Trucker's Safe Haven becomes a Nightmare
 

I am a 53 year old female solo long haul trucker who was finally getting a decent income. I worked for Werner Enterprises as a company driver- all 48 and I was enjoying my life for the first time in years. I was under a Just-in-Time load heading for Texas and my driving hours were nearly gone. I stopped at the TA in Montgomery, AL for safe haven and rest as I have done a million times all across the country. I drove through the lot and found no regular parking so I improvised once again as I have done a million times all across our great country. I pulled in behind another truck alongside the scale and went right to sleep. A couple of hours later I was awakened by a security guard who told me that I had to leave. I explained that I had no legal hours to drive. He asked me if I was retarded. He told me to drive down the road. I attempted to call my fleet manager and to raise someone on the qual com to no avail. I knew that if I left and had an accident that resulted in a fatality that I would go to prison and my company would face a lawsuit. I chose to do the right thing and not drive tired. The night manager of the TA came out and said that because I drove for Werner and because I was female that I was not welcome there and I had to leave. At that time a regular parking spot opened up behind me and I put the truck into it and went back to sleep. A while later I was again awakened this time by the police and I was arrested and taken to the city jail. Even though the prosecutor, the judge, and every police officer that I had contact with said that it was ridiculous and that I should not have been arrested, I now have a misdemeanor (criminal trespass 3), I was suspended for 5 weeks with no pay, and fired on Christmas Eve by Werner. I have been rehired by my former employer of 8 years but that is not what I want to be doing. I have a spotless motor vehicle record and had a spotless criminal record. I feel so wronged because I used to stand up for Werner against the complainers. I gave Werner a second chance when they left me stranded 200 miles from my home after a bad experience with a trainer. I have no safety or customer issues. I am clean, don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, or engage in any other risky behavior. I am discouraged and am looking for advice and legal help to get this off my record.

If everything is as you have described it here, you need to get an attorney involved. Yes...it's going to cost you...but if you can prove that the TA manager actually said you had to leave the lot because you are a woman, then you let a lawyer handle it.

Why have you waited so long to take action??

Why you stopped at Montomery TA is a puzzle. If you were coming from the south, The Flying J 15 miles south of Montgomery at Tyson (exit 158) and the other truck stop ( I forget its name)(exit 164) both have 3 times the parking space that TA has, plus they are cleaner and safer.
If you had been coming down from Atlanta.. the Petro at exit 22 on I-85 has limited parking, but the Casino has an extra large truck parking area. You just need to ride the shuttle van to get to the building for eating and a shower. Only the bravest of heart, stop at that POC TA.

Same scenario occurred to me...long story short....cops became involved...

Officer said I was in my rights to file a complaint

against the reciever for putting me in such a position as to drive with out hours...

..if I had of I was sure I would loose my job....I felt no body would back me up so I forgot it..

cop said just go right down the street to the dirt lot and park there...they understood my delima.

Guess no one really wanted to do alot of paperwork at 4 a.m.

I've been to thisT/A and the F-J just south on 65 ...The T/A is not a large well organized lot,and b/c of this any curb side parking causes issues ,But inorder to have po'd the staff to immediately call the police is usually only accomplished if you're rude ,and to have them ban you from the lot and push for trespassing even after a slot opened up is hard to immagine ...And for an officer to take you to jail I just feel something must have occoured ...I also don't beleive your problems had much to do with you being with Werner or a Female ...I could be wrong ,As I was not there ,But I've been in that same T/A and many T/S and asked to move and I've even had cops called for curbside parking at a pilot ,but never came close to going to jail infact I just chatted with the officer about my paperless logs ,and ws told to grab a spot when 1 opens .

Solo (should be solong, for now) . .

Here's my advice . . get it out of your head that you chose to do the right thing. The TA, it's agents, the cops, the judge, Werner and I don't agree with you.

As for your record, contact this guy . . he's amazing! http://www.classadrivers.com/forum/n...ter-judge.html



Those who find solo's story . . intriguing . . may also enjoy this one:

Rip-off Report: Swift Transportation BEWARE OF SWIFT AND THEIR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE THEY WILL GET YOU ARRESTED Pheonix Arizona

Thanks for the info.... I see making your own parking spots isn't a very good idea. :hellno:

Not only is it not a good idea, but if someone were to hit you, you would have little to no recourse, since you were illegally parked.

When push comes to shove though, it doesn't matter if you have no hours to drive. If the owner of some private property (which a truckstop is) wants you off their land, then you have to get off their land, or face a trespassing charge.

Even without any legal hours to drive, you can go 14 minutes and 59 seconds away without having to interrupt your break.

The judge obviously didn't think it was very ridiculous, since you now have a misdemeanor that he found you guilty of. This story is so full of holes it isn't even funny.

As far as the 6.50/hr security guard telling you because your a woman, thats going to be a burden of proof on you. He is simply going to say he didn't say it.. But to get arrested for a criminal trust pass, most states state you have to be given a warning by a law official, not just the property owner, because it goes back to he said she said. Police make an official report of telling you to leave, then if you refuse at that point, bang zoom! If the police said you shouldn't have been arrested then why the #&ck were you arrested?? Now you have a civil complaint against the po po for unlawful prosecution. I'm sure any civil or criminal lawyer will listen to you without charging you, especially the civil, if he sees a civil rights violation, it's a paycheck for him as well. Don't ask for legal advice on this site, everyone is a lawyer, GO TALK TO A LAWYER!

But, Rev! :tears: I haven't a misdemeanor. My records is as clean as a newborn baby's bottom :) (where is the angel smiley?)

I am thinking as well, that possibly, maybe, perhaps would explain, that there was a lot more to the confrontation than what was represented in the driver's post.

..... just saying

OMG, why ANYONE not looking to buy narcotics or use the services of a lot lizard would stop there is a puzzle. That place is almost as bad as the now closed TA in Conley, GA.