Fueling can be a pain in the tush or an easy way to take a potty break. Team drivers might have to fuel every day. Solo drivers might only fuel every couple of days. It all depends on how far they're going and what they have to do after they get there.
There are usually 2 fuel tanks, one on each side of the truck and they hold 99 gallons per tank. It takes a bit of time to fill up one of these puppies. But wait, you're not done.
There's also DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) and the reefer with it's 50 gallon tank. DEF isn't an every time you fuel issue, but it is necessary on a lot of trucks. If it's not above a certain level, it regulates your truck to 55 mph until you satisfy it's needs. (DEF is an additive to the fuel system that burns off the nasty stuff that used to present itself as black smoke rising out of the exhaust pipes. You remember those, right?)
Reefer (refrigerated) trailers run on diesel fuel too. They are filled up because that's how the trailers regulate the temperature the customer needs his product shipped at. You do NOT want a load of ice cream in a trailer that runs out of fuel. Anyone who has ever worked fast food can tell you the food must maintain a certain temperature in order to avoid making people sick. The trailers can be set for any temperature necessary. I even carried live fish to pet stores and maintained 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
The problems at the fuel islands come from overcrowding and inconsideration. A lot of truck stops have restaurants, showers, convenience store shopping, etc. If there are 5 fuel bays, 5 trucks can fuel. Say, there are 5 fuel bays, 5 trucks fueling, 5 trucks who have already fueled and the drivers are in shopping, and there are 15 trucks waiting to fuel. Needless to say, until the shoppers move out of line ain't nobody going anywhere.
Fuel islands are a good place to turn off your CB radios in these conditions. The 15 truckers waiting to fuel are also most likely in desperate need of the bathroom as well as fuel after driving like a bat out of hell for 6 hours straight. The CB trash-talk is virulent and violent. Usually, nothing comes of it; but there are always stories from truckers who've been around awhile.
As a woman, I'm not exempt from the trash-talking. However, once they realize I'm a woman the physical threats usually dry up. I'm just as stuck as anyone else and I've been patiently or impatiently waiting my turn.
(This is why I started the primitive bathroom arrangements.) I cannot justify to myself jumping out of the truck to run in and use the bathroom if I'm holding up the other drivers. Even the possibility of delaying the rest of us schmucks so I can use the restroom inside is intolerable to me.
The courteous and responsible behavior is pull up after fueling, keep your inside the store time to a minimum, or find a parking space and then go inside. Time and time again a truck is blocking the fuel island because a jerk decided to have his "magazine time" in the bathroom, or order the supersize gutbuster and make sure the fries are fresh out of the fryer. Fast food is rarely that fast.
Some drivers will take their mandatory 30-minute breaks in the fuel island too. It's enough to make most of the drivers out here homicidal, but the same driver who just got ticked by the waste of his time has no problem with pulling the same crap with the next guy in line. Hypocrites.
A day in the life of a truck driver is filled with people who only have their own best interests in mind and to hell with the other guy.
One of the biggest issues drivers look for in a company is whether they care about the individual driver. We are cut off in traffic, undervalued or discounted by the general population, disrespected by retailers and customers alike, and highly underpaid. If the company you've hitched your wagon to doesn't seem like they care about what you go through out there, you don't stay long. As long as your record is clean, you can go anywhere or even 10 anywhere's before Monday.
I'll talk about pay issues next time. It's worth it, and at the same time...it's not.
Thanks for being here.
Renae-The Truck Driving Woman
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