Breaking News – Virginia - Life on the Road

Breaking News – Virginia

Posted on Jun 23, 2009 - 11:50am by Marshall J. Gruskin in Trucking

So drivers – Linda Sunkle-Pierucki, in her excellent piece, just updated us on the latest with the VDOT and the whole Virginia rest area/trucking parking issue. But that’s not the whole story. LifeOnTheRoad has, since this whole shpilkis began, developed a “source” working deep inside the VDOT. We refer to him as “Deep Clutch.” And this, my no place to park a truck in Virginia friends, is the rest of the story.

The VDOT – Virginia Department of Transportation and the VDOC – Virginia Department of Corrections will be merging. Jobs will be lost, services will be streamlined, but the bottom line is that this iconoclastic move will save gazillions of millions of Virginia taxpayer dollars. Many Virginia civil service employees, formerly with the VDOT & VDOC, will easily gain new employment in “our” rapidly expanding Federal government. Thousands of positions have recently become available in bank management, auto manufacturing and health care administration.

If you follow what is reported here in LifeOnTheRoad and over on the OOIDA site, you know that a spokesperson for the VDOT recently said that truckers should really seek motel rooms for the night rather than illegally park in one of Virginia’s soon to be closed rest areas. Truckers who “travel” through Virginia know well of their arrogant and overly aggressive nitpicking DOT, State and local police officers, the lack of safe parking, small crowded truck stops and never closing weigh stations. It’s always been clear that Virginia hates truckers.

Well, that’s all in the past with the VDOT and VDOC merging. Now Virginia can do what it wanted all along with truckers – incarcerate them – albeit – temporarily. Yes, trucks in Virginia will now be required to park at any one of 40 correctional facilities conveniently located around the state. One such facility – the Pocahontas State Correctional Center is right off I77N. Warden Stan Young has told “Deep Clutch” that he welcomes truckers to his facility. “There is plenty of parking here and we have spare cells – I mean rooms – and group showers for truckers staying overnight. We can even offer drivers a decent meal for $1.50″ says Young. He added that he has had many truckers stay at his “place” in the past. “It will be good to see old friends again” Drivers will still shave to worry about inspections, log book checks, etc. as correctional officers will now be doubling as prison guards and DOT officers. Once again, Virginia is for lovers – and – truckers.