Urine Nation

I'm all about being positive but I'm standing in a truck stop lot at 1pm on a sunny hot day and it reeks of urine.

I'm nearing the end of my second week in truck driving school. We drove an hour to a truck stop where we set cones in an alley and are practicing our backing skills. There are five students and we stand outside while one practices. The smell of urine is unbearable. It's not just in this Lane but throughout. Here is my concern: these truck stops will be my home when I go out OTR.

I have no desire to live in what smells like a trough urinal in a rundown stadium. From what I have been told, what i smell here is not unusual. Is that true?

Welcome to Trucking. Unfortunately many truck stops do indeed smell ferocious during the summer. Some, but not all. You will find some truck stops are much cleaner than others and don't reek so bad. It's pitiful that some drivers are so nasty that they urinate or dump urine in a parking lot.

You'll find mom and pop places with gravel lots tend to smell better too, as do rest areas.

Urine is typical, but far from the worst you'll experience. You get used to it.

Wait until you wander across a hot steamy bag of human excrement.

Wait until you wander across a hot steamy bag of human excrement.

You misspelled "step on."

Wait until you wander across a hot steamy bag of human excrement.

You misspelled "step on."

This is like the game of horseshoes (or hand grenades). "Close" counts.

Susan is right, many lazy (mostly male) truckers can't make the 25-100 yard walk to the building to take care of business. And the smaller stops seen better.

Wait until you wander across a hot steamy bag of human excrement.

You misspelled "step on."

This is like the game of horseshoes (or hand grenades). "Close" counts.

Susan is right, many lazy (mostly male) truckers can't make the 25-100 yard walk to the building to take care of business. And the smaller stops seen better.

Yes and this really irritates me beyond belief. This is one of the reasons so many people look down on us and think were nasty horrible people. Also a reason that so many places are no longer allowing truck parking. I always live by the rule to leave the spot better than you have found it. Yes I have picked up other drivers trash and taken it to a garbage can just feet away. I like the fact that places provide us nice places to park at the end of a long day for free and I feel the least we can do is keep it clean and be respectful to the staff. End of my rant haha...

Not all truck stops are as bad as you describe but I would agree the big 5s (loves, pilot j, ta/petro) tend to have a higher probability. also location makes a difference too, the south east gets very hot and humid in the summer so it amplafies the stench much worse than other parts. also places that don't get as much rain.

I prefer independent truck stops more because they either take better care (not all of them) of their property and or less rookies / nasty drivers park at them. the only problem is they tend to be smaller than the big 5s so you may need a backup plan in case it's full. that's part of good trip planning though.

I prefer independent truck stops more because they either take better care (not all of them) of their property and or less rookies / nasty drivers park at them.

Are you trying to imply that rookie drivers are the sole source of disgusting in this industry? I hope not, tho I have only been out here for about a year and a half, my eyes and ears have been in fine working order and have observed absolutely disgusting actions and many instances of ******baggery from not just rookies but many, many "veterans," including O/O's with their chromed out Petes, etc. I have also seen acts of courtesy from both rookies and vets, just like anything else, trucking has good and bad folks, both old and new.

BQ asks:

Are you trying to imply that rookie drivers are the sole source of disgusting in this industry?

I've been driving almost 3 years, not a rookie, not a million miler. I felt Tab O was making a rookie observation about truck stops in general. And yes, stepping out of the cab in a large lot, you can expect this characteristic aroma.