I love stopping at Love's. Including for non-truck related stuff. If I'm driving cross country I can trust to have a clean bathroom almost every single time. I did a cross country drive just recently and exactly 1 bathroom wasn't good. One. And even then it was the "Okay someone needs to clean up after the twits who where in here last" level not... this.
Loves is goated. Its the only place i go for fuel. I rack up my gallons and get free showers and refills for the month. Theres a loves 10 minutes away from the DC i work for and they let us park our bobtails in rv parking so it comes in handy.
Buddy of mine has been the manager at both ice machine company and a commercial dishwashing company. Shithole restaurants that can’t keep the rest of the place clean definitely can’t keep the kitchen clean
Pilot has better priced toiletries. I will give them that the little odds and ends that you gotta grab here and there are 2 to 3 times cheaper than Love’s.
I get that. TA has got to be the most expensive. However, for that kind of stuff, you can park in the back of Walmart and go in to get that for a way better price than any truck stop. Truck stops literally rip you off because they can.
A lot of walmarts won't allow that anymore because a lot of drivers are pigs and ruined it for everyone else. Unless you're a Walmart driver or your company has a contract with Walmart you better go inside immediately and talk to the manager and get permission or you'll wake up to a boot on your shit or a clamshell stuck to your windshield.
This happened to me my first week over the road $900 to get it off. They said they knocked on my truck and everything I was in there. No one did anything they secretly put it on. I would’ve heard it if they knocked. I was so mad.
Trucker path is a good guide for walmarts. It'll list which ones allow you to park for shopping, ones that allow overnight parking, and ones that do not want to see a non walmart truck parked anywhere near it
I love how they still have commercials stating that they encourage you to park there and rest, but damn near everyone I go to has no trucks signs posted. The one that Barna called me had predatory signs placed when I went back and looked at them. They were all behind something or super low so you couldn’t see them.
Yeah, she’ll get a toilet a sink and a shower towels, but I don’t ever use them for myself. I’ll throw them on the floor just so it doesn’t get wet. I have my own towels that I stole from the hotels I did orientation at.
Depending on where they have you do your orientation I forgot pillows and blankets on my first time going over the road because they flew me out so I have some dank ass Holiday Inn express blankets and pillows too. That have just stayed with me this whole time bright white too I don’t know how I’ve managed to keep them this clean this long, but I take very good care of my down comforter duvet, cover, two firm pillows and two down pillow pillows with covers in case cases.
Should it be properly cleaned? Of course, but think about this; why should employees give a damn about cleanliness when the majority of drivers trash their bathrooms, and parking lots with absolutely no thought as to who will have to clean it.
My point? You can send this to corporate all you want, but nothing will happen.
The minimum wage clerk that has to clean that up certainly doesn't have time to get on a ladder to clean the ceiling tiles. You're punching down at people who make less money than you.
I feel for them and have a tendency to tip them. I get it. But thats no excuse for shit like this. EVERYONE is to blame for conditions like this. That minimum wage worker took that job and needs to do it right. Ive scrubbed toilets for pennies. I did it right every time because thats what you do.
Its that person, the managers, general managers, corporate and everyone else who simply turns a blind eye
I worked at the truck stop near me as a second job for years. I lived less than a mile from the interstate. Was Wilco, now a Pilot, but back then they had a dedicated maintenance crew, and they kept the showers spotless. They were also paid more than minimum wage, as was I.
Pilot out here buying up everybody and making so many changes. Now have two at the exit I live on when they used to be a Wilco and a Flying J (that never had lights that worked in the parking lot). When it was Wilco, there was a gas desk and a diesel desk. Pilot changed it all into one, cutting down on the number of employees and overworking the ones they have. Don't know if they even have a maintenance crew but if they do it's probably one person per shift and they're expected to do outside garbage, inside garbage, clean showers, do laundry. . .just everything. Wouldn't be surprised if one, or both of the Pilots near me, end up on OP's list of dirty showers because those employees are overworked and underpaid.
Spent 12 days in jail on a failure to appear for driving on a suspended license (in my younger years, pre CDL-A, got arrested Friday night went to court Monday and had to wait a while week to see my assigned judge). Lots of nice black mold in the standing room only hole in the wall they called a shower that you share with 30+ other dudes. Lots of bugs crawling around in jail pods too.
This is another reason I am religiously a loves driver. I’ll eat there food or Hardee’s day in if it means I can take a shit and a shower in a half decent place.
