:smack: preview is my friend. preview is my friend. preview is my friend. :smack:
Always. Intro.
OG help us. :eek:
ivylass, I think the only possible thing that might help is installing “porta potties” in the rigs of the offenders.
Naw. They probably just dump the holding tank and the intersection of Oak and Main in Everytown, USA. They simply don’t care.
They may be on to something with the $1000.00+ fines. Hit 'em where they live!
BTW, I thought Trucker Bombs referred to the other form of bodily elimination we humans engage in.
Not a rant, just a question.
I’ve driven several times over the Continental Divide (I70) and there are “runaway trucker” lanes and gravel roads and stretches on both sides of the divide. My guess is that these also exist other places where there are steep grades. If you have to use one of these “runaway trucker” safeguards, how do you then get off the thing and back on the highway? or do you just stay there until someone comes to fix the brakes? How do these work? (I hope you know what I’m talking about!)
Another question…
If i was only able to drive 10 hours in any 24 hour period, I’d go nuts. What do you guys do if you’ve slept, and still can’t drive due to the government quota?
Oh, yeah … I know what you’re talking about. Thank OG I’ve never had to use a runaway truck lane.
These things start out with about 2" of gravel at the entrance, and get progressively deeper, up to 18" deep at the far end. They are designed to slow the truck by letting it sink into the gravel.
The only way out is to get draged out by a tow truck and a winch. And the fines can be huge. Still, it’s a whole lot better than killing someone (or even yourself!).
The runaway truck lanes around here (Canadian Rockies) aren’t gravel so much as a steep grade. You get on the lane and go up like an airplane on takeoff. It looks scary as hell, but they all look fairly well-used (no weeds overgrowing the lane). At least you don’t have to get winched out - you just back back down, I’m guessing.
A couple other things that get to me as a driver as well.
People on the shoulder of a freeway that have had trouble or just a break. 8 out of 10 times they will pull directly back into traffic lanes from a dead stop! entering traffic at 2 MPH, always try to get up at least CLOSE to ambient speed before entering the freeway.
The other happens a lot in municipalities. Folks the entrance ramp is actually an acceleration lane. PLEASE use it to attempt to enter traffic flow at speed. I once had a fellow here in Houston get to the end of the ramp and STOP! I managed to miss him but slid down an embankment onto the feeder and almost killed myself and a car full of kids that were just minding their own business traveling on the feeder. Guess who would have gotten the blame .
All in a days work I reckon.
First off re: the OP golf clap. Well done.
This is a very New York thing. Everytime I go back to NY I almost get creamed when I use the acceleration lane to accelerate. Some yahoo always stops at the end. :smack:
:wally
ABOVE QUOTE SNIPPED A LOT.
No, life isn’t fair I am well aware of that. I would like to point out that while I don’t drive as work, I do need to drive to work, so the ‘we are working here arguement’ doesn’t hold much water for me. If I am late for a meeting, or unable to get to a client in time because of some of the actions of fellow drivers (both car and truck) it costs me money as well.
I have been cut off many a time by a truck just signalling and moving over on the highway. This is a fairly flat highway, and just a regular big rig (I have never see these double or triple things you are talking about, sound scary though). I really doubt that all of these are done by rookies, nor is it really a valid excuse. The people you are complaining about could very well be rookies too, do they get a free pass?
I don’t doubt a number of you watch your mirrors and try to pass at a good time, I just question why the hell you are passing in the first place? 105, 107 km/h, not a big damn difference, and I have watched these trucks, they don’t pull ahead of the other truck, it seems damn useless to me.
As to your 680 miles, ten hours need to do 68 mph, that is not my problem. If you can’t schedule properly, and are forced to take over the road, based on size much like a schoolyard bully, and not share the road, don’t be surprised when the victims do stupid things to avoid your bully tactics. Also don’t be surprised about tougher gov’t regulations against you.
For the record, I am very impressed with your answers. They do give an insight not previously available to me. I do not think that excuses some of the behavour I see from your fellow truckers, nor the attitude you have expressed here. Others need the road to work to, its not just yours, saying we are big be scared of us (while valid advice) is a bully attitude. As well this is the pit, for fucks sake. This is way to nice so far.
I didn’t start it, you pitted my fellow drivers, then asked for questions. I gave you a question.
