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Un-safe trucker

On my way home tonight, some semi-truck comes up behind me and jake brakes RIGHT up to my bumper, probably got within 5 feet of me (In a 55 MPH zone) He followed anywhere from about 1/4 to maybe 1 second behind me, falling back, speeding up so he could jake brake again and make lots of noise - basically trying to intimidate me (2 lane highway, I was travelling about 51 - 53 MPH, cruise set)

When he passed me, he nearly clipped my back bumper.

I've got high-def (Phone was only set to 720P at the time) video of about the last 2 minutes of this idiot endangering my life, including him nearly clipping the back bumper of my vehicle at 50+ MPH.

A portion of the video barely shows the truck, (I was watching the road, not exactly where the camera was pointing out the window) but there is plenty of video there.

Also a decent shot of the truck as it passed me, including the USDOT number, name of trucking company... Tractor license # & trailer license number...

Looking up the USDOT number, the company is a trucking company that has 5 rigs, 5 drivers, hauls livestock as well as feed etc.

Something I'm sure some media outlets might be interested in, as well as PETA/Animal rights groups, showing how idiot farms endanger not only the environment but the lives of the rest of us on the highways to deliver their cargo, not to mention their customers likely wouldn't want any publicity...

I'm so fu*#^$ pissed at the moment I could spit... Some stupid *#$ endangering my life on the road like that, not to mention on-coming traffic if he were to hit me... There was no way to slow down for fear he would have hit me, I'm sure he couldn't see my tail lights most of the time over the hood of the semi tractor.

Would offering to sell the video along with permanent and exclusive rights to the trucking company be considered blackmail?
 
In a 55, you're traveling 51-53 mph, right? You have a full size truck behind you. PROBABLY loaded, very hard to stop quickly and you're doing under the speed limit. Were you also in the slow lane?

I am a professional driver. I carry VERY heavy loads and run into this from time to time. Please, GET OVER, if you can. We're trying to get around you. The jake brake applies whenever the driver lets off the accelerator. He's not applying it to intimidate you, he's attempting to slow down, hoping you'll get over. It's easier for you to get over than he and much, much safer.

Instead, you video tape him, distracting yourself from driving and endangering yourself, the driver and others more.
 

The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
Brian:
What a knucklehead...I'm glad you were not hurt!!!! :a32:

You did turn him in to the state police...right?

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"A police force is made up of amazing people...and I greatly respect all of them". CBJ
 
In a 55, you're traveling 51-53 mph, right? You have a full size truck behind you. PROBABLY loaded, very hard to stop quickly and you're doing under the speed limit. Were you also in the slow lane?

I am a professional driver. I carry VERY heavy loads and run into this from time to time. Please, GET OVER, if you can. We're trying to get around you. The jake brake applies whenever the driver lets off the accelerator. He's not applying it to intimidate you, he's attempting to slow down, hoping you'll get over. It's easier for you to get over than he and much, much safer.

Instead, you video tape him, distracting yourself from driving and endangering yourself, the driver and others more.


2 lane country highway, truck was empty, no way to pull over... The FIRST jake braking, I thought it was maybe an incident where he wasn't paying attention, but when he repeated the incident about 10 times during the 5 minutes he was tailing me, repeatedly pulling back, accelerating at full throttle, then lifting throttle and coasting right up to my bumper, it was intimidation, it was not an accident. Takes one finger swipe turn on a video camera, and I wasn't watching what I was recording, I was watching the road. Someone changing a radio station would have been more distracted than I was holding a phone pointing backwards. No more distracted than resting my left arm out the window while driving.
 
You didn't have two hands on the wheel.

Jake brakes are applied simply by lifting off the accelerator. As the truck slows it is very hard to get it back up to speed again. This will impede traffic even more. He's pulling his speed up to keep from dropping back too much and losing all momentum. Perhaps there were cars behind him, too?

Why couldn't you have sped up a little to increase the gap? You were going under the speed limit, no doubt.
 
To answer the original question, that would almost certainly be considered blackmail. Sometimes it's just better to let something go if no harm was done (speaking of, glad you're ok). I fully understand the feeling of being wronged or endangered but most of the time it's not worth it to seek revenge or payback. It seems also that much of the frustration could be due to misunderstanding. I'm not saying the driver necessarily wasn't acting like a jerk, just that after reading through the thread and responses, it's possible tempers flared over (lack of) communication. Just my $0.02. Time to shave and head off to work, you gents enjoy the evening! :)
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
Why couldn't you have sped up a little to increase the gap?
In my experience with these types of drivers, whether in cars or semis, it that they will just speed up and repeat, unless you are willing to get busted doing 20 miles over the speed limit. At least here in Texas, semi drivers think they own the damn road. To the OP- get the license plate and phone his butt in.
 
