We are asked this question a lot by women looking at getting into trucking men not so much. I wonder why that is... Anyway I finally remembered to take my camera into the shower. Now I did hide my camera as I could just imagine the guys watching TV and standing around playing games seeing that camera and we all know exactly what they would be thinking. This is a typical shower room at a TA truck stop. Those that drive I am sure recognized it. You have a shower, toilet, sink and not much room. We do shower in the same room and it gets crowded. I one time was mad at Bob and said we need separate showers. Wow was that a mistake I will never repeat. I felt very vulnerable in the shower as men and women talking kept going by the door. Having Bob between me and the door just feels safe. We always ask for at least one extra towel and if I can get away with it I ask for two. One for the floor and one to dry with. I know we have been asked why do we not just use our own towels and we do not as there is just no place to dry the towels after we use them.
Overall most showers are just not that bad. We use shower shoes just in case, we do not set anything on the floor we either use a towel or a mat to set our shampoos on and after use dry the bottles off and put back in our carry ins. We buy bulk products and refill smaller bottles as you sure get tired of carrying a heavy bag in and out as it is often a pretty good walk back to the truck. No we do not get to shower everyday or twice a day. On the days we cannot get a shower you can wipe yourself down or Wal-Mart has a little product that you warm in the microwave with several moist towelettes that is just awesome.
i get this question alot too.....i think it's hard for people to imagine giving up the comforts of their own bathroom.....i guess you have to think of it as alot like camping...i tend to like the showers at pilot the most, because of the fans....i hate trying to get dried off in a humid shower room...makes you feel like you need to get back in ...lol...my biggest complaint is usually the water pressure....there are alot of places that the showers are great, but occassionally you run into one that has really poor pressure...i have long, thick hair and it can be really hard to get it rinsed well if the pressure is bad....i, too, have to ask for a second towel...i usually just point to my hair and they hand it over easily...as for the shower shoes, i wouldn't be caught without them!!...
ReplyDeletebrad and i usually shower together too, but sometimes, if there's not others waiting, or if we're really in a hurry to get rollin again, we'll get seperate showers...it's kinda nice, once in awhile....i just make sure i throw the deadbolt!...if i don't want brad in there with me, i sure don't want no other driver interrupting my "me" time!!...lol....we don't get a shower everyday either....it's not the ideal situation, but i carry a little wash basin and do the pta thingy...lol....the only other thing i wanted to add was we always try to leave a tip for the cleaning crew...i'm pretty sure they're at the bottom of the pay scale and i sure appreciate it when the shower is clean.....
You are right on the tip and we often give one also when we get a smile and a good attitude. I know people talk about how dirty the showers are but overall they just are not that bad. I think I like the Flying J showers the best and some of the Petro's have awesome showers. We get our fuel so darn cheap at TA that we almost always fuel there.
ReplyDeletePeople are so curious about the showers, aren't they?? It's so funny how everyone (not in trucking) is weird about what the showers are like.
ReplyDeleteEven though we have a shower in the truck now, we didn't for four years. And even though we do, sometimes we still use the showers we get when we buy fuel.
I always ask for an extra towel and if I see a stack of them by the towel closet, I just take what I want. Ed and I often use the same shower, but they give us two showers for the same price if you tell them you're a team - so we can get in and out more quickly. I usually have Ed stand outside the door and make sure it locks before I get undressed.
I try to take the shower toward the end of the hall and I always take the room that's the coldest. I hate getting out of the shower, blowing my hair dry and still having a wet head from all the sweating! lol
I find that most of the places are just fine - no different than an inexpensive hotel room. I always wear flip-flops in the shower and if it's icky, I don't touch anything. But for the most part, it's easy peasy.
As for showering every day, is it necessary when all you do is sit in an air conditioned truck? I think not. I think some people may think that's gross, but I'm sure everyone out there has spent the day at home without showering and then ran out to the store or met friends for coffee or even gone to work! C'mon - don't lie to me, people! LOL
And baby wipes RULE!