Un-safe trucker

[ouch]

That rabbit had a vicious streak a mile wide.

Of course. Why, that's no ordinary rabbit.




Countdown to clownhouse in 5, 4, 3.....

[dymaxion]

Report him to the company you saw on the truck.

Most Trucking companies take safety very seriously. This is because they can be shutdown (The company not just the trucker) in an instance if
their records are not up to snuff or if there are too many violations. This can happen in minutes it is not dragged out.

I worked for a time in a safety department of a large moving and storage firms. Accidents were acted upon immediatly.

[oc_in_fw]

I'm not sure how to ask this, but: was she eating a cud-chewing rabbit at the time?

No- Lobster

[Illadelphia]

Put it on youtube and send them the link.

So much win

I love turtle for this reason!

[luvmysuper]

[OldSaw]

While others states laws might be different. the Oklahoma State Laws which I enforce require professional truck drivers to maintain a high degree of professionalism on our roadways.

This means, that regardless of the speed or even if there was a failure to yield. The fact and reality of the matter is, that the 'burden' of 'professionalism' lies with the truck driver. He gets paid, to act professional behind the wheel. And Oklahoma Law requires it. The trucker in question in my view only had two options, regardless of the civilian driver's purpose/intentions/agenda.

1. Stay back within a minimum of one vehicle length until it was clear/safe to pass
2. Stay back within a minimum of one vehicle length until that particular one lane roadway opened up to two lanes which would allow him to pass.

Everything else is speculation and argumentative.

And while I recognize that BK did say the truck had been much closer to him before the actual phone video, I personally, did not see anything out of the ordinary or dangerous on the video. Sorry BK.

Also, it should be obvious by all in this thread who have stated that BK should/could of called the police for someone driving aggressively. They also should recognize that the 'professional' trucker has that same most obvious choice of calling the police also, if he felt like he was being blocked. Not attempting to change the circumstances himself.

Imo, this thread has come to a conclusion.

The companies that I drove for had a policy that drivers were to maintain a 7 second following distance. That wasn't always easy, but it kept me safe, especially in low visibility conditions.

It would be nice if all professional drivers were courteous and if 4 wheelers were more tolerant of trucks. However, we don't live in an ideal world. The law is the law and rules are rules, but reality doesn't always follow the rules. Sometimes we have to adjust to a situation in the name of safety, regardless of whether we have the right of way or not. I can't begin to count the number of times I had to make adjustments to my driving to keep from killing some idiot in a car. It is just part of the job and happens every day. The evasive maneuvers I had to make due to other trucks was fewer but gave me the willies when it happened.

[Wullie]

Well? Hi All, my first post here.

I drove trucks for 30 years. I've driven big rigs over 3 million miles. Hauled cattle back in the 80's when things were pretty wild compared to today's standards. Two or three log books and pocket full of road dope was the norm. A hot rod Pete with a BIG horse under the hood and two transmissions that would run out in excess of 120MPH was pretty much standard for outlaws like I worked for. Loading the wagons until we had hair sticking out of every hole and grossing 85K to 95K and knowing the way around ALL the scales was the way we rolled. I was younger and lot dumber then. We had some rank schedules to keep and I kept 'em as long as the road was open. I quit hauling bulls in 1984. I took my last pill in 1984 too.

That feller in that truck had someplace he wanted to be and you were impeding his progress. In my opinion, he should have started sooner.

The last ten years that I drove, I did "heavy haul" stuff. One of my rigs weighed 96K empty and was 105' long. Couldn't leave the yard without a permit and rear escort. You would be amazed at some of the idiot stunts that people have done in front of me when I had that punk grossing 250K.

Here's pic of my "town rig" it was 87' long, 13' wide and weighed 144K in this pic.


TO the OP, I've been on both sides of your situation. I'm not defending that boy one bit.

Nowadays, I drive around in town, usually 150 to 200 miles a day in a pretty busy urban environment with a lot of interstate traffic. I run across clowns that like on a regular basis. I get out of their way when I can and give 'em a chance to load up in some else's rear end.

The plus side about all this is that you made it home in one piece.

I will say that was a good looking Pete and looked like it ran pretty strong when he pulled the trigger on it passed you.

Glad both of you lived to tell the tale.
Willie

[scottish steve]

And try being a single-speed road bicycle with only one (or no) brake!
I've had a few close calls, even in broad daylight and often when a motorist hits a cyclist, they blame the cyclist for scraping the paintwork.

[Wullie]

And try being a single-speed road bicycle with only one (or no) brake!
I've had a few close calls, even in broad daylight and often when a motorist hits a cyclist, they blame the cyclist for scraping the paintwork.

