Posted on 08/21/2006 6:50:52 PM PDT by SJackson
Yeah but its every day I have truckers on my tail (doing 80mph), cutting me off with no signal, running in the left lane for no perceptable reason, and weaving left in an
attempt to cut me off in the merge. Since I'm on a motorcycle, they don't see me half the time. The other half
they are trying to crush me.
I say put them all on flat cars.
Heavy trucks also just plain screw up the flow of passenger vehicle and light truck traffic on heavily travelled roads. They just take too long to pick up speed, so every time there is a little slowdown, it's magnified several times over as they slow and then painfully accelerate back up to their original speed. And then there's hilly terrain. On my way home I have to go up one fairly long (several miles) and steep incline. Inevitably the rightmost lane is useless due to heavily laden trucks crawling up it at maybe 20 or 30 mph, while the middle lane is slowed down by somewhat lighter or more powerful trucks passing the really slow ones. There's little if any room for additional roadways up that hill, however, so I don't know what solution there is. In general building separate roads for trucks is a very expensive proposition. It would allow us to put all the expense of building and maintaining those roads on the trucking industry however - heavy trucks being a major reason that our roads crumble as quickly as they do. The less expensive asphalt is fine for lighter vehicles, but trucks really need reinforced concrete roads.
"...It [building separate roads] would allow us to put all the expense of building and maintaining those roads on the trucking industry..."
Just wait until you see what would happen to prices for a head of lettuce, gallon of milk, and roll of toilet paper.
~ Blue Jays ~
The poor bastard had to lay on his brakes HARD to keep from rear ending her. Damn airhorns blastin and my sister stayed where she was, justa cruisin along... When we stopped for gas, I chewed her out for cutting in front of that truck like she did. Her response, is much the same as I seen on this thread... She said..." I had cruise set, and did not want to shut it off..." I just shook my head realizing my efforts were a waste of time...
I love reading the "Conservative" viewpoints on trucks. All it would take, for any of these super intellects, is to go for ONE ride as copilot, one time...lol... ONE TIME!!
I didn't think the sarcasm tag would be necessary for the first paragraph of my post since I was kidding. To be honest I thought it was a male writer talking about his current girlfriend and the kids she had with her former husband who was likely no longer in the picture.
Either way, it's my belief that many of the complaints made about over-the-road truckers are fabricated by impatient motorists who want to get in one final swipe and think they can do it via a toll-free number displayed on the back of a trailer.
~ Blue Jays ~
I drive a 4 wheeler and have never driven a rig. From what I have seen the rigs don't stand a chance because of the stupid people who drive the 4 wheelers. They seem to have no respect for what it takes to handle the extra weight of the big rig. It would drive me crazy to have to take into account not only the extra mass of what I'm pushing, but the potential stupidity of the little guys zipping around me.
The latter seems to be unlimited.
Shalom.
"I don't mind being passed by a meteorite, it's the noise that grinds my gears."
My "crotch rocket" (it isn't, really, but it is quicker off the line than 99% of cars) has the stock exhaust system and makes no more noise than the average car, even at high rpms.
"Did you ever hear the story of the truck driver who noticed his engine temp. going up...pulled over and found a guy on a dirt bike embedded in his radiator. Just an urban myth, I suppose."
What the heck is that supposed to mean? Supposed to be funny or something?
Frieght needs to return to rail, with only the local delivery being done by truck.... Of course that would require actual investment in rail.. which has about as much priority in DC as curing poverty.
What will DC do? They'll make a 16 lane highway that divides the country in half so crap from mexico in trucks can reach canada without needing an american to even touch it.
Don't hold your breath on this problem being addressed in your lifetimes folks.
"Just wait until you see what would happen to prices for a head of lettuce, gallon of milk, and roll of toilet paper."
I don't have a problem with that. One way or another we pay for it.
While no defender of idiots in cars... Hardly were the people in the cars in stopped traffic who got plowed into by a semi that didn't stop at fault in this or other accidents like it.
80,000lb trucks don't stop as fast as a car, you are right... so tell me why when I'm doing 5 miles over the speed limit and look in my mirror the Semi behind me isn't remotely far enough back to stop if there was an emergency??
Flashing to warn the opposing traffic of an upcoming speed trap is illegal. Flashing to let the guy passing you know that it's ok to mover back over is ok.
Depending on what you call qualified, that could put automakers out of business.
IMHO: Drivers should be licensed by pilots. Extremely difficult testing including paper testing to ensure they understand the physics behind what they are doing. Licensed to drive only the class of car you are tested in (no passing the test in a Ford Focus and then driving around in a Corvette or Excursion). Regular road tests to ensure you know how.
But our public transportation infrastructure would never support that.
Shalom.
i am opening a web site called dangeroustrucker.com. it is under construction. people will be able to report truck drivers which are dangerous. video will be allowed to be sent in and played.
i just drove from my northern home to fl. i saw ten truck drivers which need to be off the road. i am sick of truckers who turn their turn signal on and move over to the next lane. they feel it is your responsibility to get out of that lane instantly or they will run you off the road. let the companies they drive for, insurance companies and lawyers for people injured by dangerous trucker sort out the details.
i have a stake in safe trucking. i have a class A CDL and own two medium duty box trucks and drive them safely.
And that's a problem why? Every factory moving to slave labor nations equal thousands of jobs lost... and I'm told day in and out by free trade worshipers this is a good thing... so why is moving back to rail other than local delivery a bad thing?
Right. It's a matter of smarts. Unless you're in a crowded city environment know their limits and work within them. Don't drive in their blind spot. Either slow down and drop behind them or kick it in and get in front of them. Watch what they're doing and react. Honk if they don't seem to see you. And for heaven's sake, don't use the space they're leaving for breaking room to change lanes at a red light. I see more of that stupidity than I can stand.
Shalom.
Truck traffic is the result and the boon of JIT inventories. The trucks need to roll constantly because the stores can't afford to have stock in the back and keep the prices as low as we require. So they get nearly daily deliveries which means nearly daily trucks.
Someone earlier said we need to expand the infrastructure to handle this. That was a good point. But don't expect the politicians to use our money for good when they can use it to get re-elected.
Shalom.
Trains do not have the flexibility to support Just-In-Time inventories that most stores require to be able to offer the low prices they offer.
Small and flexible is required in this modern age. Trains may be able to go from terminal to terminal, but the trucks will be required, in massive numbers, to deliver to the sales point.
No way around it.
Shalom.
Yes, many, if not most car drivers are clueless. Nevermind understanding what truckers have to deal with, they're barely capable of piloting their own vehicles safely from point A to point B. I know trucks can accelerate or stop quickly. I know they have big blind spots. I know they have a job to do and a lot of pressure to deliver on time. I often make space to allow trucks to change lanes or merge on to the highway. When I was driving a U-Haul cross country hauling my car behind it, which didn't want to happily do much more than 55 mph, I even pulled over on to the shoulder occasionally to let cars and trucks behind me go past.
Having said all that, I still think heavy truck and car traffic on the same road is a poor mix. It's not so bad out on the open highway, but in urban areas with congestion and stop and go traffic it just doesn't work well. And while most truck drivers, especially the long-haul guys, are professionals, around here a significant minority, a lot of them short-haul around-town guys, are just plain maniacs. Tailgating at 75 mph, crazy lane changes - just no consideration for the other vehicles on the road, including other truckers. I'm guessing a lot of these idiots are probably graduates of those 3 week CDL courses and are pretty new to the business.
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