Neighbors of the Home Depot in South Fort Worth, Texas feel like they are losing the Battle of the 18 Wheelers. According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the Home Depot parking lot has become a popular resting place for big rig truckers. “Signs just feet away from the tractor-trailers clearly state that no unauthorized trucks are allowed on the property,” the Star-Telegram reported, “and yet, the trucks sat unbothered, their diesel engines humming and spitting puffs of exhaust into the air.” Neighbors have complained that the Home Depot has become a Truck Depot, with big rigs parked for hours, if not days, in store parking lots. Shelley Schumaker, a spokesperson for Home Depot, told the newspaper that her store’s parking lot was a popular spot for truckers because it is adjacent to fast food restaurants and lies right off the interstate. She said store managers are trying to keep the truckers away. “They have done everything they can to comply with the city ordinance,” Schumaker said. “They even put up five four by four foot signs saying it’s a towing area, and they can’t park there. We want to be a good neighbor, and we are trying to cooperate with the city officials and police and also the neighborhood association.” In a recent month, Fort Worth police issued more than 100 citations to illegally parked truckers. The city code makes it illegal for truckers to park along city streets for longer than two hours. One trucker interviewed admitted that he parks at Home Depot about three times a month, and has never been ticketed. “If you’ve got to wait for a load, the best thing for you to do is lie down and sleep for two or three hours,” the trucker said. The neighbors now patrol the streets themselves reporting big rigs to the police. “We have really suffered in terms of diesel smoke emissions, pollution, road damage and trash,” explained one neighborhood leader. Despite the crackdown, the big rigs seem to keep on truckin’.
As has been often stated by homeowners, big stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s make lousy neighbors anywhere near a residential area. Tractor-trailer emissions and noise are just one more example of why Home Depot and homes don’t mix.
