I gave a woman a ride because she was standing in freezing cold weather. She said she'd been in a car with friends but insisted on being let out because she thought the driver was drunk.

Disturbed, maybe do it in Canada - but I'd never ever consider it in the States. It's way too easy to get a handgun down there. At least with a knife, you have a chance if someone wants to get you. Personally, I'd never pick up a hitchhiker any more - though I used to hitchhike myself all the time when I was a teenager. Times have changed just way too much.

You could always pick them up in your truck and let them ride behind the cab standing where you'd attach the air hoses!!! LOL

My indecision arises from the fact that I was once a hitch hiker and remember how rough it could be to be stuck in the middle of nowhere for two or three days with just a duffel bag of stuff and a few snacks. I hate to see people unassisted on the side of the road in any instance.

When I was on a road trip recently with my family we passed through some very rough snow covered patches of road. With wind, thick snow and icy spots, it was necessary to slow right the heck down to about 45-50 KPh in a 110 zone. I saw a number of vehicles out in the ditch and stopped for each one to get out, see if there was anyone inside and offer the use of my phone if there was. I didn't see anyone else stopping and this is supposed to be the province where people are good about that kinda thing.

I just don't like to see people on the side of the road all on their lonesome I guess.

That being said, I can certainly understand why a trucker wouldn't pick up a hitch hiker (I have always understood that) and I suppose that I would have to make it a professional decision to not stop for some one unless they're in obvious immediate danger. Unfortunate in a way but I guess my indecision is coming to an end.

Cheers

Large Marge sent me

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

"I'll give ya a ride if you can keep an eye on the hoses!" lol. What a deal.

Actually that reminds me when i was hitch hiking outside of Winnipeg and I got a ride with a guy who insisted on sharing his beer with me. Being all of...hmm now I can't remember how old I was but I didn't havethe sense to ask to be let off. Boy was he swervey...but he did have a good brew and I was a drinker at the time so I supposed it all worked out in the end.

Cheers

I know you mean well and yes a lot of us hitched "back in the day". Now all she has to do is yell rape and you go away for a long time and your company settles out of court. Please don't do it. Use your cell.

I have picked up hitch hikers in my personal vehicle and felt glad I could help someone. Now, picking someone up in the rig is never going to happen unless its another company driver or a police officer.
There was a clip on Worlds Wildest Police Videos. It showed a green car pulled over on the side of a dark road. There was a woman sitting in the pass seat with blood drops on her legs. She said her and her b/f got into a fight resulting in blood. The cop went back to his cruiser to call in the info and just then, the b/f came out of the nearby woods with blood all over him. The cop asked what happened and then decided to go back to the woods where the guy walked from. He found an elderly man stabbed to death with a screwdriver.
While the cop was in his cruiser calling in, the elderly man was being stabbed to death.
Had the cop got there minutes early, he might have saved that mans life.
The two were drifters, and the elderly man picked them up in his car which ended up costing him his life.

It's against our company policy to pick up hitch hikers.

Alot of our drivers, would not pick them up, even if they were allowed.

To many bad things happening out there.

__________________



The Truckers Report Merchandise

mmm...now see that's something I hadn't even considered.

It's really unfortunate because I know hitch hiking wasn't a big deal say 40 years ago. The information age was supposed to, in theory, deliver us all into a world where we could better relate to our neighbours and get along better and be more efficient. I guess that didn't quite work out as planned eh?

I guess when I do get a rig, I'll have to refrain from picking people up who are hitching a ride which is just kinda sad in my mind. I don't mind risking my own life to help some one that appears to be in mortal danger. I know it could be a trap but I would like to think staged conditions of being in a fatal condition are far far less frequent than true fatal accidents in which some one may need immediate help.

I don't think anything could truly stop me from stopping on the side of the road to help some one pinned inside their vehicle or something. I just couldn't live with myself if I had whipped on by settling for using my cell phone to call for help when I myself could have saved a life. That would be terrible for me and for the person I didn't go to help I think. If help is already there that's fine but if it's in the middle of nowhere and I'm the only one there, good gravy no I couldn't help but stop.

Cheers

I have picked up people on occasion when I felt that they were in danger, even drove one woman straight to the hospital. But the "staged" scene is always in the back of my mind. And then a few months ago I happened across an accident (single vehicle) late at night in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't going to stop because it was two men, but as I slowed to pass their car, one of the guys ran up to my car and started beating on it with a Maglite. You just never know about the nut jobs out there.