Is my trainer being ridiculous?
Posted by CycleCaverns@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 88 comments
We got screwed out of a load and we have been shut down since 11 am. So we have sat here at the terminal for almost 12 hours now, and he doesn't want to go to Walmart 6 minutes away to grab some food because he is afraid of getting towed. I haven't eaten since 8:30 am bro.
raddrobb67@reddit
Just call the Walmart and ask if truck drivers can shop there. I do it all the time. Most all of them say yes. Also, Kroger and Piggly Wiggly and Publix has never said no.
diragono@reddit
Depends on the Walmart, but it can be a very real concern. Why not just door dash some food? Get an Uber/Lyft. A lot of megas have a vehicle(s) that you can sign out at the terminals for personal errands, I know the one I worked for had a vehicle at every company terminal I went to
Tricky_Big_8774@reddit
This is what I was thinking. If it's a terminal there should be transportation.
DaSaw@reddit
And some terminals have great food nearby. I used to spend time in the CR England terminal down in Laredo, and the best Mexican food in the country was maybe a half mile away in this little catering truck.
Turbulent_Diamond352@reddit
Bro just walk...
Jonas_Venture_Sr@reddit
If I was still OTR today, I would 100% have an e-scooter in my truck.
DaSaw@reddit
I already have a roller rack on the back, but seeing that there makes me realize how easy it would be to mount a bike rack back there. If I were OTR, I'd figure something out there.
I actually tried to fit a folding bike in the cab with me, but it was a bit bigger than I'd hoped, and it was hard to ride.
Difficult-Tonight910@reddit
I literally just bought one from Best buy picking it up in a few days when I'm on hometime. Should be a game changer
JohnOnWheels@reddit
An e-scooter would get him there fast.
greedybanker3@reddit
there are so many options now. its crazy. i didnt even have uber when i was otr.
Ruffenuff4ya@reddit
Soooo.... Walmart and Kroger delivers if you buy more than $35 worth of stuff. Amazon has 1 hour delivery. You could have ordered a pizza, Doordash, or any other food delivery service. You're hungry by choice and lack of knowledge of practices used in 2026. Of this was 2010 I would understand a little more but with the same phone you cried about being hungry with could be your lifesaver.... š š¾āāļøš¤š®āšØā ļø
CycleCaverns@reddit (OP)
I am in a FedEx terminal. I didn't know they could get through the security gate. Grumpy ass Reddit users on here sometimes.
Ruffenuff4ya@reddit
You could have them call you when they get to the gate. Not grumpy just hate seeing people complain online but put no effort into resolving the situation. Be like Deadpool and apply maximum effort! šš
Class-A-KX500@reddit
How do you know how much money the man has
ursisterstoy@reddit
Heās being trained so thereās a chance itās not a lot but thatās where proper planning goes a long way. When I was in my 3 weeks of training my pay was horrendous but I made the $400 a week work. I wasnāt ordering $35+ Walmart delivery but Iād grab something at the fuel stop at least once a week my trainer would buy my food for a decent meal. We had buffet at the truck stop on I-75 in Ohio that still has a buffet, we went to a Mexican restaurant. Thatās when my trainer paid. Otherwise a bag of chips goes longer than no food at all.
Class-A-KX500@reddit
Yeah I agree and everything, but the point is his trainer sounds like a stick in the mud. Iām sure he prepared some probably ran out of supplies being hyper focused on the job and the unexpected layover. Man when I was in training it was 2020 and I ran off pure adrenaline. The guy who trained me was extraordinarily accommodating. He knows this entire country like the back of his hand, knew everywhere he could stop how long we could fool around for, not a worry on his mind. Bought me food all the time, so much so I felt bad and insisted I pick up the tab. I ran hard and made him a lot of money and he appreciated my efforts and drive to do the job right. Weāre still friends to this day, talk to him on the regular and have met up on the road a few times. I donāt expect that much effort from anyone, but 6 miles away because your stressed out trainee realized he packed short? Cmon man. That towing crap sounds like a really lame excuse the guy just didnāt want to move. He wasnāt hungry so it wasnāt his problem.
ursisterstoy@reddit
Certainly. Itās not that difficult to stop close by the Walmart at minimum. Maybe the trainer could order delivery. I donāt even park my truck at Walmart. But I canāt go inside and babysit my truck at the same time. I have parked in some rural location with truck and trailer where about six of us parked all the way on one end of the lot and in a different location (this time Burlington Wisconsin) I was almost out of hours on my 70. I was there for a drop/hook. I dropped my trailer and bobtailed to Walmart. I asked an employee if it would be fine if I was bobtail and he said itād be fine. That location closed but I still go the fuck out around the time they opened.
ursisterstoy@reddit
And in 2010 you could probably just park at Walmart. Drivers fucked that up. Ordering a pizza has been an option my whole life and Iām 41 years old, DoorDash and UberEats are very recent that are probably still 10-15 year old at this point. But before those came out Walmart would just let people park there.
