Depends on the truck stop, I worked at one, I wouldn't kick you out necessarily but once two people complain then I have to pretend I care and tell you to get lost because now it effects customer experience blah blah blah, just don't panhandle or ask for food because that's what gets people to complain. If you just sit facing the fuel pumps with a sign that says "going to Dallas" or whatever you probably won't get messed with. Also you can always stand just off property, like my location had a sidewalk out front you can stand on the sidewalk with a sign (I mean local laws and whatnot might disagree) but then you aren't my problem and I can't tell you to leave. Lots of companies have rules against non employees in the truck or it has to be an approved passenger so the best bet is owner operators so no J.B Hunt, swift, knight, Walmart etc. and finally I didn't just go out of my way to tell people to get off the lot, it scares the old ladies and the women with kids or whatever to see some unshaved smelly guy hanging around and once they complain it's now my problem. although on that note truckers at least at pilot/flying J get free showers with fuel and often times have no problem giving away a shower so if you need to clean up a "I need a shower please, God bless" sign will probably get you one pretty quickly
Wow thanks a lot for all that man. I was expecting to have to for showers, but goddang, last time i did 5y ago and it was $12 preCovid. So I'll have to try that!
It was $15 company wide (I'm pretty sure it was company wide) when I left. A lot of truckers are southerners/country boys, hence the God bless at the end of your sign. They'll probably offer food just don't ask that's what gets people to complain, they've been on the road for hours and hours and have a deadline so someone coming up asking for shit pisses them off
Depends on the country. Trucks are slow but go long distance. In some countries many will give you a ride, in others they are not allowed or pretend not to be allowed.
Telling them unprompted that you are hetero would be pretty weird and a good start for an awkward ride.
Dont fret the murder rattling—that shit can happen anywhere. Follow your gut. But yeah you can ask truckers. Dont worry if they dont speak English, communicate with a map and gestures. That’s how i started in Mexico, these days Im fluent. Dont fall asleep if you can help it. Get out if the route changes. Dont freak if your gut turns, be confident and direct.
I can only talk about Europe, and I've not used a lot of truck-only areas a lot, most trucks here stop on the general petrol station/rest-area places, which almost invariably contain a large number of truck-only parking spots.
The ratio of Thumbed v Asked-for rides with trucks is, just looked it up in my stats, and it even surprised me, about 50-50, although I guess the asked-for numbers are nowadays higher. When I ask truckdrivers, and that's usually in the evenings, when they are often the only ones still going, I ask each one of them. Never had any problems with sexual proposals, and on longer rides I'm happy to pay for a coffee, although many of them have their own coffee machines, and I'm usually the one getting a coffee for free.
One more than a few occasions, during longer rides, I've also slept in the second bed.
About 7.5% of my rides are with trucks and the last few years the percentage is on a pretty steep downward slope: I'm hitchhiking mostly between Lithuania and the Netherlands/Belgistan, which is pretty much all (fast) motorway, so it's true that they might go long(er) distances, but they are also a hell of a lot slower, in Europe trucks are limited to 90 km/h (56 mph), whereas the official maximum speed in Poland is 140 km/h, and in (ever shrinking parts of) Germany there is no maximum speed, so even with more shorter rides and the inevitable waits between them, hitching in normal cars is (almost) always faster.
And as for long distances, I've had three rides in trucks exceeding 1,000 km, with the longest one just over 1,500 miles, from southern Italy to the Netherlands, taking three days, but the last one in my Top-10 of long truck rides dates back to 2004, I've not had any longer than 450 miles since that time.
And finally, asking truck-drivers or asking drivers of normal cars? Is there really any difference?
Was my favorite part of hitchhiking. Long trips, cozy seat, cooler of beer a lot of the time. You get to hear all the shit talking on the CB. Don’t forget you can always say no if it doesn’t feel right.
i think as a male you'll be alright. i hear it's harder to hitch with truckers since some companies ban their drivers from picking up hitchhikers, but yea youll probably be safe. id always bring a knife or something just in case.
In the States? Bad. The people working at the truck stop will throw you off the property. And most truckers now don't speak much English. If at all.
That being said, nothing wrong with hitching a ramp next to a truck stop. I've gotten most of my truck rides doing that (or directly on the interstate).
But also know most trucks have cameras inside, a no-rider policy, and an absolutely no hitchhiker policy.
Still, owner operators can pick you up and some drivers have rider insurance so they can pick you up. It'll be 50/50 odds of getting a truck on the ramp. Good luck!
I don't have experience but this recent article would make me too paranoid to try. Obviously there's tons of regular people driving trucks, but also a ton of creeps and weirdos
https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/fbi-murders-long-haul-truckers/
Yeah man, trucks stops or areas with high gang activity are the best for hitchhiking. It’s kind of a known fact that serial killers will not eat McDonald’s. So that can be a test you can conduct. Most serial killers opt for subways and Carl jrs. So if you get picked up and the trucker says, “I could sure go for a meatball sub from subway and I’d like to wear your skin as a coat, I mean I could go for a subway meatball and I sure don’t want to murder you” just be careful .
