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O/T People Think They Own The Road

J

John B.

Well-known Member
You know after driving large trucks with short trailers and 48ft trailers over the years is it just me or do other drivers really don't seem to give a sh!t. You really see how bad other drivers are when you're in a big rig.

I think everyone should spend a day or two driving a large vehicle with a load so they can see how long it takes to regain their speed or how far it takes to stop. Or how others don't give you room at an intersection for you to make a turn. They expect the semi driver to back up so they can go thru the intersection.

I'm just expressing my feelings here folks, I know what to expect when on the road.
 
Maybe way out of line here, but it seems that the cost of the vehicle is in inverse proprtion to the abilities of the driver.
 
And I see more & more semi driver acting like they own the road. They feel they havethe right of way regardless. The door swings both ways.
 
Big rig drivers like to run on and on about how they can't stop or maneuver as quickly as 4 wheelers. So why the he11 do they always drive as if they can?

Truck drivers always complain incessantly about this or that while they're driving down a nice, big, wide Interstate. I once drove a Marine Corps 18 wheeler on Taiwan. It was all two lane roads at the time, and you'd just get rolling good when some old Papa-san with an ox cart would pull out in front of you. If you splattered him it was your butt and he knew it. In fact, he was probably hoping you would splatter him so you could support him the rest of his life.

So why don't truck drivers shut up til they have something to complain about?

I'm probably over-reacting. A couple of weeks ago, I was run clear off the road by an 18-wheeler who came back into my lane before he was done passing me.
 
Because about 80% of them should only be driving 4 wheelers . Now before you blow your cool here can you drive one ??? and have you ever even rode in one to get the BIG PICTURE . And before you start callen the kettle black just how well do you drive??? I am one of them OLD truck drivers and i can drive.
 
About 20% of the idiots on the road I can't figure out how they got a DL and that includes TRUCK DRIVERS. There's a few if they had pulled their famous I'm saving America rig over I would have stomped a mud hole in their a$$.I put up with this crap every day. I suggest you be nice on the road or quit and wait for obammo to send you a check. This country is in the $hitter.
 
Yes, there are some people driving that should not be allowed to. I recently turned one in who was driving like a complete idiot. The cops grabbed him and wrote him for wreckless driving. I was asked to testify in court when he decided to fight the ticket. He lost.
A big beef I have is you come up on someone running about 10 or 20 mph under the speed of traffic in the left lane on the freeway and won't get over into the right lane. Simply put, a rolling roadblock. I'll just bet these folks think they're the safest drivers out there. They may not have had any accidents, but I'll bet they have caused a few. If for nothing else, they're one of the biggest causes of gridlock.
 
T.V.
Yes I have driven them. I drove log trucks 50 plus years ago in the pacific N.w. I drove a 5 ton wrecker with a lowboy thru Wash D.C. in 1958 to return crashed air craft to Davidson army airfeild. Then had my fill of driving what ever uncle told me to drive in W. Germany including one trip to Paris france. Yep been there done that
Jim
P.S.Some of todays driver s take their breaks at the local drug hang outs. By the way I was machinist in the service it was tht darned log truck that got me the extra driving.
 
well, goose, i agree with you for the most part. but i've driven a big rig for a few miles now, not nearly as many as the long haulers, but enough to know i'm not cut out do it for a living.

if i'm cruising along with the traffic trying to stay far enough back from the vehicle in front of me to give me a little leeway, ivariably a car will change lanes in front of my front bumper and just hang therein front of me. if i slow down another one will take it's place. my attitude finally changes from 'gentleman' to "well, if he's dumb enough to get in that position, he'll have to pay the consequenses if he steps on the brakes fast".

the older truck drivers tend to have a more gentleman's attitude about driving.i'd better not say anything more about that!jim
 
People don't give a s***.

In the snow/ice/sleet storn here two weeks ago I got run of the road 4 times on the way home from work.

Most people dive like this is their world and we are just pass'n trough it.

Dave
 
It's because most drivers have no clue about the laws of physics or how things work.They only know their small slice of the world and what they do for a living. And the names of every contestant on Survivor, dancing with the stars etc.
Ask most people and they will tell you a loaded semi will stop shorter than their car. They believe the extra weight offers more traction.
 
You will never get anyone that has never driven a truck daily to understand your point of view because it is always the other guys fault no matter what the case is.

The guys I hate are the ones that start at a red light in the left lane but want to turn right at the first street.

Or like just today I was trying to turn left at a 4 way stop sign. I waited for the car to my left to go so I would have room to make the turn. But the next car just pulls up and blocks me. After about 3 cars I just went into the turn and blocked the whole intersection and made the cars back up. Natuarly I was the a$$ hole for doing this.

