Here's why a 23-year-old Google employee is living in a truck on the company's campus

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Abner, Apr 14, 2016.

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  1. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  2. jfosj

    jfosj Member

    If there's a will there's a way...

    Regards, jfosj
     
  3. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Of course we know that at google they have exercise rooms, showers, kitchens and even beds for their employees to use whenever they wish and so "living in your car" comes to mean something quite different in those circumstances.
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Indeed. Moreover, from their perspective he's at work nearly all the time. They must love it!
     
  5. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Yeah, I am sure they love having him at work all the time, but does he love it? I am admire this kid because he is still making a sacrifice. He is giving up the freedom of simply going home after/away from work and unwind with his friends and family and not have to think about work. I can't imagine having to be at work nearly all the time. No thanks. His pay as you go attitude will get him far in life, and liberate him from financial constraints.
     
  6. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Next time I end up in the dog house, I think I'll contact Google and get away for a few days.
     
  7. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    Cute article, but I’ve been doing this for almost ten years now. In trucking, a “weekend” is generally 34 hours long, and since I would only be at home for six days per month, I decided years ago that it didn’t pay to have an apartment, pay rent and utilities, and be locked into one location on my days off. (I do, however, maintain a storage unit in the Midwest where I stop in every month or two to swap out books, CD’s and DVD’s, winter and summer clothes, etc.)

    The truck he lives in cost this guy $10,000 according to the article. For $10,000, my brother recently bought a used RV with a full bedroom, kitchen, and even bathroom. His unit is self-propelled rather than towed, and keeps him and his wife in more style than what looks like a U-Haul style six-wheeler in which Google Guy can’t even walk from the driver’s seat to the back without leaving the vehicle. Not to mention that since his living area has no windows, he either has to sleep with the back of the truck open or stay in a very stuffy environment.

    As for parking and living in one place,I couldn’t even begin to imagine the limitations of that. I started out last week in Ohio, took a leisurely drive to Florida to swap trailers, veered off to central Georgia to swap again, then routed up through Alabama and Tennessee to Kentucky. (As an aside, I can’t begin to guess how many times I’ve been by the University of the Cumberlands, which is probably more than its students on this forum can say.)

    Today’s trucks (as in tractor-trailers with sleeper cabs) have far more style when it comes to living on board than this guy’s improvised, um, truckette.
     
  8. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Dumb question. How do you keep from falling asleep whilst driving for such long distances? I can drive for an hour, and I seem to get super sleepy at the wheel, especially if I am stuck in traffic at night. I can't imagine driving for hours and hours on end. Usually, if I decide to take a long drive to say Las Vegas, I have to stop off at a dinner or rest stop every couple of hours to stretch my legs. One thing's for sure, you must have a big ass bank account from all the money you save from not having to rent a place. Another dumb question, where do you shower?
     
  9. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    There’s no such thing as a dumb question. Chances are that if you have asked a question, the same question is on other people’s minds.

    Same here. I make sure I stop every two to four hours and take a break. It’s good preventive health, since truckers are (like secretaries, desk jockeys, and airline passengers) are prone to DVT’s (deep vein thromboses, or blood clots) from being immobile for a long time. That said, the driver’s seat in a tractor-trailer is far more comfortable than it is in most cars or at most desks – ergonomically designed. They also float on air and have multiple selections for back support.

    That would be subjective. I do enjoy a comfortable lifestyle on the road, whether it’s good food rather than fast food or truckstop crap, and don’t think twice about what I spend on tickets to the theatre (I’m a live theatre geek).

    Also not a dumb question. All major truckstop chains have individual, private showers that are as nice as the bathroom in anyone’s home. They are thoroughly cleaned between every use, and have quality towels and accoutrements, since the truckstops are all in competition for everyone’s business. The showers are free, since we get a shower credit every time we fuel. (We also get a point, worth a penny, for every gallon of fuel we buy, and that adds up fast for free stuff. It’s like having cash put on your card. Needless to say, for company drivers, it’s our company that pays for the fuel, so it’s a good deal for us.)

    When I’m not near a truckstop, I can also shower at any number of fitness centers around the country (a chance to hit the gym at the same time) under my healthcare plan. That’s generally not necessary, since I pass by multiple truckstops on any given trip.
     
  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Williamsburg struck me as a bit sleepy when I was there a few months ago, but the UC campus is gorgeous. In a few years when self-driving vehicles have made your job redundant, consider using some of your copious spare time to take the tour.
     
  11. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Wow! That's great. I had no idea some truck stops had free showers and such. As a boy, my mother and I used to go visit family over in El Paso Texas during the summer. I would always get excited when the Greyhound bus driver would pull in to a truck stop so we could eat. I found the atmosphere to be very interesting. The people were very friendly, and I liked eating in the diners. I especially like those slices of pies they have in a glass container on the counter. I usually eat pretty healthy, but I still like to eat at truck stop diners when I drive long distances.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 17, 2016

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