I've no idea how it is where you are at the moment, but I've seen videos of drivers in China. I don't think I'd want to drive there much less ride a bicycle.

I can say that "cyclists" in my area (the ones that wear the fancy skin tight gear and ride a bike that costs more than I make in a month) all seem to have a death wish. They ride in packs and block lanes. They routinely run stop signs, red lights, pass on the right in intersections, ride the wrong way on one way streets, and scream bloody murder if they get knocked down or have to stop and actually obey the rules of the road.

They aren't using their bikes for transportation that I can tell.

Good luck to you my friend.
W

[_JP_]

There is a lack of understanding for both cyclists and motorists that the bicycle is considered a vehicle and must obey all traffic laws. But that's a different topic.

I would back up some of the stuff that Wullie said. Bigger vehicles behave differently, and you can have your hands full controlling them. Many drivers are completely ignorant of that because they have never handled anything big. I haven't driven semis, but I have driven smaller trucks, busses, and other vehicles. I do know that if people just follow safe practices when driving they'll have almost no problems with anybody else on the road.

[OldSaw]

I've no idea how it is where you are at the moment, but I've seen videos of drivers in China. I don't think I'd want to drive there much less ride a bicycle.

I can say that "cyclists" in my area (the ones that wear the fancy skin tight gear and ride a bike that costs more than I make in a month) all seem to have a death wish. They ride in packs and block lanes. They routinely run stop signs, red lights, pass on the right in intersections, ride the wrong way on one way streets, and scream bloody murder if they get knocked down or have to stop and actually obey the rules of the road.

They aren't using their bikes for transportation that I can tell.

Good luck to you my friend.
W

Welcome.

One thing I've noticed about cyclists, the fancier the clothes the more road they think they own.

[thatsilverguy]

No matter what laws you submit to the laws of God (or just plain physics if you are atheist) trump all others. Apparently no enforcers of any of the cited man-made laws were available to intervene on the OP's behalf.

The truck driver in the initial anecdote appeared to be 100% wrong. How does it serve anyone to be "dead right"?

[Wullie]

Now we need a thread by a trucker, explaining how many 4-wheelers pass, get directly in front, then hit the brakes. Or accelerate to the end of an on-ramp without ever checking for traffic, then in the last 30 feet look over their shoulder and have to lock up the brakes (literally) because there is a vehicle in the way with traffic preventing that vehicle from moving over. Or the 4-wheelers who cross 4 lanes within 75 feet to take an exit. Or the RV'ers who drive 45 MPH in a 70 MPH zone, on a 2-lane road, with 20 cars/trucks lined up behind them, all the while arguing with people on the CB.

What would you do if someone pointed a pistol at you? Would you step closer and DARE them to shoot you? Because that's a pretty similar situation to driving 53 MPH and DARING that cattle hauler to hit you.

I could probably write a book pertaining that and more mentioned above.

I remember one clown that got all tough on the CB one night and informed me that he had a 44 MAGNUM and it IS THE MOST POWERFUL PISTOL IN THE WORLD!! I told I didn't give a rat's A$$ because I had a truck that was weighing 80K lbs and would run 140 MPH and I'd run his butt down if he wanted me to. I then went on to tell him to do the math on energy of 80K lbs at 100mph and compare it to muzzle energy of his 44 MAGNUM. He shut up.

Then there was the time I thought I needed a run out ramp in CO. I was all primed up to hit it and I'll be damned if there wasn't an RV'er and his family unit having a picnic IN THE RAMP! I got the pig I was driving slowed down enough to keep from turning it over, but it was due a brake job after smoking 'em down the mountain.

[Clovis Man]

I've no idea how it is where you are at the moment, but I've seen videos of drivers in China. I don't think I'd want to drive there much less ride a bicycle.

I rode a bicycle EXTENSIVELY in Korea some 20+ years ago. In South Korea, there is a hierarchy of road users -- walkers go on the far right, bicycles go next, then motor scooters, then cars & trucks. If you get farther from the shoulder than THEY like, they will KNOCK you back over, and they don't care that you're making 30 MPH on a 10-speed, all they see is a bicycle -- and Koreans on bicycles go perhaps 6 MPH. I had a dump truck miss me one day by perhaps 6 inches.

