Saturday Night at the Gallup TA

This is when truck driving is not so good.  A rainy Saturday  evening.  Dusk is falling in Gallup, New Mexico.  Lightning streaks the horizon, more heavy rain is on the way.

The Trucker exits Route 40, to the Travel Centers of America truck stop.  This particular one does not have enough room for a truck to pull away from the pumps after fueling, for the few minutes it takes to use the facilities, pay for fuel, purchase a meal, etc.  Drivers have to park in the lot first.

The lot was nearly full this evening.  Every pump had a truck fueling, and trucks coming off the road were lined up behind each pump, back onto the highway.  A potentially dangerous situation.  The Trucker sighed.  No way out of it now, and we needed fuel and restrooms.

This situation is a bit like what the Passenger experiences during "rush hour" at the grocery store on occasion.  Though the stakes are a bit higher here, Murphy's law says that whichever line you choose will be the slowest.

That seemed to be the case.  Another driver, who had walked by the cab of the truck ahead of us at the pump, signaled for the Trucker's attention, and pantomimed eating.  The Trucker acknowledged his message and groaned.

At my questioning look, he explained.  With the advent of electronic logging devices, or ELD's, drivers are at the mercy of the device.  Which requires them to have a half hour break every so many hours.  Many truckers really cannot afford this, needing to make deadlines and get the job done.  A way around this?  Set the device to start one's half hour break when the truck stops at the fuel pump.  That way, the fueling can happen during the break, and the computer is non the wiser.

Trouble is, when the truck begins to move, even a short hop to a parking lot, the break is automatically over according to the computer.  And it doesn't count if less than 30 minutes.  Which means drivers will remain at the pump to do any number of other tasks, including eating, effectively blocking access to the next driver, for up to a half hour.  

Illegal, yes.  Inconsiderate, definitely.  Aggravating, most assuredly.  But there are no  means in place to enforce the illegality of the practice.  Complain at the fuel desk, call the police, and by the time they take action, the half hour is up and the truck is gone.

When a pump opened up further down, the Trucker looked for an opening, backed up, and maneuvered into it.  Just as he got into position and began to fuel his truck, the offending trucker slapped on his seatbelt and pulled away.  

We all have jobs to do.  Deadlines.  Expectations.  But the fifteen minutes one driver saved himself in this case, was stolen from another.  Not to mention those trucks who were not even able to get into the lot, and took their business elsewhere, further cheating the TA.

And the Trucker!  He also left his truck at the pump after fueling.  Took about three minutes for his personal needs.  And there was no one waiting behind him.

Westward on Route 40 in the downpour.  It does indeed rain on the desert.  Gullies are full, little rivers are washing down hillsides.  The ground cannot hold the blessing of rain, but for a very short while, vegetation can feast on moisture.  The Trucker strains to see into the mist created by the many other rigs on the road.  In the west, skies are lighter.

And so it goes on.