Set the scene. Tractor-trailer (general freight van) was in the downtown core where trucks are not allowed. He was stopped at the light in middle lane - no turn signal showing.

I pulled beside him in right turn lane. I live in the area and am familiar with the traffic flow. Right turn on red is allowed at this intersection. I pulled ahead so I could see around the front of the truck to see if it was safe to turn.

As I pulled ahead, so did the truck - blocking my view. WTF. I pulled a bit further ahead and so did he.

I looked up to see who he was, and there was his swamper wildly gesturing to me and screaming, I can imagine what he was saying, but there was no mistaking his hand gestures.

I lived with truckers all my life and I know full well the danger of being tangled up in the undercarriage of a truck making a right-hand turn.

My question is this: was it that important for him to tell me off? Why didn't he just let me go when he could see that the road was clear. What was the point of blocking my view and then trying to trap me there so a collision was no longer avoidable? Did he want to run up over me just because he thought I should know better?

Stupid ###. He was in the wrong place to begin with and preventing a 4-wheeler from making an informed decision before turning into traffic is unforgivable no matter how "right" the jerk thought he was.

take care, M

Well, first of all if he was making a delivery in the area you describe, then he had every right to be there.

Granted, he should have had a turn signal on, even if he had to be in the 2nd lane to make it around the corner, so the ignoramus in question really had no reason to be as distressed as you say.

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Probably not making a delivery - it was rush hour and it was a road tractor - even furniture haulers switch to city tractors for work in the pinched, narrow streets around here.

In any case, the thing that disturbed me was that the "safe" thing for him to do was to let me get the heck out of his road so he could safely make he turn. Instead, he blocked my view so I couldn't check for on-coming traffic.

Take care, Margaret

You may know the local laws as it pretains to you but l'd bet money that the law allows for local deliveries. Even residentual areas allow local deliveries. It really doesn't matter if the driver was operating a day cab or a road tractor.

I will not comment on your safety situation because the driver is not here to give his side of the story. I am a safety director for a trucking company and I've had the opprotunity to investigate a number of motorist complaints. My company investigates all motorist complaints but it's been my experience that the complaint is slightly inflated by the motorist and the defense is usually exagerated by the driver in question. We welcome and encourage motorist comments whether they are GOOD or bad.

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Professionalism through Pride and Integrity!