Door Knocks

We are a captive audience and easy to harass while sitting at a truck stop waiting for a load by any panhandler working the area.  If we sit in the front seat or are outside working on the truck it is as if we have the welcoming porch light on.

Over the years, many people with a plethora of hard luck stories have approached us.   The stories and the people are endless on what they want to sell us to what they want to give us in exchange for cash.   Very seldom do these people want food or water and if offered will give you a look of disgust and move on the next victim.

Some of these people have a heck of a good story while others I am amazed at their audacity to ask me for money.   One of these are the guys who are driving from truck to truck in their car asking for gas money or if I would like to buy something such as a TV that is in the back seat of their car.   Many of these people are selling DVD’s of all kinds, perfume, and even jewelry.  

Bob often polishes on the truck while we are sitting and he is often approached by someone wanting to polish the wheels and fuel tanks for him.   Some of these people are pro’s and do a fantastic job and can get a shine out of anything.   Others prefer the cash and they will dust off the wheels and fuel tanks.   

Women also approach the truck wanting to clean, offer their services, or just want money.   A woman in the south who was selling homemade trinkets and had a story to tell about surviving the hurricane approached me after Katrina.   Her I bought from as she had an interesting story and I admired her gumption.   Most of the women we see working the truck stops are sad and are rough looking.  

We have our names on our doors, which has stopped the door knocks in the middle of the night by women wanting to keep a driver company.   We have not had a knock on our door in a few years, which I attributed to either the names on the doors or the lack of women working the night.  This changed the other night when I heard a knock on the sleeper, either this woman could not read or she was hoping the door was lying.   When there is a knock on the door at night I have found if I ignore the knock they knock harder as they figure you are a heavy sleeper.   When I hear the knock now I open the curtains and poke my head through and as soon as they see a women they move on.

I am saddened and irritated by many of the panhandlers that stop by our truck.   I have seen very few of these people that were not young to middle aged and looked as if they were healthy enough to hold down a job.   While we are sitting, we are not making money and I have a hard time handing over cash to a person that looks as if they should be holding down a job.   I am saddened at the women that come by offering their services wondering how in the world they got to the point of knocking on strange doors in the middle of the night.  

Many of the trucks stops we use keep an eye out for panhandlers and ask them to leave the premises.   Some of the truck stops we go to charge to park or if you buy 50 gallons of fuel, you can park for 24 hours with no fee.   These are “gated” truck stops and most of these do not have panhandlers.  

We will continue to polity decline their services and not buy any of their wares as we figure most of this is stolen property.   We will still be cussed at once in awhile for saying no, but we figure that just goes with the person not facing reality of a job.   We have been accused of not understanding which in reality we do not as we have always held jobs to pay our bills.  

Linda Caffee

Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical
Saint Louis MO
Expediters 5 years been out here on the road ten years
boblindacaffee@gmail.com

 

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