GreaseRagTom@reddit
Bro the amount of people that will use 10x the energy needed to solve the problem yet use it to whine is baffling.
xur_ntte@reddit
And you can bobtail
xur_ntte@reddit
Terminal usually have vehicles to drive for the drivers if they are there and you can uber or door dash
BB5er@reddit
Uber and Spark are wonderful options.
StructureBetter2101@reddit
If there are two of you in the truck, one sits and guards the truck while the other shops. Use your tire thumper if any tow trucks come around.
Stanf_63@reddit
Thatās a B.S excuse!! If he is scared of being towed he can keep his ass in the driver seat while the trainee goes in and gets what the trainee needs. If the tow company shows up just start driving around the block and call the trainee. You canāt tow a truck in motion!
tidyshark12@reddit
Walmart is more concerned with overnight parking in my xp.
Huzul34@reddit
Or just have Walmart deliver it to you I do it all the time
zzooooomm@reddit
If itās six minutes away get an uber bro.
llkey2@reddit
Walk and get some exercise instead of just sitting around. This isnāt brain surgery.
NFLTG_71@reddit
A six minute drive is an hour walk and he has to carry groceries back. Does that make sense?
pm_me_ur_demotape@reddit
How is a 6 minute drive an hour walk?
With traffic lights or if you have to wait on traffic for a left hand turn, a 6 minute drive could be like a quarter mile.
Class-A-KX500@reddit
Yeah thatās just annoying. These people are forgetting itās summer time. We have no idea where this is going on, it could be in Phoenix. Try walking an hour and an hour back with groceries in 110
Horsley0852@reddit
I do it all the time, I eat a lot healthier because knowing Iāve gotta carry it back I donāt buy any extra bullshit, just what I need. Iāve lost 26 lbs.
NFLTG_71@reddit
I buy the pouches of tuna fish, Hickory smoked flavor and I get about eight cases of tuna from Amazon and keep it in my truck. Thatās what I eat 90% of the time.
lowerinfinity@reddit
Be careful eating tuna daily. It can give you mercury poisoning.
NFLTG_71@reddit
Yeah, this is Starkist. Itās supposed to be lab tested. For mercury.
Horsley0852@reddit
Hell yeah, I like the sweet & spicy ones
NFLTG_71@reddit
The Hickory smoked is about the only flavor that I can stand the bacon and ranch taste like socks and ass, and Iāve never been a big fan of very spicy food. Why the fuck would you wanna put such an overpowering spice? You donāt even taste the food you just taste the spice.
zdw0986@reddit
The sirracha flavor was amazing but since the great sirracha wars you canāt find it anymore
Jeepinthemud@reddit
More of us should do this.
dorkwingduck@reddit
Yes, he could use the exercise.
ursisterstoy@reddit
Iāve seen a spectrum of behaviors from Walmart and I wonāt bring a semi there unless Iām bobtailing to one thatās about to close in some town where Walmart does close or I see at least 3 other trucks parked there if I bring a trailer. The national Walmart policy is no truck parking, some locations donāt enforce it. Some enforce it so well you can bobtail over when they are slow and youāll have a boot on your truck after picking up about $150 worth of groceries. Another you can park for two days and they wonāt say shit but day three and your truck wonāt be there when you go to pick it up.
DoorDash is what I use when I donāt have the hours to drive or Iām in a place without good truck parking. If youāre hungry pay the extra delivery fee and wait. If youāre desperate for Walmart call a Lyft/Uber/Taxi and buy a cheap bicycle when you get there so it doesnāt take forever to get back to the truck.
Class-A-KX500@reddit
Yeah thatās ridiculous. He can stay with the truck if heās āafraid.ā I never had any trouble at Walmarts. Yet.
zdw0986@reddit
Tell that fucker to drop you off and circle the block
Trappin4DaSport@reddit
uber eats, doordash???
_877-CASH-NOW_@reddit
Heās not being ridiculous. Most Walmarts are no longer truck friendly and many towns have city ordinances against trucks being in parking lots. Youāre going to have to Uber it or DoorDash something to your terminal
NFLTG_71@reddit
Or Instacart
Emergency_Ad1152@reddit
Ya'll are asking a trainee who is probably making $600/wk to doordash something in this economy?
