The question was asked: For what reason would a truck need to pull off to the side of the road?
As most people do not know, unless they have been a truck driver themselves more specifically an OTR (over the road) truck driver, you wouldn't know.
There are various reasons for a driver to need to pull over to the side of the road, onto the shoulder of an off/on ramp or side road or street.
1) Break down/repairs maybe overheating or oil pressure.
2) Mandatory tire/brake check. Sometimes we are required to check our tire pressure and temperature every two hours when hauling certain HAZMAT loads. While other loads do not require these safety checks.
3) Traveling mountain passes we are required to stop and check our brakes at mandatory stops which are designated. Or any other time that we feel it is neccessary for the safety of our travels in addition to the designated areas.
3) Depending on cargo, we may be required to take specific highways or routes due to weight restrictions or school and residential concerns.
4) Sometimes bridges and overpasses are an issue. Either too low or weight concerns or even explosive cargo restrictions apply.
5) Mandatory breaks for resting/lunch time of minimum 30 minutes but may be more than this.
6) Re-settting drive hours: This requires a minimum of 10 hours and in this time drivers are not required to stay in or near their truck. This is 'off duty' time. Most people go home after an 8 hour day but drivers work a 14 hour work day which consists of max 11 hours drive and 3 hours doing safety checks ect. Although 10 hours is the minimum 'off duty' time it is not the maximum. This time is usually dictated by the appointment time of the load. These breaks are not always taken at a truck stop or rest area. Sometimes these designated areas are full and improvising is neccessary.
7) Relieving oneself or just stretching the legs which is needed when driving long hours.
These are just off the top of my head and not the only reasons for stopping. There is a multitude of reasons that are up to the individual driver. Because a truck can hold large amounts of fuel, and travel anywhere from 800 to 1000 miles on one fill up, a sex worker or anyone for that matter could be picked up or kidnapped and taken anywhere within a 1000 mile radius. Providing the driver is able to do so. And believe me they are since they are custom to doing so on a daily basis. I have personally driven 6 hours straight and would have gone longer if I had not been required by law to stop. E-logs (electronic logs) require a driver to log 'off duty, not driving' to keep in compliance with the law. However, not every driver has these e-logs and for good reason. None of which has any bearing on this issue so I won't go into it.
Bear in mind that the drivers I have worked with are hard working dedicated family people. I have also had the privilege of knowing their families and spent time at company barbeques. This case hits me to the core because there are so many good decent people that are truck drivers so to lump them together with these sick individuals really breaks my heart. The fact that this kind of sick and twisted stuff has been going on for decades need to be addressed. I'm sure that some of the bodies that heve yet to be discovered, date back to the 60's and 70's. In these cases the perpetrater is dead and gone. So my only wish in these cases is that we stay focused on the issue at hand and be able to distinguish between the good people and allow them/us to help authorities zero in on the bad people. I guarantee if a driver like my self has any knowledge or insite into these cases they won't hesitate to come forward. As I said before, I traveled with my father and I know several drivers like to take their spouse or children with them occasionally. They would never sit quietly by and allow this to continue and put their families or themselves at risk. However, they are painfully aware of the dangers and take precautions. We as drivers are on 'high alert' just to do our job and exsist among the elements we have to deal with on a daily basis. I would like to see more drivers come forward with their ideas and input so we can solve some of these cases. Unfortunatly law enforcement is the enemy to some drivers due to the constant citations, scales, and all that go with it in this profession. This is why I stress to everyone please do not lump us all together with these killers. We are not bad people. I have seen alot of negative remarks about truck drivers in these postings and I realize this is a horrifying problem that needs to be resolved. But I feel it is important not to alienate the industry as a whole because this is where the answers are. Somebody knows something. The 'no tell' mentality can be overcome for the better good but if they are put on the defensive then there is the possibility of them closing ranks. If that happens we will never solve this problem.
