Residents in the small town of Ramsay, Montana are up in arms about a proposed truck stop and they’re making their voices heard. They may be protesting a truck stop, but what they’re saying sheds a light on how the public really sees truck drivers.
The town is home to just 39 households which locals call idyllic and compare to Mayberry, the fictional town from the Andy Griffith Show. It also happens to be right next to the intersection of I-90 and I-15. So naturally, it’s well positioned for a truck stop.
Seeing the opportunity, Love’s has proposed a new location with 137 parking spaces, a 9,000-square-foot tire center, and a 9,000-square-foot store space with room for two restaurants.
Residents however were concerned about the idea, so when Love’s real estate manager Steve Walters hosted a meeting to answer their questions about the proposed truck stop. People showed up, signs already painted with slogans such as “No Love For Love’s” and “No Truck Stop, No Crime.” One sign which was held by a young girl read “My Safety is More Important than your Truck Stop!!!”
Residents spoke out about their concerns, saying that they were worried about safety and an increase in traffic, pollution, and noise.
One woman stood up to say she was worried that the truck stop would bring beggars and prostitution. Then another woman from a nearby town said; “We’ve already discussed all the bad things that can happen, all the bad people that can come in. Would you want that for your daughter?”
Walters was quick to point out all the benefits that the new facility would bring to the town. Benefits that include 60-80 new jobs, increased tax revenue, and new clients for local businesses. Walters pointed out that in the first year of operation alone, the local school would receive an additional $15,000 in tax revenue.
He also explained that roads would be improved to accommodate large vehicles, bridges would be built, and the local sewer system would be upgraded, all paid for by the company. He laid out the procedures that would be put in place to keep the facilities safe and reduce noise and light pollution.
But the gathered residents were still resisting.
“Bottom line: We do not want this structure – this facility built right next to our houses,” said Roland Rees in an interview with KECI, a local NBC station in Montana.
Brenda Clark, a Ramsay resident, said that it wasn’t that they had anything against Love’s as a company, just that they wanted to protect their way of life.
Source: mtstandard, mtstandard, nbcmontana, mtstandard
This place is practically across the interstate from Butte. Literally just a smattering of houses in some hills. They made it sound like some cute little town with a main street and quaint little shops. Here’s a solution. Go to the other side of Butte and build. It might be three miles. If you build it, truckers will come.
Don’t deliver anything to the town…let em’ get their own fuel and groceries and anything else that has to be trucked in….see how fast that tune changes
No I disagree I wouldn’t even want a truck stop next to my house either ! Why because all the traffic day and night and the noise. Pick a better location away from homes !
I agree! I’m a trucker and as much as i like a nice new fully loaded truck stop with plenty of parking? I would not want it close to my house! A few blocks away is cool so i wont hear the jakes when they exit the hwy. But still close enough where i can still enjoy it.
I wouldn’t want a truck stop next to my house either, and I am a trucker. However I wouldn’t mind it a couple of miles outside of town.
And your right. Who really would want trucks idling all night next to their window. Kinda takes away privacy of your dwell spot. But all in all there has to be something done about truck safe havens. More ppl, more product used, more products hauled, more trucks on the road. Parking +electronic logs, a high conflict, but we’re not wanted. Shut em down and Not hammer down. And then let’s see who wins.
It’s at the junction of two interstates, pretty sure the truck traffic is already there
But they are not stopping, attracting prostitutes or idling all day/night.
Prostitution? I’m assuming ur a trucker Lance so my question to you is, how many lot lizards have you seen at truck stops lately? Hardly any. Personally I’ve never seen one in Montana. Except for a few metro type areas, lot lizards are a thing of the past. Why would someone slink around a truck stop anymore when they can post an ad on Craigslist or Backpages and get 3x the money that way.
Wonder if the girls charge the drivers more money since they have to work in a harsh environment in the winter. I would think having sex wearing a snowmobile suit could be problematic. von.
Hahahaha…sick dude…lmao!
For better or worse, you don’t see many prostitutes at the corporate truck stops, and only occasionally at the independents. And, if this place is in the middle of nowhere, where do these people think the prostitutes and beggars will come from, if not from their own town?
Prostitution should be legalized anyway. Every problem associated with it is a result of its being illegal, and anyway, the government has no business regulating personal morality to begin with.
