"The Life of a Trucker"

by Shari Iceman
(Bemidji, Mn.56601)

What do you know about "Lot Lizards" ?

How often do you pick up hitchhikers ? Why?

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Jan 29, 2009
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Hookers and hitchhikers
by: Jimmy

Hi Ms Iceman, I remember you from last week. I started in trucking in 1976. There were hookers and hitch hikers then as there are now. They have thinned out though since the advent of aids in the early 80's. I've seen some areas that are well organized with the pimps dropping off his ladies and then returning later to get them. But most are simply lost souls that have reached the absolute bottom and or on drugs and need to survive.

I've seen many lonely truckers that use hookers. Many are pretty down trodden themselves and will settle for anything. You have to understand it's damn hard to nurture a relationship when you are never anywhere longer than 5 hours or thereabouts.

Prostitutes work where they are welcome. As in truckstops, seaports, in the wild west days they were near the mining camps. They flourish even today in Alaska, when the fisherman come into port and want to get wild and spend money.

As a rule I did not pick-up hitch hikers. There were a couple exceptions over the years. Once was a down and out lady in Oklahoma City that just needed to get to Muskogee and I was in fact going to Muskogee to load. I talked to her first to feel her out and she seemed sincere, so I took her. Turns out she had a tale of woe and was very grateful for the ride.

Another time, a guy had broken down on his motorcycle and it was cold, and I saw him walking and stopped to get him to the next off ramp. I personally like my solitude and do not want company, plus just who is that person you are letting in your truck? Is he/she clean? What about when you need to stop for the night? Then what?

One time in Washington state, I was hauling furniture and hired a guy to help me load, and he asked to ride with me and be a helper and I said OK, because I worked with him for that day and he knew how to handle furniture and was from New York and I was going to New York and that guy was able to guide me around Brooklyn and the Bronx. So it worked out great plus he slept in the trailer and just wanted food money.

Hope this helps on your research paper. Jimmy

Jan 27, 2009
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Lot Lizards and Hitch hikers
by: Hervy

Lot lizards are as you probably already prostitutes that are sometimes at some truck stops.

Usually they are on drugs. Sometimes that is just how they have chosen to make money for whatever reason. I have heard several stories with the most common denominator being emergencies involving finances and usually it is a single mom.

(HINT to all single moms that rely on (or use) dudes instead of doing something about positioning yourself to be self reliant)

Anyway, A driver takes great risk just allowing a lot lizard in the truck, especially if she has a reputation in the area. Your truck can be towed and you could be taking down town.

Also many of the lot lizards have diseases, think about it, they go truck to truck all night so a driver really can't be thinking too much when he patronizes her. When you have 100 hundred or more trucks in a parking lot though she will find someone to let her in.

There are not nearly as many lot lizards running around as it used to be when I started in 98. Seems that there are more than there was a few years ago though. You can usually avoid them if you can get into the franchise truck stops with the exception of a few in towns like Carlilse Pa or West Memphis AR.

Oh, one more thing. Some lot lizards are under cover police. Especially the good looking ones.lol.

Hitch hikers. I think I picked up 3 in the last 4 years.

Just gave a guy a ride in December from Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX. That wasn't far but it put him in a more strategic location to achieve his ultimate final destination. He was trying to make it to Alburquerque. I picked him up from the Pilot truck stop.

He had finished a recovery program in Cali and could not get work there after getting out. He had learned to be a computer technician.

I talked to him for a while and felt he was trying to make improvements in his life and that his story was true not a bunch of lies so I gave him a ride, $10 and some DVD's to sell for money later.

Why? Cause people need second chances and I wanted him to know that some people realize that so that he wouldn't lose his spirit to continue to make improvements in his life.

Don't pick them up that often. Why?

Because I can't pick up every I see.

I tried to give a guy a ride once from the rest area in TX going west on I-10. He was thumbing it. I don't know what really made me stop. I think I scared him though, he denied my ride (can you believe that). Younger guy looked liked he might have been some band's fired drummer or something.

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