Truck Drivers And Rest Stop Attendants Are Sharing The Weirdest Things They've Encountered On The Job, And They Range From Funny To Bizarre

The world can be a strange and mysterious place, and I firmly believe that no one knows that better than truckers and those who work at truck stops. Recently, I asked the truck drivers and rest stop attendants of the BuzzFeed Community to share the strangest, most bizarre, and most comical things they witnessed or experienced while on the job, and I'm shell-shocked. Here are some of the most peculiar and surreal stories:

1."I came across this slow driver, so I went over to the next lane to pass them. As I was pulling up, I looked over, and saw that the driver was eating a BOWL OF SOUP. I think she was driving slow to reduce spillage, but, like, put it in a thermos or a bowl with a lid at least? Or maybe don't eat something with liquid while driving??"

2."I'm a company driver, and because we sit so much higher than a lot of other vehicles and drive through a lot of not-so-pleasant areas, we see a bit more than most. Last week, I was at a light, and there was a man clutching his coat closed. Suddenly, he whipped the coat open, and I saw that he had two huge, glittery clamshell pasties over his nipples."

—Julie P., 38, Michigan

3."Not a truck driver, but I work at a rest stop. I had this one regular who was a nice guy and always bought the same thing. One day, he came in with a squirrel sitting in his coat pocket. He kept sneaking it little nuts while shopping. I had to tell him that animals weren't allowed in without a leash, so the next time he came in, he legit had his squirrel wearing a leash and a harness. I saw him around town sometimes with that squirrel perched on his shoulder like a parrot, sometimes wearing little outfits."

4."I worked in the restaurant portion of a truck stop, and my brother's friend Mark worked as the custodian. One day, someone came up and said that the men's restroom needed to be cleaned, so in went Mark. Almost immediately, he came out of the restroom looking like he'd just seen Michael Myers. After putting on the closest thing to a hazmat suit, he stood at the restroom door with a pressure washer and blasted the place. Turns out someone had smeared shit on every surface. EVERY surface — toilets, walls, mirrors, the floor, and somehow even the damn ceiling — was smeared in poop. Poor Mark. It was both terrifying and hilarious."

—graytrees

5."Not me, but my friend who used to truck in the '80s and '90s. One time, he got stuck in the mud while picking up at an Amish farm. He was considering calling a wrecker to help get him out, but then one of the Amish workers told him to stay put. About an hour or so later, this Amish worker came back with a team of six Clydesdale horses. He hooked up my friend's truck to the Clydesdales to get the truck unstuck. He said it was weird but also super cool."

6."I was at a truck stop in Columbia, Missouri, once. My wife and our dog were along with me. Around 2 or 3 in the morning, we were woken up by this random woman who opened the cab doors. Our dog jumped out of bed and made a beeline for the door. She then turned her butt toward the woman before letting out a big fart in her face. Before I could even process what had just happened, the woman was gagging and stumbling away from our truck."

—Anonymous

7."I'm a long-haul trucker, and I've been on the road for 19 years. I've definitely seen my fair share of weird and crazy, but one thing that has always stuck in my mind happened when I was going through Louisville, Kentucky. I looked over at the car beside me and saw this guy full-on playing the guitar while driving! He had a spread of sheet music from door to door, covering every inch of his dash. How he played the guitar while maintaining a speed of 70 mph is beyond me. I just hope he made it to his destination safely."

8."I stopped at a rest stop near Palm Springs, California, one time. When I walked into the restroom, I saw one man standing on a toilet, leaning over the stall and reaching his hand down into the adjacent stall. I must have startled him because he looked at me, jumped off the toilet, and ran out of the restroom. As soon as he left, the person he was grappling with fell off the toilet and slumped onto the floor. I'm not going to lie; I didn't stay around to figure out what was going on. I ran out and jumped right back into my vehicle!"

—Joe, Mesa, Arizona

9."I was watching another driver get out of her truck. When she opened the sleeper door, five chickens came out. She brought them all to her chest, embraced them, and carried them away. I was so confused."

10."You see blowjobs, people flashing you, arguments, things being thrown, and all that other jazz. But one of my all-time favorite things that I've seen was a little dog humping a Subway bag in the front seat."