Not all truck stops have lizards you don’t want idling put in idle air
I’m so sick and tired of these people who thinks these products and goods just seem to magically appear on their local grocery shelves….or the toys that Timmy wants for Christmas….etc. Do I like staying in truck stops….no….but you make the best of what you got out here taking care of these ungrateful pricks and bitches called consumers
Not on the locale streets though. I’ve seen drivers haul around prostatutes from stop to stop. Plus would you want your town to smell like piss, because drivers are too lazy to go inside the store to use the restroom. Pee bottles and bags of shit all over the place. As a general rule, crime does come with truck stops, truck driver’s make easy targets because they don’t watch their surroundings and tend to carry cash. Plus have you seen some of the garbage calling themselves professional drivers? I’ve been driving 15 plus years and have never seen it as bad as it is now.
I Totally agree
About MM16 ON I90 would be a better place. They have a big open area right in the middle.
Having been a user of truck stops for nearly 25 years I can fully sympathize with the towns position. Who wants the litter, bottles of pee and grocery sacks containing human waste that litters the ground of these modern s*** pits.
And what about the increased noise pollution? Don’t get me started on the retards that roll into truck stops at 2am at 20 miles an hour with the jakes blatting all to hell.
I know this smacks of nimbyism I don’t want this near me either so I suggest that if Love’s want to drop a stop in the area move it up a ways to somewhere less confrontational.
Well said. Kudos. I’ve been out here since 71, industry is getting worse and little to no courtesy. After a few months the piss smell alone will take you breath from the parking lot.
Got to agree with you. There is an element in the trucking world that doesn’t give a damn about anybody but themselves. They think nothing of throwing a peebottle out of the window of dumping in a plastic bag and tossing it out onto the parking lot. It is why Walmart has clamped down on parking. I think this problem could be addressed. I would report someone in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile let’s be honest about the lot lizard angle. This is blown all out of proportion. Hardly a serious problem at all except in certain locations that are fairly predictable and it isn’t Montana.
Let the trucks pass them by… Permanently… Let’s see how long they love doing without the necessities of living. I also believe that locating the trucker a few miles away wouldn’t hurt their way of life. I Also live in a community such as this. We have a medium size truck stop and there is no drama from it.
I agree with you Richard although unlikely anything will happen. This community is probably composed of wealthy types who consider themselves far above the likes of you and me. Lily white types that wouldn’t know what physical work was if you hit them on the head with it. Removing the benefits of trucking from them is a sweet idea but impracticable. I especially liked the ‘safety’ angle – again – on the poster. That crap has been so done to death that it means nothing. Peter and the wolf and all that. Enough with bring up safety it has nothing to do with anything anymore.
The town would get by just fine, bottom line is the majority of truck stops are not desirable, too many things that Loves cannot control can and will happen.
I don’t see what exactly their saying is wrong with a truck stop. Large main stream truck stops don’t inhabit prostituting anymore. Yeah maybe a decade ago but it has died out. Ppl fear what they dont know. And a truckers life style is something they should consider, which is not a bad thing like they spruce it up to be,trucking is America’s heart beat. But those same ppl want the products truckers hauling. Open your eyes and see the light. Ex police, ex military all are truckers but you’ll cry American only in a heartbeat. That’s why so many foreigners are hauling now. Could that be their song cry? Idk
I totally get this.
I ? Trucking Industry
They said the truck stop would bring beggers & prostitution!! Well if it does then those beggers and prostitutes are coming from your town you dumb MF’s!! What you think…. that truck drivers are bringing them to your town and dropping them off?? Some people!! Smh
I knew a driver that came north out of Ga. and he had 6 girls in his truck.He would drop them off at different truck stops and pick them up on his return. His reason was that he made enough money with them earning it to pay for his fuel and they got a share too. fuel was .35 per gallon.
Much of general truck-stop prostitution is imported as Mike already said. As for this particular situation, it sounds like this town hasn’t got those problems, and doesn’t want them. A truck stop would attract that type of thing from other towns, which would then spill over into this town. I totally get their objections, and would share them vehemently in the same situation. If Loves (or anyone else) wants to take advantage of the traffic at that intersection (as a businessman myself, I would want to as well), then either use or build a road that leads a couple miles away from this town and put the truck stop there, if the residents agree to that compromise.
Lmao!!! I guess truck drivers transport beggars and prostitutes as loads now.
Wonder if you still get paid by the mile or by the ho?
Yes Chris the concept is ridiculous, couldn’t agree more.
I just recently started saving these type of anti-truck towns as locations in Google maps. Need groceries? Go get them yourself.
Well said driver, i was thinking the same thing…lol
Montana is a dead state with barely any truck stops!! Truck drivers should stop delivering to Montana and let the people of that state go get their product somewhere else!! They can drive to canada for all i care!
