Most here probably have no idea of the hassles drivers face which include dealing with lumpers to get unloaded, dispatchers trying to get them to cheat in their logbook, the problems getting unloaded as mentioned, not being covered by minimum wage and the list goes on and on.
Hat's off to the truck drivers that make our way of life possible.
It’s a tough and important job. Unless you’re stopping at a roadside fruit stand, virtually every consumer good you buy got there by truck (even the stuff that came in on trains has to leave the train yard in something else). I always try to ease up a bit on the throttle to let a truck that is signalling, into the lane, or speed up to give him some extra space behind me. I almost always get an appreciative flash of the lights or a wave. Also, I try not to cut right in front of them if I’m changing lanes, because they need a lot more room to slow down or stop than another car or SUV.
Maybe Mr. Truck Driver should stop voting for Democrats.
That sounds about right from conversations I’ve had with a truck-driving relative. His driving time is limited, so to cover more distance he needs to go faster, but to save money on gas he needs to go slower.
Hey, it wasn’t me! I drive 62 max. Slow down, save $.
My PU gets 15 mpg at 70 mph, 19 mpg at 62, 21 mpg at 55 mph. Plus, it’s 22 years old.... 316,000 miles on original drive train (rounding the moon and starting back to earth!!!). 89 FORD F150 XLT, 4.9l/300 cu in 6 cyl, 5 speed 4x2.
If you bought it,a truck brought it.
I work the traffic office for a large warehouse.
We had a guy who came in last night, he said he made it onto our property by about 90 seconds. We needed his trailer in a door at adjacent building across the campus. He asked if he could have a jockey take his trailer there because he was out of time and if he travelled faster than 5 mph it would alert DOT.
I respect 18 wheel drivers as they are a backbone of the American economy. I don’t respect 18 wheel drivers than haul autos. I’ve had two experiences with them that by inches almost put me on the wrong side of the grass. IMO, they have a lot of speedy, chance taking idiots in their ranks.
Funny, but I’ve never felt the need to flip off a big rig driver.
From decades of driving over the interstate system, I’ve grown to appreciate truckers. Over 99% of my interactions with them have been professional and good. The one percent of goofballs...well, every profession has them.
After reading that article, I see how we take them for granted much of the time. This is one four-wheeler who would like to thank them.
However, there is the occasional trucker who doesn't move over to the right lane after passing but stays in the left lane forcing everyone to slam on their brakes. Had this happen last week three times. We ended up doing 45mph in the left lane... on a 75mph highway... and for several minutes. Traffic piled up for a half a mile behind him.
We were climbing a hill. And yes, there was an opportunity for the trucker to get over. Apparently, he didn't want to lose his momentum.
The left lane is for passing.
What are the incentives that got us to this point? Were drivers in the 60’s less honorable? Were companies forced to these measures by unionized drivers? Or were companies greedy from the get go? Chicken and egg... which came first? I’ll lay this one at the feet of unions... but maybe someone knows more.
I do not doubt that it’s difficult to be a long haul trucker. We should all note that 90% of that difficulty is provided by GOVERNMENT. They are the enemy, not the other cars and trucks on the road.
“With fuel at almost $4 per gallon”
And everything in the US moving by truck- this is the source of a lot of economic woes right there. Lower fuel prices would go a long way towards repairing a lot of economic damage.
I only flip them off when they come over in your lane and almost crush my car.
Good Thread ,thanks for posting this.