Several forum instructors said they teach female students about personal safety on the road. One of them acknowledged that he had never thought until a female student brought up the possible danger of traversing the trailers at night. After that, he decided to start educating his kids on being mindful of one’s surroundings.
What I believed to be human instinct or nature seems to be a byproduct of my upbringing in New Jersey. Few people, meanwhile, seem to be aware that males are equally in danger of damage. When the subject of guns comes up, many guys appear angry since they are not permitted to carry weapons on the truck. Therefore, some men also worry about their safety. I felt compelled to talk about personal safety for all truck drivers.
Be Constantly Aware of Your Environment
Regardless of where I am, I am always aware of my environment on all sides. A snowy, gloomy night at a Sunoco truck stop in Bath, New York, is one I will never forget. Even though it was still early in the evening, I saw a driver following me, and we were the only ones in the lot. I felt nervous as I prepared to ram the truck key’s sharp tip into his eyes or neck by pushing it between the knuckles of my clenched hand.
I took a few more feet before I understood that he had been treading on my fresh snow imprints. When I moved to the side to let him pass me, I giggled at my caution, and he muttered something under his breath. He hesitated a bit before moving forward.
He asked me why I would not let him use my footprints as we sat across from one other at the restaurant’s lunch counter. After all, he was wearing shoes, and I was wearing sturdy boots. When I told him I felt in danger and was willing to eliminate him using whatever means necessary, a look of amazement ran over his face. This man seemed to be from somewhere else than the Philadelphia or New York metropolitan regions since he exuded fear. Instead of being the victim, it would be better for me to terrify him. He most likely never followed a lady across a lot again.
Rest Areas Can Be Risky at Night
Rest locations are particularly hazardous at night. Some merely have an open wall in the restroom with no doors leading in from the outside. If possible, I steer clear of dark rest places while getting out of the vehicle. In a scene from one of the Halloween movies, Michael Myers could be seen lurking outside the stall door while a lady was using the restroom. She was fortunate that he merely intended to take her vehicle keys. Who knows what a culprit might wish to do in the real world?
Before I had a truck commode, I entered a lonely women’s restroom at a rest stop early in my career and put the garbage can against the door to keep others out. She would comprehend if a lady came over. If a violent intruder tried to get in, he would not be doing it while I was at risk. I also always have my phone with me, so I can call 911 right away and be saved.
It Can Be Risky To Walk Between Trailers
Be cautious while moving between trailers since someone may be hidden beneath one or on a catwalk. Once, as I was sleeping in my vehicle parked at a Flying J in Alabama, the wind shook it. Then there was a boom. I sprang up and peered out the mirrors, but nothing was there. When I returned to bed, the rocking started up once again. This time, I was aware of a person using my runway!
I started the vehicle and instantly switched on my truck lights. He leaped out of the vehicle and hurried towards us as it shook. It frightened me so much that I moved forward onto the fuel island and circled my truck and trailer with others there and under the lights. He must have stolen roughly an eighth of a petrol tank since my fuel cap was off.
I terrified him and waited until it was safe to get out of the vehicle, which is how the night turned out nicely. An experienced driver may have also thought about releasing the trailer by pushing the 5th wheel locking jaw handle. If I had dropped the trailer, pulling out may have caused an accident on my DAC. More ideas will come to mind as we acquire experience.
Be Visible
Wearing fluorescent clothes and remaining as much as possible in the open can dissuade potential attackers. Additionally, it lessens your chances of being struck by a truck in a parking lot. One may not see two persons fighting in the dark while wearing black apparel. But I am sure curiosity would make a motorist question what was going on and ask whether they spotted a luminous yellow jacket rolling about on the ground in the distance. Even if the assailant could not be seen, it would prompt someone to yell out and inquire whether the person on the ground needed assistance or was ill.
Although I have faced backlash for expressing this, I believe it is safer to roll into the fuel aisle when doing a pre-trip check at night. My usual lodgings are Petro and TAs, which have more than 250 parking spots and 10 fuel lanes. Taking twenty minutes for my inspection will not cause any delays for other drivers as there is not much of a demand for the fuel lines at 02:00. However, it could save me from being robbed, hurt, or even murdered.
Firearms Are Not the Only Weapon
Coming from a blue Democratic state, I have never understood why so many forum discussions argue that drivers ought to carry weapons. Because guns are not a part of life here as in other places, I believe I have a creative imagination for using objects in my environment as defense mechanisms.