Reguardless of the weight he is pulling, he should not get that close, and I think if anyone should get over it should be the one who wants to go faster. The truck driver should have just eased off the accelerator and left a bit of room. There is no law against going 53 mph in a 55, but there is one against reckless op.
 
True, there are no laws against going 53 in a 55. There is one against impeding traffic, though, and causing danger to other drivers. The driver may have been a jerk. I don't know, I wasn't there. I'm just offering another view from what we, as drivers, see from 4 wheelers on the road. My question about why not just speed up has to do more with courtesy If you can't get around, speed up. I don't understand why drivers will just sit there and let the driver (***** driver or not) just ride their tail. Do they have a death wish? If they hit you, you are done for. Why chance that? Increase the gap. Get away from the jerk. Don't let him tailgate you like that! Who cares about who is right or wrong, this is about staying alive. For you, the driver, and everyone else on the road. Let us all be a little more cautious and courteous out there. Perhaps the truck driver was entirely wrong. Seems like he was. However, it would not have harmed you one bit to speed up, or pull off the road entirely (onto the shoulder) and let the jerk go past.

He could have had failing brakes, you never know. To prove a point, though, people will stay put trying to show the trucker a thing or two. You have no idea what could be going on. Don't wait until it's too late to find out.

You say there was no way to pull over. What if an emergency vehicle had been approaching?
 
Brian, I think that you were the victim of someone who felt it was alright to terrorize you as you were driving. IMO, you contact the police and see about sending them the video. I'm sure you were not the first driver that this trucker did this to, and you won't be the last.

If the police won't address it, then I would look at various social media - perhaps you can embarrass someone into doing somethiing.
 
You didn't have two hands on the wheel.

Jake brakes are applied simply by lifting off the accelerator. As the truck slows it is very hard to get it back up to speed again. This will impede traffic even more. He's pulling his speed up to keep from dropping back too much and losing all momentum. Perhaps there were cars behind him, too?

Why couldn't you have sped up a little to increase the gap? You were going under the speed limit, no doubt.
With all due respect as a former truckdriver, you know good and well this guy was in a hurry and pissed that the OP was doing under the speed limit on a difficult to pass 2 lane highway. He was giving him clear communication to "get on the gas", then rattled his cage a little with the near miss pass. Stupid and dangerous, but very common in the truck driving world, especially with cattle-haulers that run a lot of two lanes.
To the OP I would suggest at least going the speed limit, or make it as easy for the truck to pass as possible, try not to be an obstacle. As far as what to do with your video, I'd register a complaint with the company about the incident, inform them of the video, and see what they say about it. Your life is endangered every day you wake up, I don't think you are entitled to any compensation from an encounter that just resulted in your being upset. Save the video for future reference just in case the next time is a little worse.
 
Whether or not the OP was driving with two hands on the wheel or paying full attention has doesn't negate that the knucklehead crawled up his *** in the first place. Had the trucker not done so, the OP wouldn't have been distracted.

Some people - be it cabbies in Boston, truckers on the highway or a middle age scold - don't believe they need to be considerate drivers. It is narcissism, pure and simple.

And I never, ever drive with two hands on the wheel. It's hard to do when you drive a manual.
 
Forget about the entire incident before you have a stroke. Also, the idea that you'd blackmail them makes you sound very opportunistic. And why would you contact PETA if the trailer was empty???
 
Whether or not the OP was driving with two hands on the wheel or paying full attention has doesn't negate that the knucklehead crawled up his *** in the first place. Had the trucker not done so, the OP wouldn't have been distracted.

Some people - be it cabbies in Boston, truckers on the highway or a middle age scold - don't believe they need to be considerate drivers. It is narcissism, pure and simple.

And I never, ever drive with two hands on the wheel. It's hard to do when you drive a manual.

My point was only to state not everyone/ no one was driving safely, by definition. OP nor trucker. The safe thing to do would be to increase speed. The trucker should have backed off. Courtesy is a two way street out there on the road. It should never come down to who's right when on the road. It's about arriving at your destination safely.
 
