1st Walmart Overnite

[Smoky]

There must be some exceptions to the Home Depot policy. 

On our way back from Colorado we stopped at a WM near the Arizona - New Mexico border.  I believe it was Grants or Gallup.  The truck traffic was extremely busy that evening, and we noticed across the street a nearly empty Home Depot.  The Admiral ran over to Home Depot, went inside, asked for the manager and he told her he would be delighted to have us as overnight guests.

 

[norseman]

I see truckers parked overnight in WM lots, and they're not necessarily WM trucks. I'm never sure if they're making WM deliveries, or needed somewhere to park/sleep, or both. I'm also never sure if the drivers spend the night in the sleeper, or if they walk to a nearby motel. Any truckers or ex-truckers here who might care to share their WM/overnight perspective?

Well, I am not a trucker, but I am a truck enthusiast, and am a regular over on Hank's Truck Pictures Forum, where there has been some discussion about Wal-Marts and trucks. As far as I understand, Wal-Marts, especially in the midwest and west are popular overnight spots for truckers. I've seen some Wal-Mart lots along I-80 in Nebraska, especially Sidney, Lexington and North Platte, that more or less resembled truck stops in the evenings and nights, and I do believe at least one of them actually had spots marked up for big rigs on the far side of their lot, which also happened to have its own exit, so that the trucks wouldn't interfere with the rest of the traffic. Now, I-80 has a heck of a lot of truck traffic, and truck parking in some areas there can be at a premium (even though space as such is definitely not at a premium out there), so I think it's a good thing these Wal-Marts are so truck friendly. It is also common in some areas to park trucks in Wal-Mart lots over the weekend and such, but that also depends on the store. As for overnighting, I am pretty sure most of the drivers in Wal-Mart lots stay in their sleepers.

However, Wal-Marts in other parts of the country have a no-truck policy, which can be strictly enforced, I guess it all depends on the individual store. I have even heard of a few that have put up "gates" at their entrances which are too low for big rigs to fit through. I understand the main problem is trashy truckers... As usual, a few people ruin things for everybody else. By trashy truckers I mean the kind that just throw their urine bottles (yeah, I know, not having time to stop to pee must be a bummer) and trash out the door and go on their way. I can definitely understand why this is not exactly popular.  :

Jan.

 

[MidwayFUBAR]

I have owned a hot-shot delivery service for a little over 5 years and Wal-Mart has consistently been a God send for me.  For those that aren't familier with the term, Hot Shot Trucking is the little brother of the big rig trucking business.  We take the loads that are too small for the big boys to mess with and usually get them to destination under phenomenal time contraints.  IE, generator goes down on an oil rig and the replacement is 500 miles away, I get a call at 2am saying hook up the flatbed and be back here in less than 24 hours.

When you pull into some random town waiting for your supply warehouse to open Wal-Mart is great about having plenty of room for the truck and trailer and I've never had a bit of trouble from the employees.  Contrast that to the security guard at The Woodlands Park Mall in Woodlands, TX, "You sure are taking up a lot of spaces there".  My reply, "I'm gonna buy a lot of stuff..."  :  Funny thing is, I was actually there to transfer a load for one of their vendors...

Ah well...  Anyway, somebody had asked about Wal-Mart and truck drivers and I just wanted to chime in with how great I think they are too  ;D