If you really slow down and look around most of the problems is because of people being in such a hurry to get no where. While I can understand it in the morning because most people are just to lazy to get out of bed on time I really do not see why they are in such a rush to get home in the afternoon.
 
I've owned'em, and I've had drivers that couldn't come up with a smell if they were being paid to haul sh!t.

More and more you will see that truckers are getting just as bad as people in 4 wheelers.

And before obammie is done it will get much worse, you can take that to the bank.
 
I"m constantly amazed how many drivers try to cut under a semi tractor trailer unit making a right turn... the number of times i"ve seen this happen blows my mind... and most of the time the semi is signaling a right turn... even if their not it should be semi obvious what is happening...

Then again, today, in my "other" job, moving snow of the local town streets i saw some really dumb moves... cars trying to squeeze between me (on big CAT loader) and the semi i"m loading... even one of the local cops did it...

But then again, we"ve all done something stupid on the roads, anyone who says they haven"t is lying...

Used to run large farm equipment in the UK and remember making cars back up for me, usually by getting the newspaper out if we met on a narrow road... after about ten minutes they usually would give up and reverse out of the way...
 
Actually i do own quite a bit of the road around my farm I wonder if I could charge a tax or fee for crossing my land.
Walt
 
log truck???? No offence but I had not seen many of those boys driving under 60 on roads they should only be doing 30 on.

Worst place I ever drove was Korea. Lost my drivers side mirror more than once. One time in Feb durring team spirit. I was going down a 30% grade on a mountain with a sharp left at the end. The road was covered with Ice. Scarry. No gaurd rails. Only going about 5mph if that. Hit the brakes and no stoppie and no turnie.
I got to the part were the only thing you could see was the valley no road. My out board tire caught a sliver of dirt and I turned. Whew.
Used to have photos of the M48 tank that did not make that turn.
 
You know John it isn't just the car drivers that are unthinking. I'll never forget the 18 wheel driver that missed knocking me off the road by a couple of inches. I was driving a NPR with a full load of mulch, weight just under 26,000, and making about 55 mph. He was at least 10 if not 15 mph faster and came over on me WAYY to soon and way too quick--and he knew exactly what he was doing!
 
I think bad drivers come in all forms. 2 weeks ago after dark and a snow storm I was heading into town. I ment a snow plow, plow about 2 feet over the center line, thats ok I just move over and about stop on shoulder. I get going again around 30, meet 2 cars following where the snow plow came through, 2 feet over the center line. I moved over as far as I could, no luck shoulder was drifted in and i was to axels of the van in snow. I was going to crank it to the left but figured if I did get back on the road I would hit the second car so just went streight and got stuck. A 4 wheel drive truck came and pulled me out, no charge, no damage.
I spent a few years on the road driving a streight truck with a 35 ft box. Covered 300 miles east to west and 200 miles south to north.
Seen a few truckers pass me when I was doing 65, all over the road. tailgating, pass then slow down. I will say most truckers are very skilled drivers.
Anyways I think bad drivers come in all shapes and forms and vehicals.
 
Tractor trailers hauling trash from MA and wood chips from New Brunswic are trouble here .They constantly try to push you faster than the speed limits and pass blind in places where only an idiot would try to pass.Ive talked with retired drivers who cant beleive what they see the truckers doing.I worked as a striker on trucks hauling lumber, hay and christmas trees in the 50s all over New England and New York.Never saw the rotten driving that tractor trailer drivers are doing now.They blast thru school zones at 60 mph here.One tractor trailer driver who ran into a car that was stopped for hiway contruction killed the driver had 60 plus violations.Hes serving time in state prison.Cops stopped a log truck driver who had 1 empty vodka bottle in the truck and had a second near empty.Many are drugged up and cant tell if a vehicle is stopped or moving.
 
The only thing you can take to the bank after Bush.
Half the country doesn't have a house or a job. We're in two wars with no end in sight. Stock markets crashed. Robbed by every "legal" robber barron around. Food and taxes starting to show the effects of the artificial, theft, fuel prices.
And you say it will get worse under external_link.
 
I am a firm believer in having ALL people get better driver education as kids and as adults. A good friend of mine was a truck driver for 3 years. He has a CDL A. He drove all over the USA. He has seen horrible wrecks where people died......oops. He said in the time he was a driver many people cut him off on the freeway, pass him on an off ramp, etc. The stupidity of passenger car drivers is appalling when they dont understand that stopping an 80,000 pound truck takes time and distance.
 
