By Caitlin Rundle, Isabella Seman and Grace Dorsett
Kimberly Younger
Kimberly Younger accepted a job at Petro Stopping Center #329 18 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. Younger grew up on Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, but her mother moved Younger and the rest of the family to North Carolina three decades ago.
Younger is now the manager of Petro Stopping Center, an offer she said was presented to her by Petro to keep her from leaving to work at the nearby Flying J truck stop. She said she doesn’t think there is much competition from Flying J.
“I get better fuel prices than the other places. We don’t give a discount because I think our diesel is low enough,” Younger said. “We have better showers than them, plus more showers. They might have eight showers or five showers, where we got 19, so there ain’t no waiting ever.”
Younger says that many of the truck drivers she sees come into Petro are regulars, and they all bring their unique stories to the table.
“Every day here is a different day,” Younger said.
Charles
Charles, a truck driver who gave only his first name, had parked his large rig at Petro and was recounting an experience he had when he was stopped in a construction zone. A drunk driver had driven underneath his truck, and Charles never even felt the car hit his trailer.
“The guy behind me started hollering on the radio, ‘Don’t move, don’t move, there’s a car under your truck,’” Charles said.
Charles said he’s driven 22 years without another accident like that one, and he prioritizes safety over everything.
“’I’m not only sharing the ride with my family, but your family and everybody in here’s family. I’m not gonna hurt anybody,” he said.
Family is something that Charles still makes time for in his work schedule. He owns his truck, and therefore is the master of his own schedule.
“I normally stay out five or six days at a time and then I go home for three,” Charles said. “I say when I work, when I don’t work, where I work, things like that.”
Charles says because of his schedule, he’ll spend Thanksgiving with his family before going back out for more driving. At the end of the day, he likes being home with his family, but he also enjoys his quiet time on the road.
“I like being by myself,” Charles said. “I don’t got to put up with idiots in lines or stores.”
Wayne Tinnin
Wayne Tinnin is the owner of the key shop in Petro. Tinnin started the business in the truck stop 20 years ago and says that his favorite part of his job is hearing the stories from the other truck drivers.
“The biggest thing about truck drivers’ stories is how they get locked out of the truck,” Tinnin said. “I’ve heard stories like some of them getting locked out in their underwear and get locked out in the snow and ice, or getting out and locking the door by mistake and falling and can’t get back in the truck.”
Tinnin has been with the Petro truck stop since it was rebuilt and was one of the first employees hired. He has also trained others in the key business.
“They was building this truck stop new and when they got it finished I came here and applied for a job,” Tinnin said. “I was able to help another guy with the key business here, I helped him learn that business.”
Tinnin doesn’t only spend time at the truck stop. As a lifelong resident of North Carolina, he has found other ways to stay busy.
“In between the truck stop, working at Walmart and that key business, I’ve stayed busy for the last 24 years,” Tinnin said.
“It’s quiet here in the morning but it picks up at night. Truck drivers start coming in, having a shower and dinner and whatever, get some rest so they can go out early in the morning, so I try and stay here and sell some key accessories and keys to the truck drivers.”
The people who come into the Petro truck stop have become family, says manager Kimberly Younger.
“They just come in and say hey and all that. They remember me, you know?” Younger said.
“But, you know, they’re good people. They really are.”
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