The trucking industry’s tensions over adequate parking can be seen as a backdrop to an incident Friday in Oklahoma that left a truck driver in the hospital after being shot by a security guard at a truck stop.
According to several local news reports, the incident took place at a TA Truck Center in Oklahoma City, near the intersection of South Council Road and Interstate 40. The shooting occurred in a section of the truck stop with reserved truck parking.
Sgt. Brad Gilmore of the Oklahoma City Police Department, quoted by local news outlets, described the incident as occurring when the security guard for the truck stop was checking the reserved spots. “Apparently the security guard was out there checking that when a disagreement happened,” Gilmore was quoted as saying. “A physical altercation took place. The security guard discharged his firearm.”
The driver, who was not identified in the news stories, was taken to a local hospital. Charges were not filed against the security guard, though Gilmore indicated evidence could be presented to the local district attorney, who could pursue further action.
The report on the shooting from local television station KWTV quoted a truck driver on the scene named Jimmy Combs. His comments seem to sum up the issue with parking that truck drivers face every day.
“That’s pretty severe force when you’re taking somebody down for parking in somebody’s parking spot,” Combs was quoted as saying. “Most of the time long-haul truck drivers are tired. They run eight, 10, 12 hours and when they want to go to sleep, they go to sleep. You wake them up, I mean if I get woke up, I’m kind of in a bad mood.”
In last year’s annual survey of the biggest issues facing trucking from ATRI, the research arm of the American Trucking Associations, drivers put parking as the No. 3 issue. A year earlier, it was second. In the 2018 survey, management listed parking as the ninth biggest concern. In the most recent survey, it didn’t place in the top 10 in the view of management.
Lee Carter
Why does everyone automatically side with the driver? He was parked in a reserved spot, that he didnt pay for and when told to move, he attacked the guard. I use reserve parking almost every night. It’s just another cost of doing business, and almost every night I have to wait while some freeloader, that thinks he too good to have to pay for the reserved parking spot that he’s in, to be moved by security so I can park. So now we’re ENTITLED to parking spots too?
Ray
Wow! A tired trucker just trying to sleep ends up shot over a parking spot. I hold the D.O.T The State of Oklahoma and T/A solely responsible for this. The D.O.T for a mandate that ELD put additional stress on truckers making them unsafe Oklahoma for not putting in more parking and T/A for its parking policy and only to bend a trucker over the tank all drivers company and O/O should avoid buying fuel from this T/A are any place with this parking practice money talks bull**** runs a marathon less pull together we have more power when we decide where we use our fuel cards.
BARBARA DIXON
and they are really needs to be more truck parking goes at the end of your run that’s the next thing comes in mind where am I going to park all the name brand you know what full after 6 there needs to be more outside truck parking cuz after driving 18 years that’s my main thing I worry about at the end of my day when that clock is running out you need to know where are you going to park I-90 bad
Paul Marion
Absolutely terrible that a driver had to be shot over a parking spot. I am praying for the driver’s recovery. For the rent a cops sake I really hope that possibly killing someone was really necessary. Was the driver armed with a weapon? A question I would like to know the answer to. If the driver wasn’t armed I hope he sues TA Truck Stop, the rent a cop and the rent a cops employer. Then I hope the rent a cop goes straight to prison. So unnecessary that things had to escalate. Why not call the police? Why didn’t you have chemical mace? So many questions as to what happened. A parking spot is not worth someone’s life I don’t care who it is. I’ve been driving 33 years and things have spiraled totally out of control. I’m angry about this.
Ed
I hope do
Tim Deam
That truck driver is now going to be able to retire in style as HE IS GOING TO GET A BIG PAY OFF BY TA ! A good lawyer is going to tear a chunk out of TA for this.
Tim Campbell
u never could have said it better .the dot controls us now when they put the ELD in our trucks they haven’t a clue what they did to the truckers sleeping habits and timing. they have no idea what we truckets endure each day to feed our family .the pay is hardly enough to pay our bills .the slop u eat at some truck stops and travel centers are over priced .along with anything u buy .i seen egg sandwich sale for as much as $7.00 a cup of coffee small $2.75 u fill your truck up with there diesel and they still charge u to park as much as $18.00 or more .after driving 11 hrs in rain and snow to make your delivery on time or lose your job.and not to mention if u are out of hrs and havnt the money to pay for a reserved parking. then u are forced to drive on your pc hoping to find a spot .if not u are in violation. its checkmate either way.i blame the dot and the ELD..you cant drive fron point A to point B with a clock ticking and controlling your every move .now there putting cameras in the trucks to watch drivers .what happen to invading your privacy act..when is it going to stop and the DOT doing to respect our thoughts and feelings .
Jim
I blame the DOT, the Trucking Assoc, The Trucking companies along with others. You shut down rest areas, no parking at some scale houses. The truck driver trying to do his job legally and rest yet you want to monopolize money wise by saleing parking spaces already paid for when the drive has eaten, bought fuel, visited the shop or store. But still try to milk the cow. What happened to the truck drive is your fault.
BARBARA DIXON
and they are really needs to be more truck parking goes at the end of your run that’s the next thing comes in mind where am I going to park all the name brand you know what full after 6 there needs to be more outside truck parking cuz after driving 18 years that’s my main thing I worry about at the end of my day when that clock is running out you need to know where are you going to park I-90 bad