I must live in a parallel world as I think most truck drivers do quite well for the tedium they must handle. I try to "flash my lights" as their trailer clears my front and it doesn't have to be much as I think I can stop about as fast as they can. Some truckers acknowledge the lights, signalling in return.
I wish more drivers would be aware of on ramps when they are cruising along in the passing lane next to someone...I try to get ahead quickly or drop back a bit to give the right laner a chance get left (I am in their blind spot) to get over if they have to.
On a related winter note: ever notice how there are just two kinds of ice drivers? The dahm fools who have to pass you and the scaredy-cats you have to pass? Prayer of the road: Let us not occupy the same space at the same time at any time.
 
DA, this is what "I drove'em" said, so it's not the wrong thread.

"And before obammie is done it will get much worse, you can take that to the bank"

Mad, sure, don't like people stealing from me.

And you're one of the common DA's on here that name call, say you don't know the issues, on an and on,...but never contradict what I actually say, because even in your little Repug' world you know it's the truth.
 
I don't think I know a single person that doesn't have a job, other then retired people or the same people that didn't have jobs 10 years ago. Also the seasonal construction workers who get laid off in the winter, but will get hired back in the summer. Also don't know anyone who doesn't have a place to live, maybe they don't own a house of their own, but they have a place to rent.
 

The most common error I see for cars AND trucks is following too closely on the interstates. If you drive with a proper interval between you and the vehicle in front of you someone will cut in front of you. I also note that police cars on the interstate seem to drive 10 or more mph over the speed limit in the left hand lane. Of course if police cars drove the speed limit in the right hand lane traffic would pile up behind them.

KEH
 
So which one are you;

The truck driver who takes 10 miles to pass a slower moving truck doing 55, at 56?

One of the two truck drivers who continually pass each other over and over for hundreds of miles, backing up a mile of traffic each time?

The truck driver who sees a car comming on fast and wips over in front of them driving the "speeder" into the burm?

The truck driver who goes 45 in a no passing zone but seems to find an extra gear in the passing zones doing 65?

Are you one of the two truck drivers sitting side by side a mile behind construction traffic holding back 2 miles of traffic?

Are you the truck driver of the truck's grill taking up my entire rearview mirror?

Did you ever consider maybe its you?????

I bet if you took a poll you would find more truck drivers feel they own the road just from the taxes they pay to us it. Plus, I would bet for every "other" crappy driver there is an equally "crappy" truck driver.

BTW - The list above is just the more common junk I see going on in my travels. Just as most trucks do, I do about 5 over. Is it our fault some state politican thinks trucks should go 10 slower than the rest? Tan't mine, If it where up to me we'd all be like Oklahoma and doing 75.....
 
hey, give them a break. all they are trying to do is drive; while peeing in a bottle, eating, drinking, smoking, talking on the cb while holding a cell phone up to their ear with their shoulder plus looking down into every passing vehicle to try to see some leg. all of this at the same time, dang they are good.
 
What a smug little world we live in.
There's people on this board without jobs or cut back which may go deeper. There was a feel good story on the news last night how all the workers in a school district gave up a days pay so nobody would have to go home, but in the same sentence the superintendent said he got rid of the Subs, whether he knows it or not the Subs are his employees that needs jobs too, that he just dismissed like yesterdays garbage.
Back to your smug little world, your area may just not have been hit yet.
Enough of these scenarios and it'll get you too.
1. Raise taxes 50-1000%
2. Lower gov retirement 50%.
3. Raise fuel prices again.
4. Raise utility bills 50-500%.
5. Work in an auto related industry.

Purely based on fuel costs we got some of 1 and 4, but not so they hurt, and I think based solely on fuel price theft.

It's nice everybody has a place to live, maybe you could rent someday.
 
well this post proves one thing total morons are behind the wheel of everything,i am a professional truck driver, i did not get my licence in 6 weeks in a cdl mill, i was driving a decade before there was a cdl, there are some bad truck drivers out there usually there 20 something and just got their licence and really shouldnt be running solo, when i learned the procedure was to place the newbie with a veteran driver, now i don't mean a "driver trainer" when the veteran said you were ready was when you were assigned a truck, the guy i was with had 30 years otr so i consider myself trained right, and after 20+ years of driving trucks myself i think i can run a truck, most problems i have on the road are with car drivers, they come in all ages sexes and races but normally they all have in common little if any driving skill, a cell phone stuck in their ear, and busy in the car doing everything but driving
 
Somebody did a study on bad driving and found that in cities where there is a college have the worst drivers in the 4 wheelers.The bigger the college the worse it is.
All drivers need to ride in a truck a couple of weeks and I bet they would be a lot better driver.Some people wouldnt learn anything in a hundred years.Some people driving trucks cant even speak English or read signs.Some people get a CDL and cant even drive a car.The ones that make me mad are the ones in 4 wheelers that get in the left lane and drive 5 under the speed limit for miles.Thats against the law for any of them reading this,left lane passing only.Next big truck companies that have their trucks governered to a certain speed thats lower than anybodys speed limit,then one of them tries to pass another one,they can block the passing lane for many miles because the truck being passed wont slow down and let the other truck by.Besides having a governored speed the same trucks usually dont have enough horsepower either.
 
