A truck stop manager says stranded truckers are a much easier crowd to manage during bad weather than buses of tourists on a good day. 

Fat Dogs Truck Stop on Interstate 80 outside of Grand Island, Nebraska became a port in a storm for as many as 300 truck drivers this past week after a snow storm made the roads impassable. 

Despite the frigid conditions and packed truck stop, manager RJ Mcdowell says that they were ready to accommodate the stranded truckers and their parked rigs during the interstate closure. 

“It was pretty gnarly last night, starting around five in the evening. We starting getting people when they closed down,” said McDowell to KSBN Local 4. “We were ready for them, we had everything stocked, we got lots of showers, made sure they had a place to stay warm. We’re just in a good place for them to come and park right off the interstate.“

Even with the adverse conditions, McDowell says that the truckers are a much easier crowd to manage than buses full of people. 

“This is relatively mild compared to those times, but we were more prepared for this moment because we knew it was coming,” said McDowell. “When I came in this morning there were about a hundred trucks in the parking lot and along the road, so we handled the parking lot pretty well, it was good to have them.“

Now that the roads have reopened, McDowell says that the drivers are welcome back any time, rain, snow, or shine.