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, no wonder my husband who's getting ready to go otr & taking me with him talked about the pilot like he did! He used to go otr with his dad when he was younger. He's always been so interested in getting his cdl it's always been his dream job.
...... I have seen how y'all behave in parking lots, so I am NEVER surprised when faced with a dirty shower. Y'all act like savages and then expect the Hilton standard once you're in a shower. 🤣
Just an FYI, the amount of bodily fluid on your shoes from just stepping out of your truck is far greater than the filth in those showers. 👍
Cafe Risqué i75 down into FL has a shower, for free if you pay cover fee. I double dare anyone to shower there and ever complain about any shower ever again. Nice parking spot a lot of the time, though!
Shower shoes! I steal the “Crew” disinfectant (it’s the greenish-blue one) off the cart every time I can - and ask for a second set of towels because then I can see where the fresh ones came from. Bonus if I can get them to pull it out of the dryer unfolded. Then I spray down everything, put the cleaner back, wait a few and wipe it all down. If I’m at a PFJ where I know the cleaners are weird about me borrowing their spray, I bring in a wad of Lysol wipes. I’ve gotten in screaming fights with some of the shower attendants when they won’t re-clean the shower or give me the Crew spray. During Covid I brought in my own full bottle of Lysol spray to the bathroom and the shower and fucking cleaned the toilet and the handles every time 🤣 Truck stop showers are the thing I hate the MOST about this job. It’s literally traumatizing. I’ve gotten nail fungus, body fungus, staphylococcus, impetigo, and trichomonas, and norovirus from this damn job.
Pilot/flying J showers are the worst of all the Mega TS. Even if they are cleaned well, there's a good chance the water is not going to be hot or have pressure
They won't care 1 bit. You have to remember, we're truckers. We're subhuman to most people. They get their money and that's the only thing they care about. Loves, TA's, no better. None of the are and I've showered at pretty much most of them.
Hell, even the rest areas in Ohio on I80 do far better keeping their shows clean, and those are FREE!
If truck stops gave a damn, they wouldn't charge $4.89 for a gallon of water, or $7.00 for a cheap microwaved disgusting sandwich. But they don't. It's all about the bottom line, and they're one of the few places we can stop, so they will over charge us for everything and make no effort to at least be decent, or keep their facilities decent. Fact of life unfortunately, at least for truckers.
So stop going to Pilot for your showers then… 🤦🏻♂️ I use Loves if I’m in a rush or I will go to TA/Petro if I’m down for the night and want a good hot meal, shower and to do laundry!
Yeah bro I don't do shit at pilot besides take a dump and refill my drink. Maybe take a ten in a free spot if I'm completely fucked. Every once in a while I'll find a really nice one, but 9/10 times they're this bad or worse. Only truck stop I'll dump my piss jug at without a second thought or a single care in the world.
Is it OK to just throw your piss jugs in the trash? I have a double bag method I do so other people don’t have to sit there and look at it while they’re fueling but for the most part, I just fill up bottles bag them and throw them away. I don’t know if this is OK I’m trying to learn proper over the road etiquette right now.
How big are your jugs? If it's a couple water bottles or Gatorade bottles I'd say go for it but anymore than that, find a dumpster or somewhere to dump them out first. You gotta remember other (less considerate) people are dumping their piss jugs and bottles in there too and you don't want it to be so heavy the bag busts when the worker goes to empty the bin.
Good point. Although I was a trash guy for a while so shit like that gets no sympathy for me. The trash company I worked for in Flint. We had a area called Beecher, which is part of Flint where these people just never got their shit fixed for the water so they don’t have running water at these houses and the smell of Beecher haunts me bags, and bags of shit and bottles of piss in every single trashcan cockroaches and bedbugs too. It’s the reason why I’m over the road right now.
Obviously, the real thing is the best thing but like at the world’s greatest truckstop when you’re parked in the back 40 and it’s below freezing it’s a little different story
You're fine dude. It's just piss. Don't dump it on someones truck or trailer or by their truck or trailer and you'll be just fine. If they can smell it it'll make them lose their shit and maybe stay.
When I was driving I avoided pfj at all costs.. Just such a stressful event pulling into the smallest fucking shithole truck pfj at 7pm with nowhere to park
I’m learning the truckstop game right now over the road loves has never let me down up until recently. I only showered there so I don’t have any other showers to go off of. I don’t agree with the set up of the pilot showers and no they’re not clean like loves. The shower is too close to the wall behind it, and I nearly almost always crack my head on the handle when I’m trying to wash my legs and feet.