I have been a truck driver for 5 years, I haven’t had 1 load of beggars and prostitutes.
Or, are they saying thar is us!!!
Hell no, no Truck Stop, Loves can build it out of town, wouldn’t want trash in my little town either.
Very, very simple solution to this problem. Stop all deliveries, groceries, clothing, building supplies, and most importantly, all petroleum products. Let this idiots get cold and hungry for a while. Maybe they will change their attitudes towards truck drivers. And if they don’t, let them foot the cost of putting in the railroad.
I don’t blame them a bit. Trouble is, geography, which was idyllic when the town was founded, is now their enemy. Only 10 miles from Butte and at an intersection of two interstates, their future is already written. Get used to civilization (even if it includes nasty ol’ truckers) or move.
I have been a driver for over 36 years, and I have to admit that I would not like to have a truck stop next door, as far as the beggars and prostitutes, that does not go on as much as most people say now days. There is some but, not as much as there was 30 years ago. Most of the beggars now days are crack whores from there own town. I also have to say that there is a lot of drivers that are pigs and don’t care about anything except themselves, and that is questionable.
It’s amazing at how many people don’t understand how trucks impact their lives. It’s stories like this that make me wish trucks could just shut down for a couple weeks, I think the ignorant people will start to realize how important trucks are to the economy and their life’s. A shut down will not occur because of the impact of would have on the already weak economy, it could very well set off another great depression, if course ignorant people such as this town will not understand how that could happen.
As far as them, and comments, referring to drivers as low lifes….if your in that town or commented that in the comments, your in the ignorant group. Are there low lifes in trucking, of course, just like any other profession, including the one your in. There are lots of drivers out there doing a thankless job to support their, as you say it, low life families. They are away from their families weeks at a time in many cases so they can support their family, they are doing a job and not living off the welfare system. Before you go off calling truckers low lifes, maybe you should stop and call yourself a low life for grouping all the decent hard working truck drivers missing countless hours with their families into one group of low lifes.
Well those family loving drivers need to start turning in the drivers that don’t know what trash cans and bathrooms are. I see it all the time and shame the companies for the actions of their drivers. I have pulled into parking spots and run over bags of poop and bottles of peep more times than I like to remember. The thing that proves these people’s point is that 40 feet away is a trash can and a lazy dirty driver can’t get his diabetes, over weight butt out of his truck and walk to one of the many cans around the lot. I have been to many of a Love’s truck stop were a guy will drive through the lot in a Minivan full of girls dropping them off and picking them up all night long.
Clean up the drivers and people will be more appt to except these hard working family loving peep bottle, bags of poop pigs into there little home towns.
This coming from a long time driver.
I believe many of these drivers really don’t know tossing trash on the ground is not ok. Watched a driver pull out of the fuel isle with trash cans, open his door empty his ashtray and dump his sunflower seeds on the driveway. Honestly, I don’t think he knew better.
Truck driving is a high stress job, and necessary if we don’t want to back up to 1800’s systems. Those who never drove a big truck do not realize it’s much higher stress than driving a car with much higher consequences for slight wrong moves. Drivers need rest and recovery, the truck stop provides what they can of it. A little walking in the others shoes in understanding might help. Unfortunately selfish thinking predominates. If they want real peaceful surroundings they better move way out somewhere away from population and highways.
Their. ‘Way of Life’ does Not include growth for their children. They are Stereo typing Truck Stops and Drivers.
Opportunity for Town to have Job of Security to Protect Drivers and THEIR Children/Town’s growth.
This same thing went on when Loves wanted to put a truck stop on I-35 in Iowa near Story City. The locals thru up the very same resistance for the same reasons. I live in Iowa, about 50 miles from Story City, and I refuse to deliver or pickup anything in and around Story City now. Will not even stop in the area in my car or pickup to get a cup of coffee when traveling thru the area.
@ Paul. You do not know much about Truck Stops. I live in Harrisburg, PA. The State and Local police are always arresting women being brought in from other states, staying in local hotels being being handled by there pimps. They have also busted national prostitution rings involved in sex trafficking of minors. Not including one pimp being shot to death in his hotel room for infringing on a pimps territory from Ohio, near the TA at Harrisburg. In answer to your question, of course the pimps will be dropping off their girls. Lets not forget drivers that their wives and girlfriends are prostitutes.
PA is one thing, Montana another. Harrisburg is an actual city, and PA is much more heavily populated, especially in the east.
