My brother drove a tri-axle dump for a few years on I-95 in Ct. He'd be loaded with rock and some dim-wit would try to get on the highway and he'd inevitably have to slam on the brakes because the jerk driving the car can't understand that 80,000 pounds doesn't accelerate or decelerate very quickly.
Once he narrowed a cars width by about 3 feet because the little old lady expected him to just accelerate and let her on the highway. She came out of the wreck ok but her car wound up being sandwiched between the truck frame and the NJ barrier.
It really is mind blowing, the attitude of people on the road. A primo example... I was helping my sister move back up to MI from FLA a few years ago. Coming up I-75, thru Knoxville TN. The ridge there... an 7-8% grade for the truckers to climb. My sister, I was following in a U-Haul, came up on slower traffic, and without hesitation, changed to the next lane right in front of a rig kickin' it up the mountain with a load... He had his momentum up, and there was no way he'da made it to the top maintaining that speed, but he would have gotten close and only slowed to about 45-50 MPH by the time he reached the summit.
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!!