OT - recent impatient OTR driver's post

• Tractor/trailer driver kills 10

Mark

Have something against trucks? Hardly. My best buddy is an hazmat/explosives/etc CDL OTR driver. I wouldn't do his job for 10 times what they pay him. It's hard work, long hours, more regulations to follow than anyone could imagine, etc. Quite frankly, I've rarely run into an OTR driver who was anything except competent and courteous. I'd rather take my chances with a professional driver in a big rig than some snot nose yuppie in a friggin' BMW.

Again, remorse for the families, but it is the law.

Mark

Not adverse to OT stuff that directly relates to our members, Such as Their health, family, jobs, etc, but I feel this is too much like a regular gab board topic.

The timing at the docks. Our buddy WalMart pushed this to the extreme to even putting companies out of business. So I guess their responsible for highway deaths too.

My personal pet peeve against truckers is when they start to go up a hill and one will pull out next to the other, I guess so he wouldn't be stuck behind some slow truck going up a hill but neither has enough go to pass the other so its a road block all the way up the hill.

A driver of a car knows as much about driving a truck as a garbage man knows about programing a computer.

Well you seem to know a truck stops more like a train than a car but did you ever consider it works the same way for gaining speed. A car can go up and down in speed at will but a truck can not. Once you get the speed up you try to keep it there.
Car drivers have one thing on their mind. Themselves!!!!! !!
They will pull out to pass a car that is going 60 when they are going 62. Then when the truck comes up behind them doing 70 what do they do; they run 61 instead of getting to 70 passing and getting back in the right lane.
They will do as one did to me today. Be in the left lane passing and when you put on a blinker in stead of getting out the way and passing they pace you till you are on the a$$ of the car in front of you.
They will when in traffic and the car in front of them stops and they are not paying attention pull into your lane because they have 20 extra feet to stop but what about that truck that needs a extra 20 feet to stop.

"Ive seen them turn their blinker on to change lanes then sort of weave over a little. Their trying to scare the person in the other lane to move out of the way."

Do not know the situation but most likely was a car on the shoulder. If a truck passes a car on the shoulder with some one changing a tire they are pulling such a draft they can pull the person under the tires. But heavens no he was pulling over into your lane just to mess with you because you did not notice this car on the shoulder. You never do. Car drivers are worried about one thing. Themselves.

"The timing at the docks. Our buddy WalMart pushed this to the extreme to even putting companies out of business. So I guess their responsible for highway deaths too."

Do not really under stand this comment.

"My personal pet peeve against truckers is when they start to go up a hill and one will pull out next to the other, I guess so he wouldn't be stuck behind some slow truck going up a hill but neither has enough go to pass the other so its a road block all the way up the hill."

When starting up a hill if you get out of your momentum you will be drawn to a dead crawl. Ever see a truck start from a dead stop on a hill. Unlike a car a truck does not have a motor that can gain speed on a grade. All you can do is try to keep your momentum going to you reach the top of the hill.
They will also do this to keep cars from playing cat and mouse with them.
You are going 60 up and down hills in your car. The truck can only go 50 up hill but 70 down. You pass him on the way up and now he is burning up his brakes trying to keep from running over you.

You get the idea.

Trucks stop nothing like a car. Yes true it is not like a train that takes miles but compaired to what the driver of a car is use to in is a great distance. Yes it has gotten better with ABS and better brake pads but still nothing like a car. Drivers of cars drive with a attitude that trucks can stop better than them because they have 10 sets of brakes.

Yes if you are a owner operator with a new 600 hp truck you can climb a hill better now. A lot better than the shinny 290 ever could. But on the other hand how many Swift; JB; ect trucks do you know that have 600hp engines. He11 how many do you know that even have the fuel turned to the engine they have.

After 200K miles I think I know trucks.

The Walmart thread is called "just in time" deliveries. Keeps the customer from having to inventory/warehouse/bookkeep the product on the truck. Great for the customer; hell for the trucker/trucking company.

