Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings
No count number in which I am, I continuously test my environment on all aspects of me. I’ll by no means neglect about a darkish, snowy night time at a Sunoco Truck Stop in Bath, NY. I observed a motive force following me, and despite the fact that early evening, we had been the simplest ones in the lot. It made me uneasy as I driven the truck key among the knuckles of my closed fist, prepared to thrust the huge factor of the important thing into his eyes or throat.
After some other few steps I found out he became actually following in my footsteps, my new imprints upon freshly fallen snow. I kind of chuckled at my warning after I stepped to the facet to permit him to pass me, and he grumbled under his breath. He waited a second then went ahead.
As he sat throughout from me on the lunch counter inside the restaurant, he requested why I would not permit him to apply my footprints. After all, I had nicely built boots and he became carrying sneakers. A appearance of surprise rippled throughout his face after I defined I sensed chance and became organized to take him down via way of means of any approach necessary. Apparently this man wasn’t from the Philadelphia or New York Metro regions, purpose he appeared terrified. Better for me to scare him, than for me to be a victim. He in all likelihood by no means accompanied a girl once more throughout a lot.
Rest Areas Can Be Dangerous At Night
Rest regions may be mainly risky at night time. Some do now no longer actually have doorways from the outdoor into the restroom, simply an open wall. If in any respect viable, I keep away from getting out of the truck in darkish relaxation regions. A scene from one of the Halloween films confirmed a girl in a relaxation place stall whilst Michael Myers loomed outdoor the stall door. Luckily for her, he simplest desired to thieve her automobile keys. In the actual world, who is aware of what a culprit might need to do?
Early in my career, earlier than I offered a truck commode, I entered a lonely relaxation place women room and propped the trash can towards the door to save you all and sundry from entering into. If a girl approached, she might understand. If a violent crook tried to enter, he might now no longer be entering into whilst I became vulnerable. Plus, I constantly deliver my phone, so a short name to 911 may want to shop me.
Walking Between Trailers Can Be Dangerous
Beware on foot among trailers as a person can be hiding under the trailer or on a catwalk. Once I became parked in Alabama at a Flying J, and the wind rocked my truck whilst I slept. Then I heard a bang. I jumped up and appeared out on the mirrors and did not see whatever. I went lower back to mattress, and I felt the rocking once more. This time I knew a person became on my catwalk!
I fast grew to become on my truck lighting fixtures and commenced the truck. The truck rocked as he jumped down and ran at the back of us. It scared me sufficient that I pulled ahead into the gasoline island, then walked round my whole truck and trailer whilst under the lighting fixtures with others present. My gasoline cap became off and he have to have siphoned approximately an 8th of a tank of gasoline.
That night time ended nicely due to the fact I scared him, and I did now no longer get out of the truck till it became safe. An skilled motive force might additionally have taken into consideration pulling the fifth wheel locking jaw take care of to launch the trailer. Pulling out may want to have value me an coincidence on my DAC if I had dropped that trailer. As we benefit experience, greater matters will drift thru your mind.
Be Visible
Staying in the open as plenty as viable in addition to carrying reflective garb will deter might-be assailants. It additionally reduces your dangers of having hit via way of means of a truck in a parking lot. In the darkish, one may not see humans with darkish garb wrestling. However, if a motive force noticed a yellow reflective jacket rolling round at the floor in the distance, I’m positive interest might lead them to surprise what became taking place and inquire. At least it might lure a person to holler out, asking if the man or woman at the floor wished assist or became sick, even though the attacker became not possible to peer.
I had been criticized in the beyond for announcing this, however while doing a pre-experience inspection at night time, I discover it more secure to roll into the gasoline aisle. I generally live at Petro’s and TA’s with 250+ parking areas and 10 gasoline lanes. At 0200, there may be infrequently a mad rush for the gasoline lanes, so taking twenty mins for my inspection isn’t going to put off others. However, it is able to shop me from getting mugged, injured, or killed.
Firearms Are Not the Only Weapon
So many discussion board conversations debate the want for firearms at the road, and coming from a totally Blue Democratic state, I by no means understood this. Guns aren’t a manner of lifestyles for us the manner they may be in different states, due to this, I suppose I even have a shiny creativeness for utilizing the matters round me as safety devices.
Truckers have such a lot of gadgets at their disposal which are ordinary ordinary equipment for us, however may also act as guns. Think approximately it, the lengthy steel rod kind of tire gauge may want to positioned a pleasing dent in a person’s head. What is a cop going to say? “You have become arrested for preventing off an attacker whilst doing all of your pre-experience inspection?”