I actually do. But some days are more trying than others. I give trucking a 8/10. Most days 9/10. Days like today I rate a FUCK YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND ESPECIALLY YOU/10
Luvs ❤️
I love stopping at Love's. Including for non-truck related stuff. If I'm driving cross country I can trust to have a clean bathroom almost every single time. I did a cross country drive just recently and exactly 1 bathroom wasn't good. One. And even then it was the "Okay someone needs to clean up after the twits who where in here last" level not... this.
Loves takes pride in their clean restrooms and showers that’s for sure!
Loves is goated. Its the only place i go for fuel. I rack up my gallons and get free showers and refills for the month. Theres a loves 10 minutes away from the DC i work for and they let us park our bobtails in rv parking so it comes in handy.
Looks like paradise compared to some of the small shithole truck stops down south
Hey.. the make up for it in food
Just don't look at the kitchen
Hey, what you call a “health code violation” they call seasoning
Buddy of mine has been the manager at both ice machine company and a commercial dishwashing company. Shithole restaurants that can’t keep the rest of the place clean definitely can’t keep the kitchen clean
I’ll have a Diablo sandwich.
And a Dr. Pepper?
And make it fast, I'm in a goddamn hurry!
Not really at least not on my experience. The food usually taste expired and the restaurants don't even have ac and it smells like roaches 🤢😷 im good.
You're expecting way too much from Pilot. You'd be lucky to get got water and to make it out of the lot with your truck unscathed.
Pilot has better priced toiletries. I will give them that the little odds and ends that you gotta grab here and there are 2 to 3 times cheaper than Love’s.
I get that. TA has got to be the most expensive. However, for that kind of stuff, you can park in the back of Walmart and go in to get that for a way better price than any truck stop. Truck stops literally rip you off because they can.
A lot of walmarts won't allow that anymore because a lot of drivers are pigs and ruined it for everyone else. Unless you're a Walmart driver or your company has a contract with Walmart you better go inside immediately and talk to the manager and get permission or you'll wake up to a boot on your shit or a clamshell stuck to your windshield.
This happened to me my first week over the road $900 to get it off. They said they knocked on my truck and everything I was in there. No one did anything they secretly put it on. I would’ve heard it if they knocked. I was so mad.
You can shop at any of them. That's what I was talking about, not parking.
Trucker path is a good guide for walmarts. It'll list which ones allow you to park for shopping, ones that allow overnight parking, and ones that do not want to see a non walmart truck parked anywhere near it
I love how they still have commercials stating that they encourage you to park there and rest, but damn near everyone I go to has no trucks signs posted. The one that Barna called me had predatory signs placed when I went back and looked at them. They were all behind something or super low so you couldn’t see them.
That's just business. They charge that much because drivers are willingly paying that price.
Do all shower stalls have toilets in them? I'm currently going through orientation. Very green
Yeah, she’ll get a toilet a sink and a shower towels, but I don’t ever use them for myself. I’ll throw them on the floor just so it doesn’t get wet. I have my own towels that I stole from the hotels I did orientation at.
Ok. Steal these towels. Noted!
Depending on where they have you do your orientation I forgot pillows and blankets on my first time going over the road because they flew me out so I have some dank ass Holiday Inn express blankets and pillows too. That have just stayed with me this whole time bright white too I don’t know how I’ve managed to keep them this clean this long, but I take very good care of my down comforter duvet, cover, two firm pillows and two down pillow pillows with covers in case cases.
Can I steal the towels from the truck stop?
With determination and a can-do attitude Anybody can steal anything. Those are your towels now sir.
Pro tip—build up shower credits and use them to take a shit. Even as dirty as this is, its nothing compared to the regular toilets
Every one I've been to.
Make a twitter account and post every one there, tag pilot everytime. Make it your novelty and maybe your crusade will pay off.
Roast em when you post em.
Thats a great idea! Im going to do that.
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It's definitely hard to find a decent, clean shower nowadays. I'll only take a shower at a Loves or Pilot if the reviews say the showers are decent.
You don’t have to move in. Wash your ass and move on
youre going to be a very busy person
This isn't standard?
In my years of running otr, no its not. Its definitely becoming more and more common though. Im over it.
