Off The Cuff

People In Passenger Cars Challenging Trucks

Posted by: From Arkansas in Tips On Driving on Aug 22 2007

Welcome back!

One of the things about people driving cars always amazes me. They do not take the size of the truck into consideration when they choose to do whatever stupid thing they would do. Trust me here. If a truck and a car tangle, the truck will most likely win. Why don’t people in cars simply respect the truck that is running right up next to the car? Because they never really think what would happen. So, here are some more tips and situations to avoid when trucks and cars share the road:

1) The mirrors on both cars and trucks have blind spots. But the driver of the truck cannot see you in your car if you are on the right side of the truck until you show up in the mirror. There is no center mirror (like the one in the car on the front window) on a truck unless it’s a local delivery truck. You can tell the difference if there’s a sleeper on the truck. He cannot see you anywhere if you are in the blind spot. Do not ride close to the truck or ride next to a truck. You might be in his blind spot on either side of the truck. Yes, it is possible to be in a blind spot on the left side right behind the driver’s left elbow.

2) Turn signals on truck trailers are about 9-11 inches in diameter so they are very visible. Yet, drivers do not pay attention to them and end up, often, under the side of the truck trailer. Watch for the turn signals. He means it when they’re on. Do not ignore those signals. They’re there for YOUR safety.

3) Of all the knotheaded things a car driver can do, it’s speed up and cut in front of a truck, then slam on the brakes. It will get you killed and the driver will have nightmares the rest of his life, especially if you have kids in the car while you are doing such foolishness. I almost killed a guy because he was enraged about something he thought I had done to him. I know that because he kept giving me the salute (middle finger) everytime he passed me. Of course, he passed me often in rush hour traffic, got in front of me, slammed on his brakes which smoked mine. There was also the danger that a car or truck behind me might hit my trailer. Injury accident, for sure. Then, he would speed off for a few moments and start it again. IF you are still alive, pal, you are certainly blessed of God. (For those who are wondering if it’s them, I won’t tell where this happened. Perhaps this is a wake up for you too!)

4) A truck and trailer has a number of brakes. However, that does not mean that it can stop quicker. It means that it is possible to control all sets of wheels with the brakes. I mentioned smoking the brakes. This is when the driver has slammed on the brakes, fast or for an extended period of time. Slamming on brakes in a truck can smoke them (get them hot fast which brings on the smoke you see). When brakes are hot, the more hot they get, the less stopping power the truck has. When some lunkhead makes a trucker slam on brakes, the next time he’s in front might be the last moment in time for him.

5) For those who are still not convinced about tangling with a truck, let me tell you how much a truck hauls. The truck, itself, can weigh in at 17,000-20,000 pounds or so. Truckers, don’t get on me here. It’s been a while. Let’s just say the truck is heavy. Then, the trailer is too. With a full load, the truck and trailer plus load can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Do not play around with a truck. You will not win.

4) In adverse weather, please try to give a truck extra stopping space or room to move. If it’s icy conditions, a truck can sit still and the trailer will swing out wide from the truck because of vibration. When that happens, the car next to him will be crushed. Speaking of icy conditions, if you have never heard of black ice, now is a good time to find out. It happens when the temperature is way down and the road looks just fine. There will be a film of ice on the road that is usually unseen at first.

I got into black ice on I40 in Oklahoma one night. There was a wreck in the center up ahead. I tapped my brakes and the trailer did a swing out. It was in the other lane. I got it straight and went on. Right about then, a cop came up beside me on the right. The accident was on the left. Instead of allowing me to pass on by, he got in front of me and literally turned right…into my path. I put the brakes on and my trailer did another swing, this time REALLY WIDE. Mr. State Trooper, if you are reading this, you are also blessed of God. I cannot think of a stupider stunt for a state cop to make. I truly hope you had to go home and change clothes that night. I almost had to.

5) Not all truckers have a brain. There are some out there that act like they own the road. These are the ones that will come up so close to you that they can read the book you have in the seat beside you. Uh, no. That is too close. If you have such a thing happen, please do not try to “get him back” like some car drivers I have seen. First, it is not worth it. Second, if the guy is that stupid in the first place, he will not stop if you get him back. It will only make things worse. The best thing to do is avoid him. If he rides your backside, leave the road for a few moments and let him pass by. He probably just wants to get to his destination but that is never the right way to do it. (Some drivers do have a superiority complex but most of them are good at their job and do care about the car drivers and their families.)

6) You must understand, truckers are more than likely tired, some dangerously so. They have to drive a lot of hours. The D.O.T. regulations used to say that a driver could be awake 10 hours but drive only 8 hours. (I’m not up on the current regs) If he or she is in a team, they can combine their hours to drive a total of 4 on, 4 off. But, often, at least when I was driving, the loads had to be there and sometimes the rules were ignored for the sake of the load. Not right but it does happen. You cannot know how tired that driver is. You must assume he or she is really tired so any stunt you pull is likely to end badly. Even if they are not courteous, you can be.

That’s all for now. I will give you more tips and situations to avoid again soon.

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