Dear VDOT, Sincerely @TruckerDesiree

“Nowhere to park in Virginia”

Trucker Desiree (aka @TruckerDesiree on Twitter) is a long-haul truck driver. She’s a real person, and she’s angry about VDOT’s proposal to close 25 of the 41 rest stops in the state, including most rest stops along the I-81 corridor in Virginia. She’s so angry that she’s become an activist against closing these rest stops, and for good reason – her safety and yours. She would like to write a letter to VDOT about these truck stop closings, but, with limited time, she’s reaching out to media to help send her message.

The lack of any rest stops proposes a hazard to truck and car drivers who must drive long distances. But, planned reductions to rest areas, Safety Service Patrols, mowing/roadside maintenance, ferry services and the closure of VDOT residency offices will save VDOT over twelve million dollars. Although these savings are significant, current plans seem awkward and inconvenient, especially for drivers along I-81.

The I-81 rest stops that are slated to close will be along the entire center of the state. The only stops to remain open will be on southbound in Winchester and on northbound near Bristol, according to FOX 5 News in Washington, DC. This rest stop elimination leaves 325 miles where truckers must find alternatives, such as hotels.

Desiree’s problem with hotels is that many hotels won’t accept trucks in their parking lots. Additionally, her company – and many other truck companies – won’t reimburse truckers to stay in a hotel. That’s when truckers seek other alternatives, such as on and off ramps along interstates. This ramp parking presents further hazards to all drivers.

“Even passenger vehicles are forced to rest on on-ramps.”

Although the public is invited to comment on the VDOT proposals this month, few Virginians might think to comment on truck-driving safety. But, truck drivers affect everyone who drives, and many Virginians know that the I-81 corridor is a magnet for any truck driving north-south through Virginia. If you think about reducing motorist amenities and maintenance contracts for services, you might think about how these reductions will affect driver safety.

“Truckers are too disenfranchised to attend public meetings,” Desiree stated. “Truckers have rights, but people are too disengaged to help.” So, Desiree went on a mission to get her voice heard. She is not a Virginia resident, but her truck routes often take her through this state.

Desiree made her voice heard first on Twitter (she’s an avid Twitterer), and Appomattox News invited her to comment on the VDOT article about public comment meetings. She stated, “Forcing sleepy truckers to scour the few Truck Plazas for adequate parking when stops are few & far between is another black eye to the Men & Women Truckers who risk life & limb in all weather conditions to deliver food, clothing & other conveniences.”

A trucking overflow at a Virginia rest area. These truckers often cannot use commercial enterprises to rest because those commercial rest areas are full, too expensive or won’t allow trucks.

Desiree continued, “Truckers who have few parking choices in the first place…may well be violating Federal Laws [when truckers are] forced to continue to drive when they should not.” She added, “Driving in this State has its own particular challenges even with the rest areas open & good weather conditions.”

Any driver who has spent time along I-81, whether a Virginia native or not, may fully understand her concern. I-81 is known for its hazardous conditions, even in good weather, thanks to the number of passenger vehicles and trucks that use that route.

“Even in the rest area, it becomes so full it’s hard to get through.”

Appomattox News contacted Fox 5 News about Desiree’s concerns yesterday. Although Desiree wasn’t featured, Fox 5 interviewed Desiree and several other truck drivers. This news station provided a great service to these “disenfranchised” truck drivers and to Virginians in the process. Although their video and story offer major points of concern for all to learn, Desiree remained interested in getting her own voice out there. She hoped she’d get mentioned, as she wants people to understand that truckers are not all alike.

Desiree certainly is a different truck driver. First, she’s a woman, and women truck drivers are rare but increasing in number. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5.2 percent of the country’s 3.5 million truck drivers and similar workers were women in 2006, up from 84,000 or 3.5 percent of 2.4 million in 1983.

Desiree began her career about a year ago when she hit “rock bottom” in life. Although she has education in the hospitality industry, she took this job as a truck driver because she could not find a job. And, since she does not own a home and her children are grown, her ties to a specific spot on this earth are nebulous. Desiree figured truck driving was a great way out of a difficult financial situation, and she’s making it work.

It isn’t easy to learn how to drive eighteen-wheelers, and Desiree is learning constantly. Between gathering experiences from lessons learned, Desiree has become an activist for truckers, and especially for women in trucking.

Desiree can point to the lack of full training for truck drivers in some areas, what she calls the “trucking school scam” (the way that individuals often pay for their schooling), the physical and financial downsides to carrying hazardous waste, the possibility that stricter emission rules will eliminate some of the hard-hit truck owner-operators from business and more.

Women in trucking suffer the same indignities and slights that male truckers endure, but women truckers have different problems as well. While men who park at truck stops are targets for prostitutes, women who use truck stops are targets for prostitutes, criminals and even other truck drivers. Desiree has learned to keep a low profile on the road, but she is very vocal online.

Desiree uses Twitter to stay in touch with other truck drivers, to get attention for her causes and to educate people about what it’s like to be a truck driver today in this failing economy. She also writes for AskTheTrucker.com in a column entitled, “A Day in the Life of a Lady Trucker.”

Desiree has found support among other truck drivers who see trucking as a vital industry in America and who seek rights for their jobs as anyone would seek equality in business. She’s adamant about making noise about the changes along the I-81 corridor, because – although she is not a resident of this state – she delivers goods to its residents and she travels the state’s highways often.

“Large loads like this one with steel girders cannot enter hotel parking lots, and can barely use public rest areas.”

Desiree referred to the article at Fox 5 when she stated, “I know that VDOT thinks we can use commercial areas rather than public rest stops to take our breaks, but they don’t understand our dilemma.”

Desiree mentioned her photographs used for this article and continued, “This is why truckers are doing what they do now – they use side ramps and other inconvenient places to stop because, first, most of us can’t afford anything else and our companies won’t pay for the commercial rest stops; and, secondly, because many commercial places just won’t have us. As you can see from the photographs, the problem is bad enough now. What happens when they close these rest areas?”

If you plan to attend any of the public comment meetings this month, you might carry this article and the Fox 5 news article with you. Make a statement about your own safety when it comes to truck drivers along I-81. While VDOT will save money with their plans to eliminate many services, your safety also is a concern. Perhaps a compromise can be reached that would work for all concerned.

Links:

• Fox 5 News article
• Public Comment Article and schedule (with Desiree’s comment at the end of the article)
• Truck Driver News Article on rest stop closings
• A Day in the Life of a Lady Trucker
• Trucker Desiree on Twitter

More Links Since 12 March 2009:

• Closing Rest Stops Unsafe?
• Landes calls VDOT plans ’stupid’
• OOIDA members push back against VDOT plan to close 25 rest areas: This article provides news that folks can email VDOT about this issue at “vdotinfo @ vdot.virginia.gov” (remove quotes and spaces) before 15 April 2009.

Daniel Audet invited Appomattox News to talk on his ‘out-of-the-box’ radio show Friday evening, where we discussed this issue. Call and talk with Daniel: http://thetruckstar.com/listen/ from about 8:00 – 11:00 pm every night. Call: 954-376-8452.

Images: Photos taken by Trucker Desiree within the past few days as she traveled through Virginia.

Editor’s Note: Trucker Desiree is real, and I met her in person as she traveled through the south last month. She keeps a nice, clean cab, unlike my own office.