I was stuck in traffic behind a van with a “how’s my driving?” bumper sticker this morning, and started free-associating on how bad things would have to get with such a vehicle before I actually called.
Has anyone ever called one of these numbers? How many operators are on the other end, d’ya think? Can one operator handle the calls for a hundred bumperstickers? A thousand?
What would actually happen if someone called? Would the driver be reprimanded? Would it go on his or her permanent record?
I called on a delivery van once that was weaving in and out of traffic and kept crossing the yellow line. Don’t know what happened next, but I figured I was doing my part to keep the roads a little safer. Just no sense in that kind of reckless driving IMHO.
I called on a plumbing truck once that was drfiving like a raging loon; speeding, tailgating and weaving to the point many of us on the highway were giving him a huge berth. I talked to his boss and when he said he thought he was going to have to let the guy go, I assured him I didn’t want that but was just making him aware and that a gentle reprimand should do. He said no, that he’d gotton a number of calls about the guy and that obviously the problem was absolutely chronic.
How damn dumb do you have to be to drive like a moron with your work number emblazoned on the vehicle?
The police recommended I call one of these numbers once.
See, I think they thought I was complaining about the guy’s driving.
I was waiting in a solid line of cars to turn left at a red light onto a major road. We were backed up well past any left-turn lanes. There was an armored car, the kind that carries cash, tryintg to make a left turn out of a 7-11 and get into our line to go left at the light, but no one had left a space for him.
So he pulled out into the wrong side of the road and drove into oncoming traffic, forcing a few panicking cars to pull off into the ditch. Then he ran the red light to turn left from the wrong lane, and sped off.
I called the police and they told me “If you have a problem with the driver, call the ‘how’s my driving’ number”.
I said “An armored car taking risks and breaking laws to speed away doesn’t make you worry that the driver might be in back, tied up or dead?”
Sailboat
Never called one, but I have seen many cars whose drivers made me wish there had been such a number to call.
Just wondering if anyone has ever actually tried calling 1-800-EAT-SHIT just to see if it’s a real number (1-800-328-7448). None of the Google hits I perused made it clear whether or not it’s an actual working number.
I called once. Some moron careened onto the highway and went directly to the far left lane. Had it not been for the exceptional driving skills of a van driver, there most assuredly would have been a multi car pile up and since it was right at a bridge, it would have been nasty. So I called the number on the back.
Of the van.
And complimented the driver of the van. Told them the shmeel, and said that I doubt they ever heard good reports from those stickers. I hope they relayed the message.
I wanted to call such a number on a semi-tractor one time, but they didn’t have one anymore - the driver had scraped half the number off the sticker so it couldn’t be used. He was driving like a loon. So I figured I could contact the trucking company directly and give them the truck number and other information and that would be enough to identify the driver.
Well, when I pulled up next to the truck to write down the ICC code (or something, I forget now, this was a couple of years ago) the driver saw me writing and started making these wild gestures at me. I passed him and he pulled in right behind me. I was at my exit, so I got off the freeway, and he started following me. I could tell he was following me, not just exiting at the same place I was.
Instead of going home, I went to a local shopping area, hoping to “lose” him. The nutcase started following me around the parking lot of the shopping center as I drove up and down the aisles trying to lose him. I knew I could lose him because his rig wouldn’t be as manuverable as my small car. Well, he finally caught on to that too. However, his solution was to stop his rig, jump out the door, and start running after me on foot!!!
I quickly sped off and that was the last I saw of him.
When I called the trucking company, they claimed they couldn’t identify the driver from the information I gave them. Who knows if that is true or not though…
Yes, I have. A very unsafe tractor-trailer driver on I-95 cut me off, and cut off three other people weaving in and out of traffic.
Whoa. Intense story. Did you ever find out what happened?
No. In the past when I’ve made a follow-up call to the police, they didn’t want to tell me anything, so I didn’t bother this time.
Might have been just an angry driver…who knows? But the police didn’t take me seriously, so maybe they thought I was a crank or something.
Sailboat
I called once when a truck pulled out in front of me. It was a rural highway, and I was the only car in sight-- there was no reason why he had to pull out in front of me like that, since waiting two seconds would have given him a clear road. I had to lock my breaks in order to stop in time. First time in my life I ever left skid marks.
