What do four-wheelers do that bothers truckers? I think I'm a pretty safe driver, but I know that I can always do better. Other than the basics (awareness, steady safe speed, safe distance, etc.), how can I drive better for everyone's safety? What do you think most four-wheeler drivers don't know or do that they should know and do? What did you learn from trucking that you could have used as a four-wheel driver?

Well, the problem I most often have is idiots that don't seem to know a turn signal when they see one.

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

OK, I use my signal and I've been working on using it earlier although this isn't always possible when you really need to move over quickly.

I've recently had truckers turn on their right turn signal when passing me even before their truck had cleared my car (and I've been maintaining a steady speed). This is a bit confusing to me because I thought truckers liked you to maintain a steady speed, but with their signal on so early it seems they want me to slow down and let them in. Maybe it was because they had somebody flying up on them?

It is difficult to tell if they cleared your car because they cant look back and check their blind spot. They have to use their mirrors, in which they have no depth perception. Its hard to tell thru the mirrors, especially if the rear of the trailer is about 60 ft away. If you want to let a trucker in you could let off the gas and coast to decrease your speed. Flashing your brite lights is how to tell a trucker that he's clear.

As a kid, we used to travel a lot, and my parents were taught to flash the lights on and off to signal a trucker that he was clear. From what I understand from an earlier thread here, this is still the preferred signal since flashing the high beams can catch the mirrors and momentarily blind the driver.

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I think he was referring to the idiots that cannot see when a truck has its turn signal on, especially on the right when they have to swing way wide to the left to make a sharp right turn. And then the less than intelligent ones run up the inside on the right only to find themselves with a pancake car when the truck tires roll over their car because they were too blind to notice the blinking turn signal light.


BB it sounds like you at least TRY to do a good job. That effort is greatly appreciated! But there are so many other drivers that either genuinely have no clue or don't care.


Also keep in mind there are bad eggs in every basket. There are pathetic truck drivers the same as there are pathetic car drivers.

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No depth perception thru the mirrors isn't entirely true. It can be tough some times to tell.



The light flashing to signal clear to move over is slowly disappearing along with many other manners in today's "ME FIRST" mentality our society seems to be getting.

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What do four-wheelers do that bothers truckers? Well, it begins when they do not use the acceleration lane (on-ramp) to accelerate, pick their spot and go for it. The trucker moves to lane two and the four-wheeler enters lane one and rides there along side the truck at the truck speed limit. The trucker uses his right turn signal to give the four-wheeler the hint that he should either pass or drop back.

Most four-wheelers know about trucker blind spots near the fuel tanks or drive tires. They do not realize there are blind spots two lanes from the truck. For example, a truck is driving in lane one and a four-wheeler is in lane three. They both signal and move for lane two. The trucker gets a surprise.

I also "love" it when a four-wheeler dives from lane three for his exit ramp, cutting everyone off. He lives there and gets off at that exit every day, but is in too much of a hurry to change one lane at a time or follow any vehicle for a short distance at a slower speed before exiting.

don't linger next to me. pass or don't. and don't give me flash burn with your high beams when i'm looking in the mirror to see if i'm clear. i'd rather you do nothing. oh yea, don't pass me and then slow down right after you're in front.