I only 18 wheeled a couple of years (did 200k, that's the reason for comment #1). My pet peeve was the 4 wheeler cut in thing mentioned. You allow time to stop, or to keep rolling so you didn't have to clutch and some birdbrain would move over in front of you just because there was one less car in your lane in front of them.

In Texas, for the longest time, trucks were limited to 55/60 max and cars could go 70. Try maintaining momentum up a hill when you could only hit it at 55. One of the best things the state did to improve traffic flow is allow the trucks to run with the cars and then they had enough woopie to run the hill.

And then there is that SOB that sits just behind your door on the right side..... ..... ..... .

Best,

Mark

I guess this is why I don't drive for a living; if someone told me to "get there on time or else" I'd choose "or else". To me, "getting there (alive)" is much more important than "on time".

Your point about becoming suddenly sleepy is an excellent one. It can happen anytime and may be hard for some drivers to recognize. For example, I rarely eat while on the road as a big meal makes me sleepy. But if I do eat, I'll walk around for a half hour or so until I'm fully awake.

Let's hope that maybe even one person will benefit from this tragedy by learning his/her limits and staying within them.

Here I am, mindin' my own business; stumble across and read this post.

Now, I'm gettin' all wound up about it and upset (not really). :>)

Further, this time it 'taint at you. LOL!

Allan

I see guys out there in semis that have no business being in the cab, weaving in and out of traffic like they were piloting a corvette or transam through a road course. I see man, many, many more that do not.

I see many more smaller cars zipping in and out of traffic like the driver has indy or nascar experience, leaving unfortunate other drivers in there wake of disaster as they speed away.

Yesterday"s morning news on WLSAM Radio (out of Chicago): On Monday a security guard was shot and killed at the state capitol in Springfield. A "Telemundu" news crew (Mexican station) blew a front tire on their news truck/van, crossed the median on Interstate 55 near Dwight, IL. and hit two oncoming cars head on, killing 3 people, none in the Telemundo truck/van. Now I often work in Dwight, and the median is at least 100" thick between north and southbound lanes from Wilmington, IL. for at least 100 miles south. Now how does something like that happen?

I say it is time to shut the gates; we are gettin' far more than our share of the world's rif-raf.

Can't even speak the language and he is drivin’ an OTR truck?

Who okayed & signed that license application, for Gawd's sake? Whomever that was should be searchin' for daylight as well.

Allan

BUT Who ever gave him the drivers license will most likely be brought up on charges also.
Since he is a tractor trailer driver he must have a CDL unless he works for a farm or such.
To get a CDL you have to meet the guidelines in Part 391 General qualifications of drivers.
In 391.11(b)(2) it says you need to be able to speak and read english. This is so you can read warning signs posted on the highway such as
Workers Ahead... Here is a Link to the rule.

I know the states around here exempt the farm owner and family members but some also include employees.

The point I was trying to make is he needs a CDL and to get a CDL you need to be able to read and speek english.

I'm damn bigoted!

If they cannot understand our language, they do not even belong on the road, let alone pushin' one of those big rigs.

Where in Gawd's name is the ordinary common sense any more? I just do not get it.

This is probably why I'm anti-social and stay wayyyyy out here in the toolies where these idiots cannot get to me (not the driver, the gov't worker who gave him that license).

Hmmm, I have the feelin' that I'm stirrin' the pot again. :>)

Allan

More stew for the pot...

I read recently that some idiot politician in CA tried to get a bill passed that would REQUIRE CA to issue driver's licenses to ILLEGAL aliens! I'm not kidding. Maybe someone from CA can tell us if this nonsense got passed.

Ron

Didn't Gov. S..... ..... (darned if I can spell his name) kill that day one that he took oath of office? I think that he did. Seems that former Gov. Grayout Davis passed the law about 3 weeks before exited office, and then Gov. S..... ..... pulled the plug on it.

Take that thought just one step further.

There are those who are trying to get the federal statute changed so that a foreigner can be eligible to become a US president.