Agree
Should it be properly cleaned? Of course, but think about this; why should employees give a damn about cleanliness when the majority of drivers trash their bathrooms, and parking lots with absolutely no thought as to who will have to clean it.
My point? You can send this to corporate all you want, but nothing will happen.
Why should they care? Because it's their fucking job.
Is it actually their job to scrub mold off the upper tiles of a shower though? They'd probably argue that what they're doing is good enough.
If you care this much, tell them what you just said and let me know their responses lol
So this is why the shower wait times are so long lol
The minimum wage clerk that has to clean that up certainly doesn't have time to get on a ladder to clean the ceiling tiles. You're punching down at people who make less money than you.
No he's not. He's lighting a fire under corporate asshats who bonus off of how little money they spend on facilities maintenance.
I feel for them and have a tendency to tip them. I get it. But thats no excuse for shit like this. EVERYONE is to blame for conditions like this. That minimum wage worker took that job and needs to do it right. Ive scrubbed toilets for pennies. I did it right every time because thats what you do.
Its that person, the managers, general managers, corporate and everyone else who simply turns a blind eye
I worked at the truck stop near me as a second job for years. I lived less than a mile from the interstate. Was Wilco, now a Pilot, but back then they had a dedicated maintenance crew, and they kept the showers spotless. They were also paid more than minimum wage, as was I.
Pilot out here buying up everybody and making so many changes. Now have two at the exit I live on when they used to be a Wilco and a Flying J (that never had lights that worked in the parking lot). When it was Wilco, there was a gas desk and a diesel desk. Pilot changed it all into one, cutting down on the number of employees and overworking the ones they have. Don't know if they even have a maintenance crew but if they do it's probably one person per shift and they're expected to do outside garbage, inside garbage, clean showers, do laundry. . .just everything. Wouldn't be surprised if one, or both of the Pilots near me, end up on OP's list of dirty showers because those employees are overworked and underpaid.
Minimum wage clerks don’t clean the showers…
They have a crew come in and clean them, at least they’re supposed to…
Don’t goto jail it’s worse
Jail can be summed up to taking a shit in your bathroom while eating dinner in the kitchen next to your bed
lol
Spent 12 days in jail on a failure to appear for driving on a suspended license (in my younger years, pre CDL-A, got arrested Friday night went to court Monday and had to wait a while week to see my assigned judge). Lots of nice black mold in the standing room only hole in the wall they called a shower that you share with 30+ other dudes. Lots of bugs crawling around in jail pods too.
This is another reason I am religiously a loves driver. I’ll eat there food or Hardee’s day in if it means I can take a shit and a shower in a half decent place.
When I was in oilfield I would’ve paid $100 for that
lol the door stopper having no stopper on the door is great
Maybe it's different out west but most of the pilots that I shower at are really clean.
I can second pilot having some NASTY showers! I went to one in Iowa that had hair in the showers, piss in the toilets, and trash in the garbage
I only shower at Loves!
Cleanest truck stop shower in the south btw
Glad I dont run anywhere near the south... thats disgusting...
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, no wonder my husband who's getting ready to go otr & taking me with him talked about the pilot like he did! He used to go otr with his dad when he was younger. He's always been so interested in getting his cdl it's always been his dream job.
...... I have seen how y'all behave in parking lots, so I am NEVER surprised when faced with a dirty shower. Y'all act like savages and then expect the Hilton standard once you're in a shower. 🤣
Just an FYI, the amount of bodily fluid on your shoes from just stepping out of your truck is far greater than the filth in those showers. 👍
That’s nasty! A lizard is probably cleaner than that shower
Cafe Risqué i75 down into FL has a shower, for free if you pay cover fee. I double dare anyone to shower there and ever complain about any shower ever again. Nice parking spot a lot of the time, though!
Did you demand a refund?
Did you still take a shower in that room?
Use a different shower?
I think youre allowed to say ass on the internet.
Shower shoes! I steal the “Crew” disinfectant (it’s the greenish-blue one) off the cart every time I can - and ask for a second set of towels because then I can see where the fresh ones came from. Bonus if I can get them to pull it out of the dryer unfolded. Then I spray down everything, put the cleaner back, wait a few and wipe it all down. If I’m at a PFJ where I know the cleaners are weird about me borrowing their spray, I bring in a wad of Lysol wipes. I’ve gotten in screaming fights with some of the shower attendants when they won’t re-clean the shower or give me the Crew spray. During Covid I brought in my own full bottle of Lysol spray to the bathroom and the shower and fucking cleaned the toilet and the handles every time 🤣 Truck stop showers are the thing I hate the MOST about this job. It’s literally traumatizing. I’ve gotten nail fungus, body fungus, staphylococcus, impetigo, and trichomonas, and norovirus from this damn job.
