For many drivers, Walmart is a one-stop shop for drivers! You can park, got inside and get your groceries and your toiletries and stay for the night.
Yesterday evening, we received a driver tip from Jill R. regarding truck parking at a Walmart store in Marshall, Texas.
The tip stated:
“Hello again CDL Life! You’re prob tired of hearing from us already! As you can see we’re a bit pro-active. Lol But We wanted to bring something up to your attention that we think impacts all drivers, and also think that if drivers became vocal and pro-active in a professional manner about it, maybe we can affect a change. We use an app called Trucker Path, among others, to find truck stops and Walmarts that allow truck parking. At Walmarts, though, regardless, we always seek out the store manager just to make sure truck parking is allowed. This past week we stopped at a Walmart in Marshall, TX that was listed as having overnight truck parking and indeed there were roughly 12 trucks there already. But…as we began to park we noticed several ‘No Truck Parking’ signs. So, we went in and sought out the store manager and asked her to clarify. She said they had allowed truck parking in the past and the signs were new bc customers were complaining that the trucks blocked their views (impossible!!) and that she had just called the police who were on their way and advised us to move the truck to avoid a ticket. She also said beginning Jan 1, 2015 that corporate from Walmart was going to begin implementing a No Truck Parking throughout the entire country. We gasped and voiced our thoughts. She sympathized and said to write and call to headquarters. So, we beat it to the truck, issued a get out of here heads up over the CB, put a note on the trucker path app and promptly wrote a letter and a call to corporate. We find this move appalling and rude! Our plea to you and our fellow drivers is this…Walmart is one of THE only places we have out here on the road that offers us all one-stop shopping for groceries, toiletries, prescriptions/clinic visits, etc. If we won’t fight for the right to parking spaces set aside for us, we will lose what little we already have. That isn’t so much to ask. If we can do so in a polite, professional manner, and are willing to take the time to do so, we think we have a shot. If we can make Walmart grasp the need and at the same time the financial loss on their end, we have a shot. Lastly, if we as drivers will stop leaving such a filthy mess everywhere we go and cleaning up after ourselves and rid truckers of the stigma of public opinion that we are all ‘pigs’ and live like them…we have a shot. Thanks for listening. Again.”
CDLLife reached out to the Walmart in Marshall, Texas and to Walmart’s corporate headquarters.
The manager of the Marshall, Texas Walmart told CDLLife they welcome truck parking. The only thing the store ask is that trucks park at the back of the lot and do not obstruct the flow of traffic.
Aaron Mullins, Walmart Corporate spokesman, told CDLLife that Walmart has no plans to place a company-wide truck parking ban. He said truck parking decisions are made on a store-by-store basis.
“We’re always reviewing the safety at our stores when it comes to traffic,” Mullins said “But there is no plan for a company-wide policy.”
Truck parking bans are not something the company takes lightly. Mullins said stores often look for other ways to resolve parking issues, such as designated truck parking areas.
There are some Walmart locations throughout the U.S. that are independently owned, and the owners of those locations make their own rules, and some of those stores have chosen to prohibit truck parking, however a majority of corporately owned Walmart locations welcome overnight truck parking.
Truck drivers Chis and Heidi O. say that “Walmart has always been more than helpful to us.” Heidi says they frequently park and shop at Walmart locations throughout the country, and that they’ve never had any parking issues.
If you’re planning on parking at a Walmart location, we recommend calling ahead to make sure the store does not have no-truck parking policy.