Lot lizard graphic from topsimages.com
Now picture another truck driver who arrived at the truck stop earlier, only to have the first guy park beside him. This driver wants nothing but an evening of peace and quiet, a decent dinner in his truck, a hot shower and a Leafs or Raptors game on the satellite radio. This driver is me.
I don’t care anything about the first driver. What he does on his own time is his own business, so long as it doesn’t affect me in the least. I certainly don’t want to see or hear about his ‘company.’
I Want To Pretend That I Didn’t See Anything
Unfortunately, this brings me to an evening a few weeks at my favourite Pilot truck stop in Gaffney, South Carolina. As usual, I parked in the far back corner of the lot. Typically, that’s where you get the most seclusion and least disturbance from the noise and headlights of the incoming trucks in the fuel aisles.
I was sitting in driver’s seat at around eleven o’clock, trying to decide if I should lie down in my bunk. I was fiddling with the radio and looking around when a car pulled around the corner.
There aren’t many cars in truck stop parking lots, so when you see one you take notice. The car stopped in front of my truck, so I was especially interested. Out stepped a 20-something slim redhead girl with medium length hair, wearing a grey sweatshirt. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and walk to the truck to my right, belonging to the first driver. I didn’t look too hard or too long at her because I was embarrassed for her. I suspected the obvious: she was a lot lizard.
What Is A Lot Lizard?
Many of you reading this – including my Facebook friends – won’t know about the infamous lot lizard. I offer a base description because no other description can ‘pretty up’ the reality. A lot lizard is a woman – or girl – who has sex with truck drivers in exchange for money. So, a hooker for truckers. Here’s an article that covers much of what you might want to know about them.
Until doing research for this article, I honestly had no clue how to contact a lot lizard. You won’t find many roaming around truck stops or roadside rest areas. Not from what I’ve seen. My more experienced colleagues say the same. I’ve learned that truckers usually hook up with them via CB radio. I didn’t know this because I don’t use my CB. I tried experimenting with it early on in my training but heard mostly profanity-laced tirades. So, I haven’t used it since.
Devil Woman Let Me Be
Back to my regrettable evening…
Repulsive, right? Here’s a young girl with a much older dude and the only thing separating me from them – from IT – is metal. Thankfully, truck bunks are fairly noise proof, especially with truck engines running all around me. So, I didn’t have to worry about hearing anything.
Still, it was happening, and because of it, there went my evening of minding my own business, not expecting that anything remotely interesting or unusual was going to happen to me or near me. I was certainly determined that it wasn’t any of my damn business. There wasn’t much to do but ignore this ode to depravity. Obviously, it would end soon, because, well, you know…
In my nearly two years as a long-haul truck driver, I’ve had minimal interaction with lot lizards. Most notably, I recall one who knocked on my door while I was parked in the very full Pilot truck stop in Troutman, North Carolina. She sticks out because she wasn’t like most of the others I’ve seen or heard about. She was particularly pretty: slim, blonde and wearing a nice sundress suitable for the hot summer evening. She asked if I need company and I said no. I knew right away that I responded abruptly, though I didn’t mean to. I was surprised and embarrassed. She left saying, “I’m just trying to make a living.” Or something like that. I can’t recall her exact words but I remember regretting that I wasn’t more polite.
The Sex Trafficking Plight
When I posted an earlier version of this article on Facebook, I figured I would get comments such as “Interesting. I didn’t know about lot lizards” or “Whoa, that really happens?” I didn’t think I would learn anything important. But I did. My uncle, a truck driver, pointed me to the possibility that this incident may have been a case of sex trafficking – meaning that the girl may not have been there of her own free will. He told me of an organization called Truckers Against Trafficking that aims to combat the exploitation of victims.
Suddenly I was reminded of stickers I see regularly on the mirrors in the men’s restroom at the Rocky Gap Rest Area in Virginia. They advise visitors to be on the lookout for victims of human trafficking. Here’s how to recognize the signs of a victim.
As I said to my uncle, I’ll keep a close eye out in the future. The next time I come across suspected trafficking, I’ll get a description of the car and a license plate number. Then I’ll call local police. It’s the least I can do now that I’m better informed.
Let Me Be Clear
Another Facebook friend reminded me to be careful not to stigmatize sex workers by calling them names and referring to them as unclean, which I did in the original article.
To be specific, I said the following: “I would never be with a lot lizard. My reasons are: firstly, I’m what you call a serial monogamist. I’m married to an amazing woman and I don’t need any outside help. I can’t wait to get home to her every weekend. Secondly, the idea of being with a woman who may not be clean – inside and out – turns me off. Never mind that these women have intimate – albeit brief – relations with fat, sweaty older men.”
Regarding the first point, it’s 100 per cent true and needs no revision. But I feel I was too flippant on the second point. Upon deeper consideration, I want to clarify my feelings. The truth is, I don’t know anything about these women. Obviously, if they had better prospects they wouldn’t be having sex with a stranger in a cramped truck bunk.
As for the term “lot lizard,” it’s simultaneously lyrical and distasteful. It rolls off the tongue easily and catches people’s attention. But, like an Internet meme, it doesn’t provide context or nuance. Sure, there are women who have sex at truck stops in exchange for whatever rate they can get. Then there’s the professional sex worker whose occupation ought to be legalized and legislated. The difference between the two is subjective and I know too little to have an opinion. This much is clear: both should be protected from violence and sordid working conditions. Dedicated people are trying all the time to make this happen all over North America.