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Local Roadblocks Nationwide - Truck Stop developers continue to struggle to overcome NIMBYs

🚫 North Carolina: Robeson County Rejects Scaled-Down Truck Stop

A developer in Robeson County tried to bring a truck stop to I-95, Exit 7, even scaling the plan down from 70 parking spots to just 15–20 to address community concerns.
Still, county commissioners shut it down, citing a desire to “keep with the traditionally rural area,” per The Robesonian.

🛠️ Tale Lites Take:
Truckers already struggle to find legal rest areas on I-95. Blocking even a reduced proposal shows just how little awareness some local officials have of the federal rest break reality.

🚫 Detroit-Area Cities Keep Saying “No” to Sheetz

In the span of a single month, Sheetz was denied three times in metro Detroit:

• ❌ Farmington Hills – Approved by the planning commission, rejected by the city council

• ❌ Livonia – City council shut it down

• ❌ Rochester Hills – Denied just before the other two

Despite this losing streak, Sheetz says they’re still pushing forward with plans across Michigan, including a return to Farmington Hills.

🛠️ Tale Lites Take:
If Sheetz, a billion-dollar brand, can’t get approval, what hope does a small operator have? The public wants their Amazon packages, but not the trucks that deliver them.

🚫 Indiana: Hancock County Says “No” to Truck Parking Near Warehouses

Commissioners in Hancock County, Indiana, rejected a proposal for a dedicated truck parking facility. One commissioner stated:

🛠️ Tale Lites Take:
That’s exactly why New Jersey is trying to pass legislation requiring truck parking to be included in new warehouse site plans. More states should follow suit. You can’t build logistics hubs and pretend trucks don’t exist.

📣 Want to share your take or send us photos of denied parking projects near you? I want to hear from you! For Driver Submissions, questions, and comments contact me at: [email protected] or Text me directly at 423-275-2444

Loyalty vs Entitlement - A Post Mortem of Relationships in Trucking

-Annique Lesage

In a world full of sales metrics, KPI’s, funnels, pipelines, automation, content algorithms, AI and VA’s, one thing always stands out as the benchmark of the logistics industry – relationships. The relationship is the golden goose that everyone strives for, whether you’re a broker, a shipper, a driver or a dispatcher. The goal is to get that relationship. But just like any relationship, if obtaining that title is the finish line, you might find the relationship ending before it even begins. The relationship is the starting line! And this race is a challenging one with steep inclines, sudden dips, a lot of bumps, and every so often you get a nice smooth ride with great views and a strong tail wind. As someone who creates content on the subject, coach’s individuals on streamlining their processes and getting out of their own way, a lot of the comments I hear from followers and content consumers in this industry have a common theme – “There’s just no loyalty.” This is a sentiment that is expressed often by the “Old Dogs” of the industry. We all know the ones; they used to be able to just pull up to a dock, give a card, tell a couple bad jokes, shake a hand, and haul their freight. Back in the day, the process was a lot simpler. In the present, with increased supply and lower demand, the days of pulling your truck up to a business dock are long gone. There’s a massive increase in fraud, theft, bad actors and inconsistent rates. As a broker, calling on potential new clients is nearly an impossible task. Your decision makers are far less accessible, sheltered by more gatekeepers, and if you happen to penetrate those barriers, it’s taken as a violation, not an act of valor. Just getting to the person who could change the trajectory of your business is a long, arduous process, and it’s only half the battle. What used to take a few calls to gain rapport, now takes months, team meetings, bidding opportunities through 4PL’s that can go several rounds, or worse, just getting added to a long email blast for a quote on a 300-mile lane that goes to the lowest bidder. Where is the loyalty?! We, as salespeople and business owners, are not, nor were we ever entitled to a customer’s loyalty. If an exchange is transactional, it’s not truly a relationship. Having a great working relationship is one thing, but the boundaries are automatically put in place when someone is depending on the other person for their livelihood, or their bottom line. In the end, if needs are not met or budgets are blown, even the best relationships are going to break up. Before that happens though, listen to the whispers. Most customers or providers will start expressing their complaints in the whispers, and when the whispers are not heard, there might be a small silence before the scream. We’ve all had messy breakups or

that one great client that moved on. And if you’re not able to do an honest post mortem of that client, you may say that it came out of nowhere. But did you hear the whispers? Loyalty is the biproduct of a relationship. Respect for that relationship is knowing that you’re not going to be all things, all the time, and understanding that they might need to seek other avenues to meet their needs. Entitlement comes in the form of believing that you should be awarded all their business because of what? Longevity? Good conversations? A couple of dad jokes? That one time you did that one favor? You might have a relationship, but is it positive? Healthy? Respectful? Symbiotic? Are you being taken advantage of? Are you happy with how the relationship is going? That matters just as much. Needs change as businesses grow and conditions change. You may not meet the needs of the relationship in all respects, but loyalty is going to come in the form of the opportunities continuing to be presented to you. Entitlement believes that they should be awarded, no questions asked, without a choice. That could be stifling their growth, and if you were a positive party to the relationship, you wouldn’t want to hold them back, or you’d rise to the challenge of growing with them. Nothing will ruin a relationship faster than entitlement. Period. But nothing strengthens a relationship more than trustworthiness, nor is there a better indicator. Trust and loyalty in this industry is expressed when your customer says, “it’s not going to work for this one, but there will be more to come,” and you confidently trust that there will, and you’ll get the next one.

-Annique Lesage/ Owner Small World Ventures, LLC/ Broker/ Coach/ Trainer/ Content Creator (@smallworldAnnique)/ Consultant - Get $20 off your next booking using the code annique20

Have an opinion? Submit your op/ed today by emailing me at [email protected]

Health Tip of the Week - Don’t Sleep on Vitamin D

Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin” plays a big role in keeping your bones strong, your immune system sharp, and even your mood stable. But most people, let alone drivers don’t get enough. I remember in 2017 being told after routine bloodwork that I was deficient in Vitamin D.

🚛 Why it matters on the road:

• Sitting in a cab all day blocks natural sunlight

• Fast food diets often lack vitamin D-rich options

• Deficiency can lead to fatigue, joint pain, and depression

✅ How to boost your Vitamin D:

• Step outside for 10–15 minutes a day when the sun’s out — no sunglasses, and let your forearms get the rays

• Eat more salmon, eggs, mushrooms, and fortified foods

• Consider a daily supplement (ask your doctor first)

🧠 Pro Tip: Low Vitamin D can make you feel tired even when you’ve had enough sleep, don’t overlook it.

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$50 off your next booking!

Use promo code july4 (all lowercase - one time use) at checkout for $50 off your next Truck Parking Club booking at one of our 2200+ Property Member locations! GOOD UNTIL JUNE 30th!!

Partner Post of the Week

Big shout out to our Partner at Haul Right LLC! Check out this video of one of their drivers strapping down some freight. For $20 off your next booking use his code haulright20

_haulright

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Truck Parking Club Partner Program

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