Pilot/flying J showers are the worst of all the Mega TS. Even if they are cleaned well, there's a good chance the water is not going to be hot or have pressure
They won't care 1 bit. You have to remember, we're truckers. We're subhuman to most people. They get their money and that's the only thing they care about. Loves, TA's, no better. None of the are and I've showered at pretty much most of them.
Hell, even the rest areas in Ohio on I80 do far better keeping their shows clean, and those are FREE!
If truck stops gave a damn, they wouldn't charge $4.89 for a gallon of water, or $7.00 for a cheap microwaved disgusting sandwich. But they don't. It's all about the bottom line, and they're one of the few places we can stop, so they will over charge us for everything and make no effort to at least be decent, or keep their facilities decent. Fact of life unfortunately, at least for truckers.
So stop going to Pilot for your showers then… 🤦🏻♂️ I use Loves if I’m in a rush or I will go to TA/Petro if I’m down for the night and want a good hot meal, shower and to do laundry!
Yeah bro I don't do shit at pilot besides take a dump and refill my drink. Maybe take a ten in a free spot if I'm completely fucked. Every once in a while I'll find a really nice one, but 9/10 times they're this bad or worse. Only truck stop I'll dump my piss jug at without a second thought or a single care in the world.
Is it OK to just throw your piss jugs in the trash? I have a double bag method I do so other people don’t have to sit there and look at it while they’re fueling but for the most part, I just fill up bottles bag them and throw them away. I don’t know if this is OK I’m trying to learn proper over the road etiquette right now.
How big are your jugs? If it's a couple water bottles or Gatorade bottles I'd say go for it but anymore than that, find a dumpster or somewhere to dump them out first. You gotta remember other (less considerate) people are dumping their piss jugs and bottles in there too and you don't want it to be so heavy the bag busts when the worker goes to empty the bin.
Good point. Although I was a trash guy for a while so shit like that gets no sympathy for me. The trash company I worked for in Flint. We had a area called Beecher, which is part of Flint where these people just never got their shit fixed for the water so they don’t have running water at these houses and the smell of Beecher haunts me bags, and bags of shit and bottles of piss in every single trashcan cockroaches and bedbugs too. It’s the reason why I’m over the road right now.
Better to use a urinal, but that's just me.
Obviously, the real thing is the best thing but like at the world’s greatest truckstop when you’re parked in the back 40 and it’s below freezing it’s a little different story
Ever heard of a coat? Try it.
You're fine dude. It's just piss. Don't dump it on someones truck or trailer or by their truck or trailer and you'll be just fine. If they can smell it it'll make them lose their shit and maybe stay.
When I was driving I avoided pfj at all costs.. Just such a stressful event pulling into the smallest fucking shithole truck pfj at 7pm with nowhere to park
You're tired of it? You're always gunna run into these, get used to it lol
Ive been out here for 7 years and no I wont get used to it. Its attitudes like yours to why things dont change.
Bleach
That's good for a Pilot
Lol look at the fan and vent above the toilet. Pilots are absolutely disgusting, well most are. There are a few out there that actually clean.
I’m learning the truckstop game right now over the road loves has never let me down up until recently. I only showered there so I don’t have any other showers to go off of. I don’t agree with the set up of the pilot showers and no they’re not clean like loves. The shower is too close to the wall behind it, and I nearly almost always crack my head on the handle when I’m trying to wash my legs and feet.
Don't you love being a truck driver?
I actually do. But some days are more trying than others. I give trucking a 8/10. Most days 9/10. Days like today I rate a FUCK YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND ESPECIALLY YOU/10
Pilot has always had sticky, piss smelling parking lots.
Bathrooms covered in lots of human excrement.
Showers that needed to be updated 25 years ago.
Food prices through the roof.
Trucker stuff (fluids, electronics, log books, etc) that have prices 60% higher than anywhere else.
Flying J is no better and they're both one in and of the same. I stay the hell away from them.
That's gross. Report to corporate and go to love's next time.
I wouldn't shower in there without wearing sandals
Y'all shower? I just build up my stink til I'm home on the weekend.
Send it to corporate and tag them on social media.
I shower at home everyday. 🤣