Hey, tlak,
1. nnalert wanted bigger tax cuts and an extension of Bush cuts, nnalert rejected these as part of the "stimulus" give away.
2. Agree prorate based on years of service and smaller more in line with what the rest of us have.
3. Raise fuel taxes to promote "savings"?????Read bho's theory.
4. Over 50% of our electricity is from coal fired plants and YOUR messiah wants to demolish the coal industry.
5. People will eventually need a new car, just read that truck sales were UP in Dec. and Jan.
Haven't seen any "Hoovervilles" and don't expect to.
 
Try driving in St Cloud MN on Division street. What a freaking nightmare. Ya have teens cruising, Somalians ( no disrespect) that really should not be driving with out ALOT more training, stop lights every couple blocks that are always red, crazy shopping moms racing to every sale, weaving in and outa traffic like they are in a Nascar race, hoodlums walking across busy intersection and looking like if you don't stop for them they will "tag" you. Intersections blocked because St.Cloud people think that yellow, means keep moving to get in the intersection before it turns red. If they have anyone is driving a $30,000+ vehicle - they are better than you and you should remove yourself from their path so they may continue as the royalty they are. Just nutts this traffic in that town is. Getting worse every year, someday there will be a fast lane through town and St. Cloud will lose a lot of stop light business.,
 
"left lane passing only",legally the left lane speed limit is whats posted.Meaning,you shouldnt exceed the posted speed limit even when passing.
 
There are people that set in the left lane at a speed slower than the speed limit.Also you can get a ticket for that in places,which means if you cant pass you better get back right.Only a jerk of a cop is going to write a ticket for 5 over if you are passing,and quickly get back over.Some people will speed up when you try to pass,if they do that you better either pass them or get back behind them.The bottom line is you dont have an excuse for driving in the left lane blocking traffic.
 
I spent thirty years driving a service truck and nine years driving a five ton Army wrecker.I have seen bad from both sides.Most of the bad truckers I saw were the new kids with no idea what they were doing.Should have been in a truck with someone that knew the ways of the road. I was towing a two and a half ton one time.Down a hill on I35. Had a bunch of kids in a volkswagon pull out in front of me and slow down. I hit the brakes and then hit the car. My front bumper and winch ended up in the back seat of the car. The two girls ended up in the floor. Lucky for me there was a DPS car across the road who saw the whole thing. He pulled the driver out and ask him what the hell he thought he was doing. He said he thought it would be fun to make a big truck slow down. Lucky for us all ,other than some messed up shorts and a few scratches no one got hurt.
 
OH BOY,you're hitting a sore spot. You even learn how far off the road a mail box should be when you have to STOP behind the mail carrier to wait for traffic,then spend the next 2 miles getting back up to speed.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't they go after the truck driver in a wreck for following too closely?

Just had a wreck here a couple of days ago. Minivan slowing down (or stopping, due to oncoming traffic. Only saw the aftermath, not the actual accident.) to make a left-hand turn. Semi #1 behind her takes the right shoulder to go around. Semi #2 can't take right shoulder because Semi #1 is in the way, can't stop in time either, hits the minivan. US12 shut down for several hours, 8 year old boy in back seat survives, but in bad shape. Mom(driving) dies. Heard they're going after the truck driver for manslaughter or some such.

Bad day for everyone, hope the kid makes it.

Anthony
 
You must live in Minnesota, every other state around it seems fine. Im from Minnesota and cant stand how people drive 5-10 mph under the limit in either lane and not pass anyone.
 
Truckers get paid by the mile, on the average....right? So the faster they go, the more money they make. That's why some of them drive like idiots, because to them it's all about the money. As for drivers in the four wheelers, the worst drivers are the ones who (a) have no understanding of auto mechanics/body work, (b) have no understanding of the basic laws of physics, and (c) have no respect for the other folks who share the road with them. These are the folks who have the attitude, "It's all about ME," and they don't necessarily drive $30,000 vehicles [BTW...before throwing stones at folks who drive $30,000 vehicles, have you priced a well-equipped diesel dually lately?].

