Forum

There has been an increasing amount of discussion in recent years about many Wal-Mart stores not allowing overnight truck parking any more. As a 20-year veteran of the industry, I need to get something off my chest...

Wal-Mart stores usually have no problem allowing us to park there long enough to shop. Unfortunately, they had to start discouraging overnight parking after they had too many problems with some of our fellow drivers leaving trash and bottles of urine in their parking lots. Don't get me started on the amount of property damage caused by careless drivers.
Think about how YOU would feel if you had property and it was trashed and disrespected after you allowed truck drivers to park there overnight.

Let's face it folks- a bad element of drivers are to blame for our loss of once available parking.
Some of you are quick to say "we should boycott _____" every time something like this or any other parking issue comes up.... Now have you ever taken the time to think about WHY communities don't welcome any sort of overnight truck parking? Believe me, I wouldn't want the trash and the smell of urine blowing from the parking lot into my yard, the noise from some jackasses using their engine brakes with loud exhaust all hours of the day and night, and the bleedover from an illegally high powered CB bleeding through my TV or radio with the latest rendition of "I ain't got no panties on". I'm sure most of you in your right minds wouldn't want to live with that while you're at home either- well, I would hope not.

We NEED to stop playing the role of 'victim' and do a better job of policing ourselves.
It's not uncommon for some of us to put on protective gloves and go around a truck stop, rest area, or anywhere else we're still allowed to park and pick up trash for proper disposal.

Respect is something that is EARNED and never simply given. Until we clean up our act, we will be experiencing more of the same consequences of the very problems that- for the most part- were brought upon all of us by the aforementioned bad element of drivers.

Please be safe out there- and let's start showing some PRIDE in ourselves and what we do.