Letters to the Editor
This is a response to the letter by Chris Zondlo in the January 2009 issue of Truckers News . He basically called any-one who ever failed to use a urinal when needed a dirt bag. Mr. Zondlo, while I understand your anger and frustration and indeed share your feelings, I thought it necessary to point out an option that many of us use that does not involve getting up (if asleep), getting dressed, going into the truckstop and using the facil-ity, followed by reversing the trek. It is utilization of a portable container (yes, sometimes a simple bottle) and then dis-posing of it properly. I have done this for the 10 years I've driven. I keep them contained securely until I shower, then dispose of the con-tents and the containers properly. No one else has to handle them directly. I do not feel this puts me in the dirt bag category. Is it ideal? Certainly not, but it beats getting out in the cold or exposing yourself to other potential dangers the truckstop can harbor in the middle of the night. The rest of the accusations? Couldn't agree more! I had a guy pull up next to me one evening. We were in the first row, no more than a 30-yard walk to the build-ing entrance. He steps out of his rig, steps between my tractor and trailer, relieves himself, then walks into the truckstop. I had a good mind to fire up my truck while he was doing his business. Truckers whine and moan when they find they can no longer park at a once-friendly Wal-Mart or other shopping center. Look in the mirror, drivers we are our own worst enemy. K. Reager South Carolina Acting the Part I am lucky enough to live in Oklahoma where we have probably the best driving school in the country; I am talking about Central Tech in Drumright. It is really a very nice facility, from the classrooms to the driving range, everything organized and clean. And the trucks just about the best, all well-maintained and clean. My instructor, Mr. Gary Olinhouse, is one of the most experienced drivers ever; he was a professional driver and now is an instructor. The four weeks I spent at the school were very enjoyable and pleasant. All my classmates were nice people, and the staff, well, they were just the best. Almost six years now have passed, and I still remember and think about it. Most important, I am still practicing what I learned, and here are my thoughts: I saw a driver one time who had four cats in the truck; one was sitting on his shoulder, another one was on his arm and the other two were jumping on the dash blocking the driver's view of the road. And I thought to myself, how is that possible? I am a professional driver: I don't ever tailgate either big trucks or four-wheelers. I am always courteous to other driv-ers, no matter what they drive. I am always on the lookout for motorcycles. I don't use foul language when using the CB radio. I don't drive in packs and always leave enough room between vehicles. I always observe the speed limit and slow down in road construction zones. I always slow down or move over when trucks or emergency vehicles are parked on the shoulder. I care for my vehicle and always keep it nice and clean, no clutter on the dash. I don't carry pets with me because they can be a distraction. I never eat or use the cell phone when driving. I always dress clean and shower every day. I treat my customers with courtesy and respect. I always check my tires and look around my entire rig in case some-thing's wrong. I only park at fuel islands when I am getting fuel and move my truck as soon as I am done. I always treat other drivers the way I want to be treated. I never litter and always put my trash where it belongs, in a trash can. I don't cheat on my log books and always keep all my paperwork organized. I don't run over curbs or turn around in places I'm not supposed to. I always use my turn signals. I always use the safety signals when broke down or parked on the road. I say no to road rage it is danger-ous and stupid. I don't use drugs. I always use the seatbelts. Frank The Tank Zepeda Bethany, Okla. Write us Send your letters to Randy Grider, , 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406, by fax to (205) 750-8070 or by e-mail to . Letters must include your name, address and phone number for veri-fication and must be no longer than 500 words. Letters are subject to editing. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Opinions We're Not All Dirt Bags 10 TRUCKERS NEWS MARCH 2009 I am starting t o think trucke rs don't know where t he bathroom is anymore. When I go into a truckstop a nd me and someone from the truckstop have to get rubber gloves to pick up bo ttles of urine, the drivers w ho left it are d irt bags. If you are usin g a bottle in y our truck, you are a dirt bag. If a scale house has to get someo ne in to wash the lot as people can't u se the Porta P otties those people are dirt bags. If you are at a rest area an d you can't w alk 10 feet as you are parke d right next to the building and instead r elieve yourse lf next to you r truck, you are a dirt bag. If you are par ked in a no-p arking spot next to the fu el island at a t ruck stop and I am at a restaurant acr oss from your truck an d you relieve yourself next to your truck , you are a laz y dirt bag. I am getting s ick of this. Th is is bio waste, and if I see truckers doing this I will continu e to call their companies, then the polic e, as this is so wrong, and it is indecent exposure for t hose who don't know. Chris Zondlo Stanwood, W ash. Industry Needs Help to Lower Prices In response to a letter abou t lower-ing gas prices in your Octo ber issue: Charles, the le tter's author, t hinks the answer is for the owners o f trucking companies to join forces; t his will not work, though . I, a company driver, have b een threat-ened with m y job for wan ting to par-ticipate in a s trike or prote st. It will not work unless I, the company driver, know I am getting s omething fro m it. Not a maybe. Also u nless we, as a n industry, include som ething for the people who are not direct ly associated with this industry, we w ill be a minor ity. If we want this to w ork, we need to find som e-thing the maj ority of the p eople, truck-ers and non-t ruckers, wan t. Now, we are n ot saying this is the answer, but e very time we at Trap Rats ( om/TRAPRAT ) have done this and w e have tried it several times eight out o f 10 people w ant or think we as a natio n should hav e one voice, one vote, and let the Ameri can people vote on the la ws they live b y and where their taxes go . Then we as a n indus-try can addre ss our proble ms with the majority of th e nation's sup port. Daniel Perry Johnston City , Ill. Always Be Alert I was lucky en ough to find a parking spot for my rig in t he west-boun d side of the Oasis Service P laza on I-80 so uth of Chi-cago the on e that is built like a bridge over the high way. The food court is huge and serves bo th east and w est drivers. I woke up an d was getting out of my truck to go in and buy som e expensive coffee when a guy approac hed me with a worried loo k on his face. I thought to myself, H ere we go aga in. Another stranded trav eler wanting s ome money for gas. We've all met them before. Well, it turned out that he w as franti-cally looking for his missin g truck. He asked me if I had seen any other Sch-neider truck p arked out her e. I pointed to the only on e here, and h e said that wasn't his. H e said he had only gone in the building t o use the rest room and get some coffee, w hich he was h olding in his trembling hand, trying not to spill it . Then it hit m e. That big fo od court over the highway. I asked him w here he was h eaded today. He said he was head ed for Indi-ana before his truck got sto len. Dilemm a solved. He w as out here in the west-bound parkin g lot. His truc k was still waiting his re turn in the ea st-bound side. He aske d me not to s ay anything to anyone ab out this as he was really embarrassed . I told him th at we all are open to mista kes like that. I drove over 5 0 miles in the wrong direction one night after le aving a truck -stop before I r ealized it and turned around. Now that can get e xpensive on both fuel and being late. T his poor guy was really aw ake now but r elieved to find out his tr uck was right where he left it. I hope he d idn't lock his keys inside. Scotty Simson East Dubuque , Ill. Write us Send your letters to Randy Grider, Truckers , 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406, by fax to (205) 750-8070 or by e-mail to rgrider@rrpub.com . Letters must in clude your na me, address and p hone number for veri-fication and m ust be no long er than 500 words. Letters are subject to editing. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Opinions Find a Urinal, Dirt Bag! 12 TRUCKERS NEWS JANU ARY 2009 TN0109PG012_Letters.indd 12 12/2/08 9:31:52 AM