—u/Nymbus00

11."I used to be a truck stop attendant, and I've been WAITING for an opportunity to tell someone this story because it's haunted me since I saw it unfold. One night, these two female truckers showed up around the same time. They did NOT seem to like each other. They gave each other dirty looks and called each other names; one even tripped the other. An hour later — as they were about ready to leave — one gleefully told me that she put her 'lady days' in the other's water bottle. Horrified, I tried to stop the other woman from drinking from it, but it was too late. She took a big gulp, immediately spat, and screamed. Before I knew it, she connected the dots, and the two began brawling. Security had to escort them out, and I still have no idea what the actual hell went down."

—Lacy, 34, Massachusetts

12."A surprising number of people drive without pants."

13."Picture this: It's 11 p.m., and you're pulling into a stop in Iowa after driving more than 500 miles. Out of nowhere, a man walks out from between two trailers. He's in maroon-colored lingerie — but that's not the strangest part. Atop his head sits a massive, plush, panda head. I hit my brakes so hard and stared for a good 30 seconds. To this day, I wish I had approached him. I have so many questions."

14."A team came in one day asking our mechanic to check out their engine; it appeared to be having trouble. Once the fee was approved, our mechanic pulled the hood of the cab over. Instantly, he jumped back and told the crew to get the fuck out. Turns out, the truck had four drivers. To save themselves time, they had cut a hole in the floor to 'relieve themselves.' There are many problems with that alone, but the main one was that the hole led right to the engine — their urine and feces were eating the aluminum heads, causing the engine to lose power."

—Mike, 50, Portland, Oregan

15."My dad has been a truck driver for over 20 years, and he's told me a lot of stories. My all-time favorite is when he saw a lady with a cutting board in her lap, slicing fruit like she was playing Fruit Ninja. She even had a bowl in the passenger seat in which she put the slices. She was doing all this while driving down the highway — just casually making a damn fruit salad."

16."I was parked on the side of an exit in Missouri, getting some shut-eye. Suddenly, I heard someone knocking on my door. Mind you, it was around 3 in the morning and pitch black outside. There were also no nearby houses or businesses, so I was suspicious and weirded out. I got up, leaned over, and saw an old woman standing outside my cab. I didn't know what to expect. After I rolled the window down slightly, she pressed toward me and said, 'Do you have a water bottle?'"

—Donald Jamison

17."During the COVID lockdown — when people were going absolutely bonkers over toilet paper — the threat of getting hijacked was imminent. One time, I was parked overnight at a big box store, stocked with a load of toilet paper set to be delivered the next day. At 2 in the morning, I was awoken by the sound of smashing glass. Four young men were hell-bent on getting the toilet paper, whether for personal use or to resell. They broke my driver-side window and told me that if I didn't get out of the truck, they were going to kill me (over toilet paper, mind you). Thankfully, the authorities were called, and all four of those guys were arrested. After that, I never wanted to haul toilet paper again."

18."I was stuck in traffic on a cooler day and had the windows down. Suddenly, I heard this heavenly-sounding song coming from outside. I turned down the radio, and I guess there was a choir in a nearby car belting out this beautiful song. I think it was in Latin. I swear, I felt like I was in a movie. It was surreal."

—Anonymous, Indiana

19."I was on my way to unload at a dock. It was around 3 in the morning, so obviously, the sun was nowhere near being up yet. Well, there, in the middle of the road, was a man. He was lying down on the road, supine and unmoving. I called to him and asked what the hell he was doing. He said, 'Getting a tan!' I just maneuvered my way around him."

20.Lastly: "We were going down a dry, straight interstate when suddenly a car jerked over in front of the truck and lost control. The car stopped once it crashed into the median. Of course, we stopped to check on the passengers. I was not expecting what happened next. Turns out, the woman in the passenger seat was giving the driver a blowjob. When he peaked, he lost control of the wheel. She then accidentally bit his penis so hard that she was choking on the blood. As we were waiting for the ambulance to come, we found out that they were married — but not to each other."

The only thing I feel is appropriate to say is...wow. Also, I don't know about you guys, but I feel like that was probably the best-tasting fruit salad ever. Have you ever experienced anything wild while on the road? Let me know in the comments! And remember, keep on truckin'.

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. Some were also pulled from this Reddit thread, because they were too wild not to include.