With all due respect as a former truckdriver, you know good and well this guy was in a hurry and pissed that the OP was doing under the speed limit on a difficult to pass 2 lane highway. He was giving him clear communication to "get on the gas", then rattled his cage a little with the near miss pass. Stupid and dangerous, but very common in the truck driving world, especially with cattle-haulers that run a lot of two lanes.
To the OP I would suggest at least going the speed limit, or make it as easy for the truck to pass as possible, try not to be an obstacle. As far as what to do with your video, I'd register a complaint with the company about the incident, inform them of the video, and see what they say about it. Your life is endangered every day you wake up, I don't think you are entitled to any compensation from an encounter that just resulted in your being upset. Save the video for future reference just in case the next time is a little worse.


Without knowing all the conditions, I do not know the driver was in a hurry. however, from the details it does appear so based on the OP's description of the roadway, its conditions and such.

I'm not trying to say it's anyone's fault. My thought in road safety and accidents is it's everyone's fault. If the driver was hit, could it have been avoided? Couldn't a lot of stress been avoided? Pull off, shake your head and say "geesh, what a moron in such a hurry". You get home safe, though.
 
Forget about the entire incident before you have a stroke. Also, the idea that you'd blackmail them makes you sound very opportunistic. And why would you contact PETA if the trailer was empty???
Because he made all that livestock walk to their destination, very cruel!:smartass:
 
I would take the video to the local police, not the company. Let the police evaluate it and make the call. The issue here is the behavior of the driver, not how you did or did not react to his actions. It isn’t about you Brian, it is about him and you have video evidence that needs no interpretation.

What would have happened if it were little ‘Ol Granny puttering along in her 1972 Chrysler - Iowa is full of them I can assure you. It isn’t up to her to speed up, she is going within 5 mph of the speed limit. It is not unusual in Iowa for the speed limit to be posted and then another sign indicating the minimum speed allowed. It is almost universally 45 mph and Brian was compliant. I’m from right near where Brian is from and know of what he speaks.

Brian, you have an opportunity to possibly take a dangerous driver off the road here and save a life in the near future.

Edited to add in all sincerity that my job has me on the road every day in outside sales and this for the past 25 years in the Chicago metro area. Truckers are big time courteous in my experience, the best and this is not some token comment - I mean it.
 
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I would take the video to the local police, not the company. Let the police evaluate it and make the call. The issue here is the behavior of the driver, not how you did or did not react to his actions. It isn’t about you Brian, it is about him and you have video evidence that needs no interpretation.

What would have happened if it were little ‘Ol Granny puttering along in her 1972 Chrysler - Iowa is full of them I can assure you. It isn’t up to her to speed up, she is going within 5 mph of the speed limit. It is not unusual in Iowa for the speed limit to be posted and then another sign indicating the minimum speed allowed. It is almost universally 45 mph and Brian was compliant. I’m from right near where Brian is from and know of what he speaks.

Brian, you have an opportunity to possibly take a dangerous driver off the road here and save a life in the near future.

I can agree with this. A lot. My point is simply, do what you can to avoid being around this driver. Granted, the driver was apparently driving quite unsafe and dangerous. Just remember many accidents can be avoided. But, yes, the post IS about the truck driver's behavior. And, yes, he was apparently un-safe in his actions.

Here's a recent example I experienced: I was driving, loaded with ~ 45k. I just got finished with a hill climb and had my speed up. I was running about 62 in a 60. I was nearing my exit, and in the slow lane. It takes some distance to slow down and stop. There was a car running 45 or less in front of me on the interstate. Way to earlier to slow down for the exit, just minding their own business. I couldn't get over at the time due to cars coming. I'm on the air horn attempting to alert the driver. I can't get over. It made me think...what if my brakes were failing and I'm trying to get the driver out the way? They wouldn't be around and I would feel horrible. Truth be told I'd of tried to run off the road or done anything I could. My uncle lost his life on the road avoiding an accident. These things can be so easily avoided if we let our pride down and get away from the danger. Now, back to my situation, I was able to start slowing down enough and then able to finally get over. It was extremely dangerous for that person to go so slowly on the interstate. Average speed was 65. The car may have been impaired. So, use your 4 ways, get over to the shoulder, signal out the window (middle finger is okay). Just communicate. Don't sit there and act like you don't have a care in the world.

I run into many people that are holding traffic up, coming into my lane and swerving all about because they're sending a text. That's an entirely different topic, though.
 
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