To all you folks who drive a rig for a living and anyone who knows someone who does pass it on: I love you. You are the most courteous and sane drivers on the planet and you should know there are those of us who appreciate what you do and go through, and how you help the rest of us drivers. Returning north on I-95 Thursday from a brief vacation in Florida, I see a huge sign alerting drivers that the left lane will be closed for road work. Many drivers kept going in the left lane. After about 2 miles, the traffic is backed up in the right lane and we are sitting and creeping along. I am sititng there cursing the drivers who insist on getting in the left lane in hopes of getting ahead of us poor schmucks in the right(correct) lane. I look in my side mirror and see a big rig sitting in the left lane way back…I realize he’s blocking the dopes from getting into the left lane. HURRAY! The left lane finally clears out and we’re moving along a bit faster. Up ahead, I see a white car pull out of the right lane into the left… another jerk trying to get ahead of everyone else - God I was furious. Well the truckers fixed him. A car carrier pulls out and blocks the white car from getting very far. I assume the truckers are coordinating via their CB’s. Damn, I was wishing I had a huge piece of poster board and a magic marker so I could write “THANK YOU TRUCKERS!” and hold it out my window. If it hadn’t been for them, I’da been sitting there for three hours instead of the 45 minutes it took. Time out for a rant: And you folks out there who pull that crap: can’t you get it in your head that it just prolongs the agony? You and your ilk getting ahead by 5, 10, 20 cars is making matters worse and you getting to your destination is NOT more important than my trip! So use your freakin’ heads and help things along instead of making them worse.
I worked at the ROSS Clothing West Coast Distributioin hub in Newark California for a few months and thus had contact with truckers from all over the nation. I must say that they are some of the most curtious and thoughtful drivers out there. Eventhough they have a mammoth of a vehicle to manuver, in my time at ROSS I never saw any accidents. At any given time there were trucks going in opposite direction with only inches to spare. There were also times when I would be doing paperwork with a drive at his Rig’s door and another truck behind me would take off in the opposite direction with no more that 18 inches between my back and his rig. I was so comfortable with there driving skills that I never really had any problems with them being so close.
Out of respect for them I do my best to be curteous to them on the road. I stay out of their blind spots and at night when they have a turn signal on and they want to get in front of me I flash my bright lights to let them know that they have room to come over. This is the Nationally eccepted way to let the driver know he’s got room, especially at night when it becomes even harder for the driver to judge distances.
Right! I’ve been making the I-95 trip a couple times a year for 3 years now and have noticed how courteous and expert they are. I always flash my brights and let them over too (and I like when they flash their rear lights as a thank-you). I stay up with the truckers – they know where the cops are lurking; when the trucks slow down, I slow down.
In my neck of the woods here in Washington, I have been in far too many cars that were almost made into tinker toys by truckers merging into our lane. I dunno, maybe it was partly our fault too, but it makes you a bit wary of truck drivers. Although I must admit, the majority are good.
Log truck drivers on the other hand…oh, nevermind. This isn’t the pit, and I can’t express my feelings about them with clean language. 
Sycorax, Hear! Hear! I second that motion!
And, thank you, all of you truckers out there, for all of your courtesies.