I always have problems with folks on the two-lane roads with few passing zones who think that, if the speed limit is 55, then the proper speed to drive must be 40. That's always irritated me, and these days it seems to be getting worse, not better.

I'm planning to drive from my home near Louisville, KY to Savannah, GA next week...so I'll probably have a few more complaints about idiot drivers when I get back. I just hope I don't give someone else a reason to feel the same about me.
 
At one of our safety meetings at the phone co. a Ga.state patrolman said if you are going 90 miles an hour in he left lane and someone comes up behind you going faster, the law sez you should move over.
 
Trucks are also guilty heading up grades side by side running well under the speed limit because the one in the left lane is too hard headed to let up a little bit to pull in behind the one in the right lane
 
years ago that trying to have a conversation with tlak was much like talking to a fence post. And I truly believe that arguing with a fence post is a sure waste of time. Tlak is a liberals abundant.
 
For many years, i drove the same roads to work and back home. Somewhere along the route, some jerk decided he was going to slow down traffic in his area, so he'd get out on the road and drive along at about 10-15 mph. This went on for several months. Until, one day, here i come along, with my 1940 Ford homade pickup, and he got in front of me, and slowed way down! Having nothing to lose, and a large push plank on the front, i started pushing him along, gaining speed, until he finally waved his hand out the window, and zoomed off into someones yard, where he promptly got stuck! And that ended his slow-down tricks!
 
That's OK, I aint tryin to woo him, just aggravate him! Nothin he says hits anywhere near 50 miles of home, anyway, the point I was makin was he is always the one who drags politics into the discussion, even if nobody else was a goin thataway! I bet I got him flustered enough that he won't answer my question, anyway!
 
Several years ago I was run off the road by a semi on I-74 eastbound. One mile into Ohio a semi pulled out to pass me, got beside me, saw the weigh station was open and just came right over. I have never been accused of being a slow poke (usually 5 - 10 over the speed limit) and the speed limit for trucks in Ohio is lower than for cars. He knew I was there and he had no business on the road if he was going to drive like that.
 
Thats a little true,but if I spend 2 miles trying to build up speed to hit the grade with,I am not letting off the gas unless I see disco lights behind me.Now if its just a hill I will back out of it,but a long climb if I let off I may not make it to the top.I have run out of power to go forward on a mountain and had to back down it to a flat spot,then back up it again in low gear.I also have missed a gear trying to downshift and had to stop and start all over going up a mountain.So its like this,if you are in a 4 wheeler and you think the truck in front of you is too slow,wait until he has to stop and see how slow it is to get started moving again,especially if the truck driver doesnt have much experience and drops the drive shaft on the ground by taking off wrong.Yeah it might be irritating to 4 wheelers,but unless you drive a truck you have no idea how irritating 4 wheelers are to trucks.Best thing to do is be patient because you are not going to stop all those trucks from doing that,and the roads are to be shared,but they are built for trucks to keep the country moving.Making trucks drive to suit impatient 4 wheelers will have everybody waiting behind even slower trucks.I have to agree about the ones going too slow to start with getting side by side because they mess up the trucks too.A lot of places now that have a steep grade have 3 lanes,one for the too slow trucks,one for the rest of the trucks,and the 3rd for empty trucks and 4 wheelers.When I drive a big truck I get in the passing lane when traffic is in my way,pass it and get in the right lane,all the time.I see cars,trucks,everything,out in the country,with a 1/2 mile gap between the traffic,drive side by side.If a truck tire blows out beside you pieces of rubber could rip a front fender right off of your car.I saw it happen.Its best to drive without cruise and pass then get back in and go faster than the vehicle you passed than block the left lane on cruise and be a zombie riding in some trucks blind spot.
 
(quoted from post at 11:49:04 02/14/09) Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't they go after the truck driver in a wreck for following too closely?
Click to expand...

In the situation you described the #2 semi was, in fact, following too closely if he hit the van. You can only follow so close that you can control your vehicle and stop without hitting something. If you hit something you were either too fast or too close for your speed. 99.99% of the time if you hit something you are in the wrong in one way or another. There are exceptions, but few.
 
"drags politics into the discussion"

After all the political discussions started having short life spans I started (probably months ago) only responding to ignorant, DA, political comments, like I pointed out above.
So once again you're wrong.
 
I drive a truck sometimes and if a 'truck driver' can't handle the gears he shouldn't be driving it in the first place.Trucks don't own the road we all do and the 4 wheelers have a lot more votes which is why we get stricter truck laws all the time after people get fed up with truck driver antics
 
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