Can anyone smell the Austrian reasoning behind this little maneuver?

Allan

Ouch! That's scary!.....but, you're probably on the right track.

It boggles the mind when you listen to some of these looney-toones.

Can you just imagine where we would be if our friend Al Gore would have gotten in the white house in 2000? That feller is balancing right on the edge of being a total, certifiable psychotic.

Allan

I heard that one too.

Only in California....has something to do 'bout the fruits and nuts or some such thing??? :>)

Talk about your jagged-edge fringe! :>)

Allan

Perhaps you've heard me speak of the former Illinois Gov. George Ryan "CDL's for campaign contributions" in other posts? Here's the deal: While Secretary of State for Illinois, he was selling CDL's under the table for $1000.00 a pop (campain contributions). What blew the lid off of it was a firey crash on Interstate 55 just south of Chicago that killed 6 children from Wisconsin. One of these CDL's went to a Mexican whom couldn't speak english, couldn't read road signs, had no business in the cab of a semi. He was tooling his semi up I55 near Chicago, his load of junk was unsecured, a large piece of steel flew off the back of his trailor and ended up under the gas tank of a Dodge Caravan driven by a preacher/pasture from Wisconsin. The preacher and his wife barely made it out of the Caravan, all 6 of their children were burned to death (couple/few years ago). SOI Police traced all back to the truck driver, and when began digging, found the tip of the iceberg on a very large CDL for bribes scandel.

As soon as it made national news, like 20+ states immediately revoked/suspended the CDLs of all drivers that obtained them initially from Illinois during that period, then converted them to their own states. For those guys, it became a matter of retest, or no more driving.

It gets worse. SOI Police and SOI Secretary of State Police went into CDL License facilities and began seizing computers and documents, and taking people (employees) out in cuffs.

It gets worse: As authorities get close to moving in on the then Governor, he puts a moratorium on the death penalty cases in Illinois the same day officials start announcing indictments for the CDL scandal. What happens? He makes international news, is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his stance on the death penalty, given an award from the country of France, and awards from Amnesty International. As long as he's in such a limelight, no one's gonna put cuffs on "such a good guy", right?

It gets worse: The then Governor's runnin' out of time, the end of his first term is almost over, he's not gonna be re-elected, so he doesn't even bother runnin' for a second term. But what's he do just moments before his term is over, to give him some more breathing room for the cuffs? He commutes every death row case in Illinois. There were 160 male and female inmates sitting on muderer's row in Illinois, and in 4 hours, he "reviewed each case", and commuted every single one. Again, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, etc. While he's in the international limelight, no one's gonna slap the cuffs on such a good guy. One of the inmates sentence was 3000 years or death, which ever came first, and it wasn't for being a nice guy. Another was for disemboweling a little girl with a claw hammer after she let her boyfriend rape the little girl. These are just two highly documented cases of many.

Well, he's been out of office for a while, and out of the international limelight, and there's a prison cell that has his name on it. Some of his top aids went to prison over this. His legal counsel went to prison over this. He's going to prison, mark my words.

If had more time, would get into his two trips to Cuba, after the State Department told him not to, and my theory why he did it, but that would be gettin' way too far off of not only topic, but even this topic.

Now I vented too. Sorry.

I have co workers that witnessed the aftermath of the wreck on their way home. I grieve too for the victims and their families.

NAFTA opened our borders both North and South. Gonna tell me that all the truckers coming in can speak English? What difference does it make what you speak. We're talking about crossing the median (a ditch) and winding up in the oncoming lane.

North bound there you are coming off a pretty good hill. The road curves to the right. Trees block your vision. The speed limit is raised from 55 to 70. There's a bar ditch between lanes (can see it in the picture of the tractor cab in the paper) Lots of things could be going on.

Let's hope he wasn't on his CELL PHONE!!!!! !!!! if he has one. Texas Legislature just canned a bill restricting the use while driving. Another one for the Lobbyists.