Truckers have so many instruments that we use daily that they have at their disposal that might be used as weapons. Consider how a tire gauge with a long metal rod may damage someone’s skull. What will a police officer say? “You are being detained for repelling an assailant while doing your pre-trip inspection?”
Our padlocks, tire thumpers, and wire cutters may be used as weapons. I carry the lock while walking with my middle finger in the padlock hole. There are a couple of pounds in that lock. The person who jumps me will have bloody head wounds. “To check if I could locate a similar lock, I brought the lock inside the truck stop. This one is growing old since it keeps freezing and clogging in the cold. The attacker then struck me.”
I occasionally keep a hammer in my jacket pocket or up my sleeve, and I also always have a very large flashlight with me at night. You better know that if I run and shatter some headlights or hurl a hammer through a windscreen when someone is after me, truckers will wake up and frighten the assailant away. No big thing, I have to make up the damage; but I would much prefer to make that sacrifice than be murdered or raped.
Numerous commonplace objects may be used as weapons for self-defense.
- Wasp spray
- Tire thumper
- Wrench
- Flashlight
- Padlock
- Hammer
- Screwdriver
Make Plenty Of Noise
Criminals detest being seen. If you were to be assaulted, shout as loud as you can. One of my female acquaintances has a panic button-equipped Screaming Meanie alarm that she puts in her pocket. A metal tool, such as a flashlight or hammer, might also be useful.
If you are in difficulties, start slamming into everything made of metal you come across—trucks, trailers, dumpsters, etc. The most crucial thing to remember is to shout, “Fire!” Help requests are not always met with an answer. However, warning individuals about a fire put them in danger. Once again, it is simpler to explain the circumstances after an attack than it is to be rushed to the hospital.
Making your truck safer
Not all vehicles have window coverings. In addition to blocking the sun for better sleep, covering the windows with Velcro and bed sheets also deters criminals from looking through your stuff. Keep wallets, computers, mobile phones, and GPS devices out of sight from anybody standing on your front step and peeping inside if you do not cover the windows. Do not merely lock your doors; if you are uneasy or worried, fasten your seatbelt belts through the door knobs to prevent someone from opening them from the outside. Yes, someone may still break your windows, but their night will be ruined by being whacked in the head with a hammer or fire extinguisher.
I usually have a hammer on my nightstand next to my sleeping partner. Think about your plan of action if your doors are opened. The sleeper windows on my International and other Kenworths can be utilized as an escape hatch. My leg could not pass through the Freightliner Cascadia windows, making escape impossible. Then it will be a struggle to the death, so always have a strategy.
My initial idea when I heard the person on my catwalk was that I could strangle him with an extension cable or some trailer air hoses. When driving, we constantly plan an “exit” in case of crises, collisions, or careless cars cutting us off. However, we also need a way out if someone intends to hurt us.
Since many of you have been in the military, you may have suggestions I have not considered. Others are undoubtedly shocked and frightened that I have given this much consideration. Others believe I am completely insane and that none of us, including myself, could pull this off.
I have had a pistol pointed at my head three times, but thanks to my rapid reflexes, I have not been shot. One foolish and inept thief attempted to take my pocketbook off my shoulder; nevertheless, he was apprehended after many kicks and stabbed with my vehicle key. The officer chuckled and advised the man to enter a guilty plea so he would not be humiliated in court by the surveillance film showing him being beaten up by a lady.
After 9/11, I flagged down a suspicious guy with a box in his suitcase while waiting for a flight at the airport in Vegas. His purported plan called for him to visit ten different US cities in less than two weeks, yet he was constantly fidgeting. Although his passport was from Columbia, he claimed to be from Belize. The cops passed by after I reported him, but they did not even ask him questions.
He dropped his suitcase an hour later, and something came out of it. It seemed to be a weapon Rambo may have used. “Gun!” I cried as I pushed that guy to the ground. A reasonably realistic water gun that should not have gotten past security quickly arrested me for attacking a guy.
I argue that you can never really know your potential unless something occurs. Always be organized and vigilant, and have a strategy in place. Nobody else but you will look after you out here. The reality is that threats are everywhere, despite the bleak image I may have drawn of life on the road. The neighbor down the hall may even be a serial murderer. None of John Wayne Gacy’s neighbors had any reason to believe that he hid 30 corpses under his floorboards. Never put your confidence in anybody, and always be ready.