that says trucks use next exit.

Now I have been hearing this for years and years, no trucks parking here, no trucks allowed along this stretch, trucks use other exit. This is totally stupid. We live in an area where trucks bring our goods. All of our goods. There is very little in this area that isn't delivered from another area for our consumption. So telling truck drivers "you are wanted" is a very bad thing indeed.

When I tell the man that we do not have a "truck driver friendly community" but maybe since he is parked short time to get a meal it will be ok. He says with his luck it won't be. He proceeds to tell me that we are not the only town. He says that more and more towns are telling truck drivers they cannot park here or there or go here or there. He says it is happening all over.

So what's the deal with this? Are our local officials stupid or what? If your community depends on staying alive through the deliveries of truck drivers, then why treat them like they are invaders? It is just the dumbest thing they could do. Much more of this and some towns could find themselves boycotted. Then what will those officials do when the people living in those towns have to go some place else just to get the things they need. There could be a lot of upset towns folk and that could be the beginning of the end of many of them, officials and towns.

Making your area not friendly to those who provide for you is never a good idea, but then I have never accused the people in charge of really being all that smart, just greedy and very often quite stupid. The smart ones just go along with the greed so they can line their pockets more. If they say it is so, the first thing I think is what are they after now and how much is it going to cost us.