10 miles from the big hole in the ground known as Butte, and they’re worried about their ‘way of life’. They don’t have anything local as far as business goes so I guess they’re just another bunch of low-income redneck meth-heads living in a suburb of nowhere. Maybe we should show up and tell them our opinion of their town….
The town’s reasoning doesn’t hold up because they live on a blanking interstate. I understand the sentiment but they literally can’t see the forest for the trees.
As a 30 year plus driver this story sickens me. Criminals wouldn’t be selling
drugs and women at truck stops if there wasn’t a market for it. I see a lot
of anger in posts against the general public when they say no to big trucks
being around but little recognition on why. Come on guys, anyone who has
driven trucks for any length of time has seen the piss bottles and crap bags
thrown out the windows of trucks, trucks with straight pipes thundering through towns at night with jack roaring and the garbage everywhere trucks park not to mention the tail gating and bullying out on the freeway. Some of the most childish behaviors I have ever witnessed have been from other
truck drivers and most of you would say the same if your honest with
yourselves. If we wish to be treated better and get some respect we have
to act better and unfortunately accept the consequences of the actions
of a few entitled idiots that give all truckers a bad name. The day we
refuse to use prostitutes, use a garbage bag and throw our trash away, and behave like professionals we will probably be treated like professionals.
100% agree.
Couldn’t have said it better myself as a trucker ..it literally was the sickest thing I’ve ever seen walking across the truck stop parking smelling piss ,and bags of crap just thrown on the ground …how many of you have been on I-10,in California and seen the hundreds of piss bottles thrown onto the shoulder of the road .
They have 39 households!!! Oh the drug dealers,prostitutes, and lowlifes are already packing up and heading to that booming metropolis!!! You can bet the residents from those 39 households will shop there. What those people should be doing is buying more land to sell in the future. Cause the next thing coming is a Walmart. Buy low sell high. Those people are sitting on a gold mine and are too blind to see it.
New markets will always attract new clients and providers. All a lizard needs is to hear of a new stop opening and hitch a ride with one of her Johns. 137 parking spots is a lot of trucks!
They Need cameras and fines for trash and dog waste
There are already two truck stops 4 miles east of the proposed location and I’ve never had a problem finding a place to park at either one. It’s not like there’s no options in the area for drivers to stop. I’ve not been to a truck stop free of piss bottles and trash scattered everywhere. I wouldn’t want it in my neighborhood either.
Figures they are looking at trucking of old. I haven’t seen a prostitute in a truck stop for a long time (major city’s exclude). As for noise i can arrange a 8v92 Detroit with straight pipes. Beggars on the other hand….. that intersection is way out there so i really don’t see an issue. Just a bunch of whiners who should look at the bigger picture of jobs and improved infrastructure insted of all of the negitaves.
There is no real solution to the mater pi bottle and garbage on the side of the road that could be from big truck drivers but also from the population.
Not to forget the more refugees that will become truck drivers are ue to crap in the wilderness in their country and it will not change.
Walmart was the best place for these people and they ruined it for all of us.
I’m a trucker and honestly I understand them. It’s a tiny quiet town and all of a sudden you want to slap one of the bigger sized Love’s in the country right there? Complete with piss bottles, reefers, APU, idling trucks, tire shop ruffle, people who “ran out of gas” every day of the week at the same spot…
And besides there are the two Town Pump/Pilot and Flying J just half a mile east of the Intersection. They’re absolutely huge and never full, have all the service and are away from housing. I drive I-15 every week so I know the place well enough.
Love’s could probably find a much better spot.
i understand what the community is saying trucks bring some degree of problems. But i think that should be discussed with the local police department to come up with a plan or maybe the FBI. Truckers have to realize who want some of the other things that are not mention pee bottles,trash and rude un professional drivers the list go on look at some of the other truck stops, poles knock down sleepy or drug up drivers driving around in their town.I,am not knocking anyone here i been driving for over 30yrs and we as professional drivers should take blame on how the public view us.It’s getting more and more difficult for truckers to find a place to eat and a safe place to rest and it’s start with these big greedy truck stops that truckers are making rich.The town leaders should put harsh laws and fines that prohibit any unnecessary business on truck stops grounds
Great another truckstop where we dont need one.
Why do they keep putting these things out in the middle of nowhere we need truckstops closer to citys where people actually need to park.
You have had the best comment by leaps and bounds. I agree 100%
What or where are the PROSTITUTE at truck stops?
In my over 20 plus years a got few offers and no more.
If they talking about noise or pollution that I can get it but nothing else.
But even that with new trucks those became a thing of history.
Traffic it might be the biggest problem even on small little town or what ever they have.