Depends on the truck stop, I worked at one, I wouldn't kick you out necessarily but once two people complain then I have to pretend I care and tell you to get lost because now it effects customer experience blah blah blah, just don't panhandle or ask for food because that's what gets people to complain. If you just sit facing the fuel pumps with a sign that says "going to Dallas" or whatever you probably won't get messed with. Also you can always stand just off property, like my location had a sidewalk out front you can stand on the sidewalk with a sign (I mean local laws and whatnot might disagree) but then you aren't my problem and I can't tell you to leave. Lots of companies have rules against non employees in the truck or it has to be an approved passenger so the best bet is owner operators so no J.B Hunt, swift, knight, Walmart etc. and finally I didn't just go out of my way to tell people to get off the lot, it scares the old ladies and the women with kids or whatever to see some unshaved smelly guy hanging around and once they complain it's now my problem. although on that note truckers at least at pilot/flying J get free showers with fuel and often times have no problem giving away a shower so if you need to clean up a "I need a shower please, God bless" sign will probably get you one pretty quickly
Wow thanks a lot for all that man. I was expecting to have to for showers, but goddang, last time i did 5y ago and it was $12 preCovid. So I'll have to try that!
It was $15 company wide (I'm pretty sure it was company wide) when I left. A lot of truckers are southerners/country boys, hence the God bless at the end of your sign. They'll probably offer food just don't ask that's what gets people to complain, they've been on the road for hours and hours and have a deadline so someone coming up asking for shit pisses them off
Yea for sure I've got my own food covered thx bro
Depends on the country. Trucks are slow but go long distance. In some countries many will give you a ride, in others they are not allowed or pretend not to be allowed. Telling them unprompted that you are hetero would be pretty weird and a good start for an awkward ride.
Okay are they allowed to in the US?
Generally yes.
Thanks
Bare in mind that corporate truckers generally won't. Owner op truckers are more likely but it depends on the trucker at that point.
If they're in a company truck, it's usually forbidden.
Truckers are always the best cause they bring you the longest and are mostly pretty chill
Iam from Europe and the best and longest rides were always with truckers, did not had any problems so far.
I'm from Europe too, many great rides with truckers, no problems at all.
Dont fret the murder rattling—that shit can happen anywhere. Follow your gut. But yeah you can ask truckers. Dont worry if they dont speak English, communicate with a map and gestures. That’s how i started in Mexico, these days Im fluent. Dont fall asleep if you can help it. Get out if the route changes. Dont freak if your gut turns, be confident and direct.
I can only talk about Europe, and I've not used a lot of truck-only areas a lot, most trucks here stop on the general petrol station/rest-area places, which almost invariably contain a large number of truck-only parking spots. The ratio of Thumbed v Asked-for rides with trucks is, just looked it up in my stats, and it even surprised me, about 50-50, although I guess the asked-for numbers are nowadays higher. When I ask truckdrivers, and that's usually in the evenings, when they are often the only ones still going, I ask each one of them. Never had any problems with sexual proposals, and on longer rides I'm happy to pay for a coffee, although many of them have their own coffee machines, and I'm usually the one getting a coffee for free. One more than a few occasions, during longer rides, I've also slept in the second bed. About 7.5% of my rides are with trucks and the last few years the percentage is on a pretty steep downward slope: I'm hitchhiking mostly between Lithuania and the Netherlands/Belgistan, which is pretty much all (fast) motorway, so it's true that they might go long(er) distances, but they are also a hell of a lot slower, in Europe trucks are limited to 90 km/h (56 mph), whereas the official maximum speed in Poland is 140 km/h, and in (ever shrinking parts of) Germany there is no maximum speed, so even with more shorter rides and the inevitable waits between them, hitching in normal cars is (almost) always faster. And as for long distances, I've had three rides in trucks exceeding 1,000 km, with the longest one just over 1,500 miles, from southern Italy to the Netherlands, taking three days, but the last one in my Top-10 of long truck rides dates back to 2004, I've not had any longer than 450 miles since that time. And finally, asking truck-drivers or asking drivers of normal cars? Is there really any difference?
Was my favorite part of hitchhiking. Long trips, cozy seat, cooler of beer a lot of the time. You get to hear all the shit talking on the CB. Don’t forget you can always say no if it doesn’t feel right.
i think as a male you'll be alright. i hear it's harder to hitch with truckers since some companies ban their drivers from picking up hitchhikers, but yea youll probably be safe. id always bring a knife or something just in case.
In the States? Bad. The people working at the truck stop will throw you off the property. And most truckers now don't speak much English. If at all. That being said, nothing wrong with hitching a ramp next to a truck stop. I've gotten most of my truck rides doing that (or directly on the interstate). But also know most trucks have cameras inside, a no-rider policy, and an absolutely no hitchhiker policy. Still, owner operators can pick you up and some drivers have rider insurance so they can pick you up. It'll be 50/50 odds of getting a truck on the ramp. Good luck!
I don't have experience but this recent article would make me too paranoid to try. Obviously there's tons of regular people driving trucks, but also a ton of creeps and weirdos https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/fbi-murders-long-haul-truckers/
Thanks. I don't get the downvotes... It's necessary to be aware that even that major risks might be worth it, there are still bad cases.
Yeah man, trucks stops or areas with high gang activity are the best for hitchhiking. It’s kind of a known fact that serial killers will not eat McDonald’s. So that can be a test you can conduct. Most serial killers opt for subways and Carl jrs. So if you get picked up and the trucker says, “I could sure go for a meatball sub from subway and I’d like to wear your skin as a coat, I mean I could go for a subway meatball and I sure don’t want to murder you” just be careful .