Mark

Think she wants to wipe out an entire family? Of course not. Bet this guy didn't either.

Mark

Mark

Even if it was carelessness on his part he is human.

So by your comment you and every one in your family has never been careless. No accidents or goof ups.

You need all the facts before you can make a comment like you did.

I'm not saying he's not guilty, but this is America man, he's innocent until PROVEN guilty. Just because you say he's guilty don't make it true. Lord knows we've put away innocent men and women before.

Mark

Mark

My wife used to drive home from work 42 miles. One day she passed out, driving down the road, for no reason. Went to the doctor. Has some kind of bug and has to take Dialantin daily or it will reoccur.

Let's wait till we get some facts before we crucify this guy; who knows, it could have been you!

Been involved in the jury selection process lately?

Mark

The law doesn't want a thinker. It wants a listener to the facts presented in the case and nothing else.. Thinkers, like me, attempt to bring in outside things.

Our Constitution says "innocent until PROVEN guilty in a court of law", says nothing about being guilty, or what we think as a society.

Sorry, that's the way it's written. Hopefully I never get there, but if I were on trial for something, I'd be tickled to death (interesting word) for the wording being as it is.

Best,

Mark

Didn't say this guy was a saint. Just need to control emotions and work within the law. That's what we have them for.

Mark

Mark

I think all of the left-leaning media is in for a very loud and rude wake up call come this November.

Allan

These animals are sawing off the heads of Americans with dull, rusty knives and you are worried about an Intel screw up?

What’s the matter with all you guys anyway? Are you totally doped out on something?

Me thinks you and your leftist buddies must all wear fairly thick glasses because you certainly have proven heretofore that you cannot see beyond the end of your collective noses.

Ya better wake up or one day we will all be forced into wearin' those damned towels wrapped around our heads!

'Course, I sometimes wonder if maybe this is just what you guys want anyway.

Allan

Do you think maybe they're cutting off heads because they don't want us there? After all we did invade their country with no provocation. Then we through out their leader. Sure he was a dictator, but the leaders of lots of other countries in the area are dictators and we didn't do anything. North Korea actually HAS weapons of mass destruction and we don't do anything about it...
Now that we're in Iraq we need to deal with it, lord help us I don't know how we'll get through but we don't have any choice now. The point is we shouldn't have gotten there in the first place.

Yep, you're right. I never should have come off as if I were condeming you, I wasn't.

It is just the way the left folks think that really bothers me.

I just cannot stand anyone bad mouthing the president, no matter which side of the fence he comes from.

He deserves a little more respect than that and if some of the left hasn't noticed, he kinda has his hands full right now.

Those that don't like him, fine. But, stand over in the corner out of the way while this man cleans the rattlesnakes out of the pantry.

Allan

Thats how I see it.

-Dave

Besides whic when you add on all the right wing hate radio the balance definately slides that way.

I know FOX seems far right when compared to all the so called "centered" news broadcast stations.

I do agree the radio is almost all far right. When lefties try radio, they so boring nobody listens... So the advertisers pull out. Look at the AirAmerica bomb.

Re: USA going into Iraq. If they did not attack/invade Kawaite(sp?) in 92 we would have never attacked. If they would abide by the cease fire/surrender agreement, we would have never attacked. Idiots!

North Korea has not attack another county since the 1950's and we did fight it out till the point they surrendered (Thank you China). So we will leave the alone. And that is the way it works. (Also they have NUKES.. LOL)

My 2cents again.

I hate tv, especially news coverage, its all pretty poor, right wing, left wing or whatever. I can't stand the radio hate mongerers either.

News isn't news anymore; it is a slanted entertainment package.

Regards,

Allan

Mark

Just yesterday on the interstate, local heat had a marked car and 2 unmarked. Hit 3 speeders at the same time. So 6 cars were on the shoulder, 3 drivers explaining why they were in such a hurry. You wouldn't believe the traffic jam that NOTHING caused.

Mark