So, here I sit in Edinburg, TX (just north of McAllen) at the Loves TS. I'm parked right behind the fuel islands, sitting, waiting, begging for a load, somewhat bored.
I notice a couple of young men walking into the parking lot off the street. They both walk across in front of the fuel islands where the trucks have pulled forward and parked. I watch as one of them checks the driver's door of one of the trucks while the other jumps up on the catwalk. The guy on the catwalk makes a jesture to the other he immediately follows. They both dissappear out of my sight, but I never see anybody leave the other side of the truck. I can see under the trailer from where I'm sitting and nobody leaves from the other side.
I sit here for a minute realizing that those are probably illegals and they are trying to hitch a ride on that truck somehow. I have read somewhere (on EO?) about someone finding illegals under the roof fairing on a truck. I also remember the signs at the border patrol checkpoint north of Laredo stating that you can loose your CDL for life if your caught transporting illegals.
So anyways, (this is where I messed up..to some extent) I get out and walk along the back of the trailers at the fuel isalnd and I can see an arm or something laying flat against the roof of the truck under the cab fairing. I go inside and ask the first driver that is walking out if that is his blue Volvo out there and it is. I tell him what I just witnessed. He looked like he had seen a ghost. He went out there run them off and somebody from the truckstop run them off the property.
I only wish I had asked the desk clerk to call Border Patrol. I would think the driver would have waited. I could tell the desk clerk was wanting to call the police or something, but the driver had already run them off before anything could be done. I should have done it a little different I guess. The main thing I was concerned about was the driver getting nailed at the check station.
Moral of the story. If your anywhere near a border town, you need to keep a close eye out for anything suspicous around your truck. Keep the doors locked and keep the box locked on your straight truck. If I had a truck with a cab fairing where there is an open space for someone to hide out in, I would probably find a way to seal the area off somehow. Especially after what I witnessed today.
They were up there in less than 15-20 seconds probably and you had to look really cose to see them. All I could make out was an arm laying on the top of the cab. Those cab fairings have a lot more room under them than you realize.
I notice a couple of young men walking into the parking lot off the street. They both walk across in front of the fuel islands where the trucks have pulled forward and parked. I watch as one of them checks the driver's door of one of the trucks while the other jumps up on the catwalk. The guy on the catwalk makes a jesture to the other he immediately follows. They both dissappear out of my sight, but I never see anybody leave the other side of the truck. I can see under the trailer from where I'm sitting and nobody leaves from the other side.
I sit here for a minute realizing that those are probably illegals and they are trying to hitch a ride on that truck somehow. I have read somewhere (on EO?) about someone finding illegals under the roof fairing on a truck. I also remember the signs at the border patrol checkpoint north of Laredo stating that you can loose your CDL for life if your caught transporting illegals.
So anyways, (this is where I messed up..to some extent) I get out and walk along the back of the trailers at the fuel isalnd and I can see an arm or something laying flat against the roof of the truck under the cab fairing. I go inside and ask the first driver that is walking out if that is his blue Volvo out there and it is. I tell him what I just witnessed. He looked like he had seen a ghost. He went out there run them off and somebody from the truckstop run them off the property.
I only wish I had asked the desk clerk to call Border Patrol. I would think the driver would have waited. I could tell the desk clerk was wanting to call the police or something, but the driver had already run them off before anything could be done. I should have done it a little different I guess. The main thing I was concerned about was the driver getting nailed at the check station.
Moral of the story. If your anywhere near a border town, you need to keep a close eye out for anything suspicous around your truck. Keep the doors locked and keep the box locked on your straight truck. If I had a truck with a cab fairing where there is an open space for someone to hide out in, I would probably find a way to seal the area off somehow. Especially after what I witnessed today.
They were up there in less than 15-20 seconds probably and you had to look really cose to see them. All I could make out was an arm laying on the top of the cab. Those cab fairings have a lot more room under them than you realize.