Runaway lanes are often on scenic mountain passes, and it is unbelievable how many idiots park in them. I remember an incident a few years ago where some fools parked a car in one and walked across the road to admire the scenery. A driver with a runaway truck saw what he thought was an empty car and decided it was better to hit an empty car than risk plowing into a full one. Unfortunately they had left their baby in a car seat, the infant was killed. He has to live with that even if it was an accident.
Referring to the trucker bombs, my hubby has on occasion had to use a bottle to relieve himself because he has a malady common to truckers; enlarged prostate. However he always disposes of them properly, and thinks anyone who doesn’t should be boiled in his own urine.
If you see a driver driving recklessly take note of the company name on the truck as well as the truck number if you can. Don’t just report him to the police but also his company. My husband’s boss pays attention to these reports because not only could someone be hurt or killed, but the driver is driving a very expensive piece of machinery which is very expensively insured. Also a lost load can mean a lost contract and in this market that can kill a company.
Just out of curiosity, Lucy what do you transport? I’ve never seen any kind of double tanker where I am (NC), so is that a western thing or have I just never noticed?
Also, how dangerous are those car transports? My brother-in-law told me once that cars have been known to fall off them sometimes, but I’ve never seen or heard of it so I don’t know whether he’s full of beans or what.
Hm. You know, there’s a good point here. I feel there’s a distinct difference between East Coast driving, and mid-america. How do you find it? It’s clearly more congested. Is West Coast as bad?
I should point out that what I called ‘light traffic’ was NYC light traffic. Some places might call it heavier. Average highway speeds are 70 MPH in the slow lane. Or, well, 6 mph.
Thanks for the well thought out response.
Unfortunately, the road I regularly drive is hilly and curvey (e.g. gradients of over 7% and substandard curves relative to the MTO design specs for regional roads, with some steep hills ending in doozies of tight turns). The MTO studied one of the more troublesome sections, and found that most of the crashes heading up the hill were caused by trucks passing each other in good weather, and most of the crashes heading down the hill were caused by going too fast in bad weather at night.
Therefore, passing (or pulling over to be passed) usually is not an option unless there is a passing lane. I wish drivers would recognise this, rather than try to defeat the laws of physics.
Sorry, computer crashed and I’ve been a few hours sorting it out & getting it back up …
Sorry, not trying to excuse anything, especially other Commercial Drivers, just offering up some possible reasons. Hope you can tell the difference. There will always be assholes on both side of the fence. Those of us who really make an effort to do it right, courteously, and safely are even more frustrated with the way thing are than you are.
As for my attitude, I never bully anyone. To easy to make a small miscalculation that could result in severe injury or death. They to pay me enough to do a good imitatation of ‘Dangerous Dan’
And you’re certainly right about this being so tame. I put this thing in the pit because I was certain that things would get a little wild.
Just goes to show…
I haul used oil and used antifreeze. Most of what I haul comes from the mines in northern NV, although I do collect from smaller commercial generators.
I’ve only been through NC twice, both times were back in ‘93 when I was haulin’ boxed beef - and I was asleep at the time. I have seen doubles on the eastern seaboard, but it seems to me that they’re not anywhere near as common as they are west of the big ditch. Uhhh, that would be the Mississippi to you.
I’ve only heard on one car falling off of a transport. That was several years ago and due to an equipment failure. Those cars are pretty expensive, the Drivers that I’ve met are pretty nit-picky about getting them tied down properly.
I had a lot more trouble in LA than I ever had back east. Chicago and The Motor City gave me a few fits as well. I don’t recall there being much difference in metropolitan traffic on either end, or in the middle for that matter. But then I’m not the best judge for that. I hate driving in the city. That’s why I moved out here to the middle of No Damn Place, NV, where our definition of a traffic jam is two cars at the same stop sign within 5 minutes of each other … 
I wish I had some better advice for you.
7% or greater grades will make ya nuts. The bad part is, quite a few Commercial Drivers lose their patience on those kinds of grades if they aren’t exposed to them frequently. Then it seems like they just turn their brains off. :smack:
I’ve long since become accustomed to plodding up and down those kinds of hills. Sorta the nature of the beast out here. There are techniques that you pick up over the years to help ya deal with them. However, to the best of my knowledge, those techniques are not taught in any truck driving schools.
Okay. Signing off for a bit. Got a 3:00 AM run and a long day tomorrow. I’ll check back in tomorrow evening.
Try to jazz this place up a bit while I’m gone, okay?
Lucy
What, leaving already? Fuck that! Fuck fuck fuckity-fuck!
How’s that for Pitifying the thread?
He’s just a drive-by poster. 