SIGHTS
A sizable parking lot filled with big vehicles (semitrailers, motor homes, buses, cars pulling trailers or campers, moving trucks), flags flying on rooftops, a convenience store that also sells trucker merchandise (small electronics such as coffee makers and TV/DVD players, portable heaters, videos, audio books, music, road maps, CBs, satellite radio receivers, laundry detergent), a sit-down diner, fast food restaurants, restrooms, shower facilities, a laundromat, an arcade, truck and car washes, a motel nearby, neon signs and bright lights, tall interstate signs indicating the restaurants and services that are provided at a given exit, lines of trucks at the fuel islands, truckers crossing the parking lot, truck lights reflecting off wet asphalt, pavement stained with grease and oil, puddles, drivers walking their dogs on small green spaces, big rigs with the hoods up, trucks lit up with running lights at night, vehicles passing by on the nearby highway or interstate, truckers congregating outside to have a smoke, drivers exiting restaurants with take-home bags and plastic cups, debris in the parking lot (cigarette butts, candy wrappers, crushed soda cans, blown leaves)
SOUNDS
The rumble of big engines (idling, accelerating, decelerating), the rattle and stutter of a truck engine starting up, squealing brakes, truck doors slamming shut, horns blaring, wheels crunching over gravel and small stones, nearby interstate or highway traffic, truckers calling out to one another, chains clanking, exterior storage cubbies being open or shut, the scrape of shoes on concrete, flags flapping in the breeze, the sound of bells or chimes as store doors scrape open, the clatter of pump nozzles sliding into tanks, gas pumps clicking off, the buzz of parking lot lights, music playing over an intercom system or from nearby trucks, beeps and alarms from an arcade machine
SMELLS
Exhaust, gasoline, grease and oil, wet pavement, hot food, fresh air, cigarette smoke
TASTES
Fast food fare, food from a sit-down restaurant, convenience store wares, cigarettes, gum, exhaust
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
The shudder of a big rig rolling to a stop, being cramped and tired after a long haul, clambering awkwardly out of a cab, walking on stiff legs, aching joints, a cool breeze on the face, gusts of wind from the interstate pulling at one’s clothes, hard concrete under one’s feet, stretching out in a restaurant booth, a belly full of warm food, a soft mattress in a sleeping berth, a cold gas pump, stretching to clean the windshield with a long-handled squeegee, limp clothes and lank hair, a warm shower, hot engines, exhaust scratching one’s throat and nose, wiping one’s hands on a hanky or paper towel after checking the engine, eye strain and fatigue
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Someone breaking into one’s rig
Drug deals in the parking lot
Being propositioned
Being caught in a compromising position in one’s truck
Being far from home and discovering that one’s credit card has been canceled
Getting plowed by a runaway car or truck on the nearby interstate
Loneliness
Feeling punchy from a lack of sleep
Experiencing health problems from one’s job (headaches, backaches, eye strain, joint pain)
Weight gain from eating too much fast food
Trucks going too fast in the parking lot
Deep potholes that damage one’s wheels
Other truckers acting unpredictably
Having one’s rig sabotaged by a driver with a competing trucking company
Frustration from working long hours for little pay
Needing to rest for the night but finding truck stops either shut down or full to capacity
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Prostitutes, truck stop personnel (gas attendants, waiting staff, cooks, management), truckers
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Convenience store, diner, fast food restaurant, laundromat, parking lot
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Truck stops are different from rest areas in that the latter caters more to cars while the former specifically targets trucks and big rigs. Truck stops can be found along most major interstates and some highways; rural stops tend to be smaller with fewer amenities while those close to major cities have more to offer. Some truck stops are seedier than others, providing additional services such as prostitution and the sale of drugs. This stigma, which used to be considered the norm, is now the exception to the rule. The majority of these places are precisely what they should be: safe havens providing legitimate services for patrons who spend most of their time on the road.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
I leaned against the bricks, breathing the rain-scented air and taking careful sips of my decaf. Buzzers dinged from the arcade on the other side of the wall, and the intercom announced that Blade Runner would be starting in the movie room in ten minutes. Another time, I might’ve gone to see it; anything was better than sitting in an empty hotel room flipping through channels on the TV. But tonight I was missing the kids something fierce, and it was easier to think of them out here in the fresh air.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions
Resulting Effects: Establishing mood, reinforcing emotion