[scottish steve]

Driving in China is.....challenging. It's a totally "might is right" society and I'm actually surprised I don't see more accidents.
The theory for all road-users seems to be
"I'm coming this way and you will move or get hurt, but if I do it slowly you'll have enough time to realise this and your self-preservation instinct will kick in......SEE? You DID move! That means I'm a safe driver"
Fortunately, in the new district I am living in there are bike lanes 99% of the time. Wide bike lanes on which electric bikes and bicycles run. You'd need to be an idiot to take a bicycle or slow e-bike on the section designed for the cars. As noted above, there are precious few cyclists going much above 8mph. My ebike (when it's working- need to get it looked at) can do 50mph, which is very fast for an ebike around here, but more importantly it stops very quickly. I've had to consider this as several times I've stopped to answer my phone or something and had people take an escape route to my left or right as they weren't prepared for my decelaration. Traffic is slow and many people here seem to have problem judging time, speed & distance, walking out then realising you are going much faster than they thought and jumping back. But there also seems to be a complete disregarding of the possibility of any consequences to their driving. I had a Buick literally push me out the way at 50mph for having the temerity to not get out of the way, despite the fact that I was going over the speed limit. I've seen 20 ton trucks run through a crowded junction with the horn blaring; unsecured, helmetless 2 year olds asleep on ebikes going round corners and undertaking busses, whole families on a tiny machine without a jot of concern. It can be very worrying. Of course, when an accident does happen, it's always the other person's fault and going to the police merely results in a discussion of who's the most connected. Obviously they're not all nasty or callous. A colleague was clipped by a car last year and dragged down the road a little. The car stopped and took her to hospital then paid for her bill. Thank God. If he'd just run off there would have been nothing anyone could have done about it. Did anyone hear about the traffic jam a couple of years ago that lasted ten days? People were camping in their cars as nobody would conced the right of way and evryone just edged in til nobody could move!

[Wullie]

Well Earl,

You're a FAR braver man than I am.

I hauled a LOT of cattle into out of the Clovis area back in the 80's.

Had some fun times out there too. ;) I remember spending three drunken days in Holiday Inn at Clovis because the wind was blowing so hard they closed all the roads. I think about half of those irrigation systems ended up in Texas and the other half were wrapped around telephone poles. Wasn't windy in the bar at the motel though................

[OldSaw]

I could probably write a book pertaining that and more mentioned above.

I remember one clown that got all tough on the CB one night and informed me that he had a 44 MAGNUM and it IS THE MOST POWERFUL PISTOL IN THE WORLD!! I told I didn't give a rat's A$$ because I had a truck that was weighing 80K lbs and would run 140 MPH and I'd run his butt down if he wanted me to. I then went on to tell him to do the math on energy of 80K lbs at 100mph and compare it to muzzle energy of his 44 MAGNUM. He shut up.

Then there was the time I thought I needed a run out ramp in CO. I was all primed up to hit it and I'll be damned if there wasn't an RV'er and his family unit having a picnic IN THE RAMP! I got the pig I was driving slowed down enough to keep from turning it over, but it was due a brake job after smoking 'em down the mountain.

Makes my sphincter twitch just thinking about that one.

I only drove for about 2 years, but it doesn't take long to experience a few pages worth of stories.

Coming out of Detroit one cold winter day and another truck nearly side swiped me and forced me onto the shoulder which wasn't plowed and was hard packed ice. I was a fairly fresh rookie, but was thankful for my skid pad training, which helped me realize that my rig was about to jack knife as the ice ridge hooked my steer tire. I was doing the sphincter dance as I knew I couldn't fight the ice, but I managed to get all the right side tires to follow the steer over the ice ridge and I was able to get back in the lane at the next on ramp where the ice bank ended.

[Clovis Man]

About 4 days ago, I was traveling south on NM 206. About 10 miles north of Dora, I was behind a truck, who was behind another truck, making about 58 MPH. 65 MPH limit. Two pickups behind me, and they kept darting out, wanting to pass, and there would be oncoming traffic, so they would get back behind me.

Finally the first pickup pulled out and passed all three of us driving trucks. The three of us must have covered 300 feet or more, but he made it OK. Looked like he was making about 90 MPH when he finally got around the front of the line.

When the second pickup pulled out to pass, he really didn't accelerate enough, so he was in that left lane for quite a ways. We came to a no passing zone, and instead of pulling in between two of the trucks and slowing down, he simply stayed out there. When we topped the hill, there was oncoming traffic right in his FACE. Instead of using the brakes, and moving back to the right lane, he moved over onto the left-hand shoulder and kept going! Never even slowed down! idiot!

The cars going the other way were then "threading the needle" between TWO lanes of oncoming traffic. If I could have caught him, I would have called 911. I guess he was fortunate I couldn't get more than 68 MPH -- while he looked to be doing 80 or more..

[Clovis Man]

Hey, I LIKE this thread! Everybody complains about bad drivers, but nobody really get too angry about any of them!

[_JP_]

I thought this tread rode off into the sunset.