Yeah, I called, and boy, was I steaming mad. I gave them the truck number, as well as a physical description of the driver. I was a bit over-wrought, I admit, but I said his driving amounted to attempted vehicular homicide.
Dunno what happened. Likely, they just rolled their eyes when they told him about it.
I’ve called a couple times. Once on an armored car that was driving like it was heading to a fire, tailgating everyone, passing and weaving in and out of traffic.
I called the phone number for a water company once when one of their trucks tailgated me, then passed me in a no-passing zone. The number wasn’t on a bumper sticker, it was on the door, as advertising. I ended up talking to the manager, who got the driver on the radio. I got to hear the dressing down the driver got, and his attempts at denial.
I called once on a school bus (fortunately empty) that tailgated me bigtime for several miles (I was going slightly over the speed limit), then proceeded to pass me mighty damn slowly in a double-solid-yellow zone on a hill with no visibility.
Wanted to call once on a semi that was tailgating me and blinding me with its headlights during the height of deer rut season on a winding two-lane state highway. I was doing about 50 in a 55 zone, prudent but not overly slow at midnight during deer season on an otherwise deserted road with woods close to the pavement. When I got to a looooong straightaway, I let up on the gas a little and eased over to the right to encourage him to pass, and instead he came even closer and hit his high beams. Fucker. I was scared to death to signal and slow down for my turn, figuring he’d end up in my backseat. He didn’t, but he blasted me his horn for the crime of slowing down to turn. As he passed I saw the number, but someone was behind him and I just wanted to get home and chill.
I prefer my built-in rockets.
Seriously, though, I’ve never called. I once had a semi driver pull a gun on our car; I was a passenger, and the driver had cut him off, then the truck driver followed us through a small shopping center and when we pulled over on a curb he stepped out of his truck and whipped out his nine. I’m sure I would’ve calmly found the number sticker and called his trucking company to gently inform them of my displeasure, as soon as I finished thinking “OH MY FUCKING GOD I’M GOING TO FUCKING DIE HOLY FUCK.” We high-tailed it out of there and none of us had a chance to get any of the requisite information. And we couldn’t call the cops either, cause we had weed in the car. The guy followed us a little longer, but we lost him on the freeway.
Thought you were a what?
At my job, all the fulltime maintance guys get pickups. Three calls on you in one year and you lose the truck. Out of 18 guys, maybe 2 of them have lost their trucks. Another one has 2 calls and is pretty close. I have none, but I don’t drive very far and am very careful. It’s kinda BS because it doesn’t even have to be validated.
I’ve called when they are driving very well. I like large Semi-trucks that are very careful to allow people in, so I’ve called to praise them.
The operators have told me that it’s a good thing I called, since the drivers are rewarded if they get good calls.
I worked in the regional office of CSK (Kragen, here in CA) for the Bay Area several years ago. All of the Kragen delivery trucks had a 1-800 sticker and a vehicle number sticker.
People would call – I’d ask what vehicle number it was and rarely did they recall. I made the mistake of asking someone once how could we pinpoint the individual if they didn’t know the truck number. My cube-mate informed me that wasn’t right. We were just to take the info and thank the caller for calling. Okay, no problem.
If I had free time after getting one of the calls, I might call the store and tell them; otherwise I just sat there listening, "uh huh; how horrible!; wow, he shouldn’t have done that; I’ll definitely tell their supervisor; thanks so much for letting us know; we appreciate your time, etc. Never bothered 'cause nobody really cared.
I know… purchase a 900 number, display it on your vehicle and then drive like an idiot.
I call pretty often, even if they’re not doing anything remarkable. I’ve called and said, “Hey there… I just saw one of your trucks and it says ‘Hows my driving?’ and ya know… it looks pretty good. yep, k thanks!”
I really like to tell managers that their employees are doing a good job, regardless of the industry (call centers, retail, food service, whatever). Way too many people use their voice only when they feel they must bitch, in my opinion.
I called once, when I was riding in a light-rail train and a Greyhound bus, turning onto the same street shared by the rail line, came within a whisker of hitting us. I had a window seat at just that point of the train where the bus came closest; it came within three inches of my disbelieving eyes. I honestly thought it was going to ram us off the track.
So I got out my cell and called the number on the back of the bus. I don’t know if anything came of it, but it felt good to call.