People are always going to complain about truck stops being built in their community…But once their built…Who are the first ones to darken the doors, and have their family eating at the truck stop…Loves will offer a compromise, and if they still refuse…Then the economic boost to their economy will be lost…Somehow some way Loves will get the permit to build it.
Loves should build the other side of town and start a first. Facilities designed to keep a truck warm at night if need be. Loves adds a hotel and on site security. Truckers stay at hotel get a 1/4 -1/2 tank of fuel for 1 nights stay.
…of course the hotel would have to have the following: 24hr restaurant, outdoor pool , indoor heated pool, whirlpools, saunas, maybe a casino.
Benefits: city /state revenue, employment, less pollution
I would be against it also, the industry needs to police itself, If you look around at some of the stickers and other crap guys put on their truck to look cool and tough, and let’s not forget the ones that walk around smelling like a goat, it’s no wonder the general public doesn’t want anything to do with it. The argument of we just won’t haul it into your town is an empty threat, OTR could go away and nobody would miss it, all that stuff can be brought in on trains and planes and delivered by people that live in town.
Trains and planes don’t go as many places really as you seem to believe. And the little box trucks can’t transport the quantities of a large semi truck. Please try to think things through completely before posting your fact-free opinions and looking foolish.
You can’t really be this naive. “OTR could go away and nobody would miss it, all that stuff can be brought in on trains and planes and delivered by people that live in town.” Or can you?
Everybody knows drivers can’t afford hookers,.
I can but won’t, ethics matters.
I agree. I am a truck driver. I have driven for over 20 yrs. I have seen pro’s and cons for truck stops, Wal marts or any other business. The truck drivers that are out here today do not respect peoples property. Not all drivers but they know who they are. They trash peoples property, leave piss bottles everywhere. They run all over the land scaping. They also run through the parking lots of businesses, truckstops and through neighborhoods like they are on a race track. You cannot control the people on the Loves, property or any other properties for that fact. The hourly and drayage companies and company drivers with a few owner operators. There is a serious problem in the trucking industry. People that do the things mentioned need to be prosecuted to the furthest extant of the law. The people and drivers that try to do the right things are having the trucking industry reputation smeared in the dirt. The people need to be fired and removed from the trucking industry. The Safety out here is so laxidazical it not funny. The ones that do it right thanks. To those that I speak of straiten up or get the Hell out of the industry. Quit ruining it for the ones that care and take pride.
If there’s flying J a mile up the road why do you need a loves right there like Mike said another truck stop where you dnt new one…leave these pple to themselves and put a truck stop in the NE where there’s not ever a place to park a big rig
True, “put a truck stop in the NE where there’s not ever a place to park a big rig”
When I was out there that was possibly the worst part of going NE.
Build it, and they’ll come..blah blah blah!
To hell with them. Tired of people looking down on us professional drivers. I think all truck drivers should refuse to deliver to that town. When businesses close and they have to drive 20 or more miles to work or to even get a gallon of milk they will realize how important what we do is. When I stop my truck I shower, eat, sleep. I do not polite or cause any trouble. If I need to stop to use the facilities, I always spend money on drinks or food (feel guilty otherwise).
If this small segment of society feels this way about truck drivers, imagine how a larger polling of people feel. I think it’s time drivers, which Includes me, change the publics perception of us.
I worked several years for a law enforcement agency in a west Georgia county off I-20 which had three truck stops inside county jurisdiction. Each of these truck stops greatly contributed to increased crime in their areas. Drivers are rountinely busted for DUI (usually under influence of meth), busted for selling drugs (usually meth), busted for causing disturbances at surrounding businesses (usually shoplifting or public intoxication), etc. The parking lots and surrounding areas are always full of “piss/fecal bombs” and smell of such. As for lot lizards/homeless people/drifters, etc, they are always being brought in by drivers who will dump them at the truck stops and we have to deal with them-many times ending in arrests for felony offenses. Don’t even get me started about the drivers traveling through areas where trucks are not allowed and destroying landscaping/private property which occurrs almost weekly. Yes, I can fully understand why someone does not want a truckstop in their neighborhood, or in their community for that matter! And before the haters start typing, my father is a driver and has been for almost 30 years! I also have a couple of ex-law enforcement friends who now drive OTR. And my father and my two friends will not hesitate to tell anyone how crappy the “professionalism” has become in the trucking industry! Something to think about next time you toss a piss bomb, dump your hooker off at the Flying J or or tear up some landscaping and hope no one saw you! Want to be treated like a professional-start acting like it and hold other drivers accountable as well!