Where the fuck is the trainer not offering to help him? I made money off my trainee, the least I could do was buy him food.
Responsible_CDN_Duck@reddit
A 6 minute drive is a 20 min walk.
If the two of you can't figure out how to drop the other off and drive around the block a few times walking is the low cost option.
Archasil@reddit
Eh but if its across a highway thats not walkable even if its close. Although trainer could park in the walmart and then just wait in the truck and get moving if a tow truck comes. They do still indeed have options
Emergency_Ad1152@reddit
You either walk at a running pace or underestimate how far a 3-6 mile walk can take.
Yeah, driving around the block would be a good solution too though.
Inevitable_Meet_7374@reddit
Yeah this is bullshit. I would fucking quit if this is what youāre experiencing off rip
_877-CASH-NOW_@reddit
Iād probably just pay for an Uber myself (trainer has to be hungry too) or offer up any food I have on the truck. But not wanting to park at Walmart is also valid
Emergency_Ad1152@reddit
They haven't ate in more than 12 hours and trainer hasn't offered a solution. I'm sorry man, but that's fucking selfish. By 6 pm, I would've been cooking something up for both of us or gotten a ride to the closest grocery store.
Kenworthsteve@reddit
Plenty of good suggestions above .
I park overnight at Walmarts regularly. I go in and buy a couple supplies then find someone in the customer service area or manager and ask if it's ok. Never been denied except once in 6 years.
For Walmart I find the truck route on Google maps and use it usually. It's usually wider and plenty of room on the apron
For the future I would not ride another mile with that trainer until I had enough supplies to cover for this type situation in the future. I'm not going hungry.
Other great places to eat and park. Don't forget grocery stores are are serviced by big trucks so there's plenty of room in grocery store parking lots. Also, on the peripheral of grocery store parking lots, usually there's plenty of restaurants. And grocery stores will often have no problem with you parking beside them overnight. Again, I go in and buy something and then find a manager. Easy peasy.
Lowe's and home Depot. Also are truck friendly. The only problem with them is you really need to zoom in on Google maps and make sure the parking lot's not loaded with concrete barriers that impede your maneuverability. But the truck Lanes are usually not a problem. Just be creative.
For the long-term future, you might want to consider meal prep. There's enough room in a truck, especially if there's a built-in refrigerator that you can keep plenty of food. I go for a week at a time and never spend money on food in restaurants or truck stops particularly. But that's more about health for me than money. I just don't put garbage in my mouth.
Good luck with your career
Chocolateapologycake@reddit
Most Walmarts allow around 2 hours for shopping but since trainer is being difficult just walk or uber. You gotta eat and if you spend wisely at Walmart you will end up saving the uber money with the money you wonāt spend at the truck stops for the raccoon food
rextdad@reddit
You need a better trainer and perhaps better company.
Gonzotrucker1@reddit
Waddle on over and get some greasy cheeseburgers.
BadnanaBurst@reddit
Kind of yes kind of no. Does he know that you are hungry and have nothing to eat or did you just ask about going Walmart with no context? Perhaps there is somewhere else nearby you could go to that is more truck friendly? Figuring out a solution is these situations is one of the things your trainer should be helping you with. If getting towed while parked at Walmart is the primary concern maybe he could just drop you off and take a couple of laps or something and come back, hard to tow a truck that is moving.
Alone_Meal_6126@reddit
Yeah bro most trainers are assholes generally speaking
greedybanker3@reddit
just bobtail dude. also you BOTH dont need to go into walmart. there are so many options.
The_Awsom1@reddit
What do you mean when you say terminal? At my carrier, terminal means a company yard where there's no chance you can get towed because why would they tow their own trucks?
DazednConfuzed62@reddit
He's talking about going to Walmart and getting towed or booted. Almost all Walmart will not let you park there anymore. Too many dips hits throwing trash and leaving parking lots looking like hell.i got booted 10 yrs ago in Ogden, UT., no signs, no nothing, was in a dirt lot where trucks were parked, found out it was for hotel guests only. Cost $150 back then, cant even imagine what it is now.
The_Awsom1@reddit
Ohh yeah, when I got loaned out to Walmart for 2 weeks and was hauling Walmart trailers they allowed it and I gotta say it was sweet.
Sharp_Syrup_7052@reddit
I did Walmart as a carrier and we could park with a Walmart trailer. Got woken up one night and tried explaining it was a Walmart trailer; he walked around it, came back and said āNo itās not, itās a Great Dane!ā. Carried on until I showed him the yellow sunflower..