Tire thumpers, cord cutters, even our padlocks may be guns. I regularly stroll with my center finger thru the padlock hole, cradling the lock in my palm. That lock weighs some pounds. If a person jumps me, their head can be bleeding. “I became sporting the lock into the truck prevent to peer if I may want to discover an equal one. This one maintains jamming and freezing withinside the winter, I suppose it’s far getting old. Then this man attacked me.”
I additionally deliver a totally huge flashlight at night time, and once in a while a hammer in my jacket pocket or up my sleeve. In the occasion a person chases me, you higher accept as true with if I throw a hammer thru a windshield or run and spoil a few headlights, truckers are going to awaken and scare away an attacker. Big deal, I must pay for a few damage, I might alternatively try this than get raped or killed.
There are many ordinary gadgets that may be used as guns for self defense:
Wasp spray
Tire thumper
Wrench
Flashlight
Padlock
Hammer
Screwdriver
Make Plenty Of Noise
Criminals hate attention. If had been to get attacked, make as plenty noise as viable. One of my girl pals has one of these Screaming Meanie alarms with a panic button on it that she maintains in her pocket. Having a steel object like a hammer or flashlight might are available available additionally.
If you are in trouble, hold hitting whatever steel you run beyond: dumpsters, trailers, vans, etc. The maximum crucial factor to don’t forget is to yell, “Fire!” People do now no longer constantly reply to “Help!” But alerting humans to a hearthplace places them in chance. Again, it’s far simpler to provide an explanation for the state of affairs after, than to be taken to the clinic after an assault.
Make Your Truck Safer
Not all vans have curtains at the home windows. Using Velcro and mattress sheets to cowl the home windows now no longer simplest can maintains out the daylight for higher sleep, however maintains the thieves from scoping your belongings. If you do now no longer cowl the home windows, make certain to hold wallets, laptops, mobileular phones, and GPS’s out of sight from all and sundry status in your door steps searching inside. Don’t simply lock your doorways, however if fearful or concerned, use the seat belt straps thru the door handles to save you the doorways from being opened from the outdoor. Yes, a person may want to nonetheless spoil your home windows, however a success withinside the head with a hammer or hearthplace extinguisher will truly smash their night time.
For this reason, I constantly sleep with a hammer on my nightstand subsequent to my sleeper. Consider what you’ll do if a person does open your doorways. In my International or in a few Kenworths the sleeper home windows may be used as an break out hatch. The Freightliner Cascadia home windows are so small my leg could not fit, so break out is not possible. At that factor, a combat to the loss of life goes to ensue, so constantly have a plan.
When I heard that man on my catwalk, the primary factor I concept became that I may want to strangle him with my extension twine or trailer air hoses. When we pressure we constantly consider an “out” for emergencies, accidents, or silly drivers reducing us off. But we additionally want an “out” in the occasion a person desires to do us harm.
Many of you’re navy veterans and are in all likelihood arising with alternatives I have not mentioned. Others are in all likelihood appalled and terrified that I’ve positioned this plenty concept into this. Others are wondering I’m simply undeniable loopy and there may be no manner any folks may want to do this, which includes me.
Well I’ve had a gun positioned to my head 3 times, however became by no means shot because of my short wondering. One silly and poorly professional mugger attempted to tug my handbag off my shoulder and once I stabbed him with my automobile key and kicked him repeatedly, he became arrested. The officer laughed and recommended the fellow plead responsible as to now no longer be embarrassed in courtroom docket on the video photos of him getting beat via way of means of a girl.
After Sept. 11 whilst on a layover in the Vegas airport, I said a suspicious guy with a bundle in his bag. He saved fidgeting and his intended itinerary had him undergo 10 exceptional US towns in much less than 2 weeks. He additionally claimed to be from Belize, however his passport became from Columbia. When I said him, the police walked via way of means of however did now no longer even query him.
An hour later, he dropped his bag and some thing fell out of his bag. It gave the impression of some thing Rambo might’ve had. I yelled, “Gun!” and tackled that guy to the floor. I quickly located myself in custody for assaulting a person over a water pistol, a reasonably practical water pistol that ought to by no means are becoming beyond security.
My factor is, you by no means understand what you’re able to till it happens. Always be organized, constantly be alert, and constantly have a plan. No one goes to attend to you out right here however you. Although I might also additionally have painted a dismal photo of lifestyles at the road, the fact is, risks lie everywhere. Even at home, the fellow round the corner may be a serial killer. None of John Wayne Gacy’s pals suspected him of getting 30 lifeless our bodies under his floors. Suspect everyone, accept as true with no one, and constantly be organized.