The_Awsom1@reddit
He didn't see the Walmart written all over the trailer? Also I just looked up the meaning of yellow sunflower, I guess that's something you show someone to say you have a disability? Did that work and he left you alone?
Sharp_Syrup_7052@reddit
Ok itās a daisy.. https://brandcenter.walmart.com/brand/brand-identity/spark?selected-tab=tabs-2c5c1952d5-item-44edc97529-tab#tabs-2c5c1952d5-item-44edc97529-tab. The reefer trailers at the time didnāt have full side logo just this tucked in the corner. But then Great Dane bit gave me a good laugh.
The_Awsom1@reddit
Ohh š
DazednConfuzed62@reddit
I did Walmart in Gas City, In. That was one good perk you got out of it.
The_Awsom1@reddit
Nice, I did mine last winter in Ottawa, KS and they worked you like a dog, but besides that and the snow, I couldn't complain.
DazednConfuzed62@reddit
I did it wintertime too, 2012. Deliver to 3 or 4 stores and a back haul everyday, usually started around 5pm. Almost all night driving
overpaidlazytrucker@reddit
Your trainer is either stupid or wants to make things miserable for you. The chances of walmart towing the truck for the short period of time you being there for food are very slim. Even if they did they would have to call a tow truck which may take up to an hour or more so by the time you get your food you'll be out of there.
_FellowTraveller_@reddit
It depends which Walmart it is. A lot of Walmarts in cities have parking lots that have curbs and landscaping designed to deliberately exclude trucks.
_FellowTraveller_@reddit
Trainer is a huge dumbass for not having at least a lunchbox oven or microwave and some kind of non-perishable foods on board for these kinds of situations. If I was a trainer, I would.
nomadic_memories@reddit
Check that walmart on trucker path. What do the reviews say?
Call the store and ask the manager if they allow bo tails for shopping, as long as you are in and out in 30 minutes...
Otherwise pack a meal bag. A few cups of Ramen, some PB and J, etc...
Always keep about 5 days worth of food in your truck for emergencies.
MssMoodi@reddit
Doesn't Walmart deliver
king_rootin_tootin@reddit
In training, but already you have the attitude of a veteran trucker: you don't want to walk ANYWHERE.
Confident-Ear-9388@reddit
Honestly it does depend on the Walmart. Pretty much everyone i've been to is friendly, even if they have no overnight parking signs. There are some set up to be difficult to park at on purpose. Some of have low clearance bars to where you cant enter the lot. Others have way too many parking islands and cart returns
HowlingWolven@reddit
Heās not being ridiculous. Walk. Gods know we need every single step we can get.
DankJista@reddit
Heās probably gonna have to wear a stripe. How else would you know if heās walking or rolling? People refusing to walk a 6 minute drive after 12 hours and starving probably canāt if they wanted to. Plus a 6 minute drive walking is like 6 cigarettes
Pretend_Ad_8465@reddit
He probably knows something about that particular store that you don't especially if it's that close to your yard and he is right not to take chances. Walmart is a big time no go in many areas and you don't want to FAFO. Many of their lots have predatory tow company spotters just waiting to pounce the minute you walk into the store leaving your truck unattended. We always try to call and ask management if it's ok to park to shop before & most are ok with it but many are not trucker friendly. Sounds like you guys are not communicating like you should which is never good. Like someone else recommended, Uber eats, Doordash etc is the best option.
DifficultyBig2280@reddit
What company are you with?
sixeight@reddit
Your terminal doesn't have a company car yall can use?
truckensafely@reddit
Trainers these days are very selfish & money hungry. What happened to human kindness?
Chris_MS99@reddit
Went straight out the window in a bag full of piss and along with all sense of social decorum and communal spirit
ineedAF45@reddit
Just uber bro
DieselPunk97@reddit
Getting towed/booted at a Walmart is very real and an honest concern in an 18 wheeler.
They used to let me park at a Walmart in Neosho, MOā¦even had truck spaces! But now? Once you drive onto the lot and arenāt delivering, the security on site kicks you out before you can even get out of the truck.
And even if you CAN get out before they show up, theyāll slap a boot on that costs a ridiculous amount to get off ORRR theyāll call the local tow company to tow it away.
Soā¦just uber there or have Walmart deliver it to you big dogā¦itās hard out here for a pimp
Smoke-A-Beer@reddit
Walk?
Ok_Weekend6350@reddit
why did you not bring ramen noodles dumbass just uber or walk stupid