I run CA AZ NV UT, spend alot of time in and out of desert areas, and helping is totaly judged by situation. I work in Death Valley, Trona, the middle of Nevada alot, I will stop if I dont get a reply on the radio, but out on the big roads, theres troopers by regular, and lots of traffic . Ill call on the radio but I ll only stop if its a request that I can help with.

Because of the areas I work in I carry 10 gallons of truck water and 4 gallons of oil,lots of wierd misc parts that can be made into bandaids.

As far as our own company trucks its company policy that if you see one of ours, with the hood up. You are to stop and see if you can help.

This poster that never stops no matter what will be the one that would sue for not stopping. There whole life is lived for themselves. IMHO.

As a woman I have to judge each situation before I will stop to help. I don't trust people. My dad would never let anyone sit broken down on the side of the road but as a woman I just don't feel comfortable doing that. You never know what kind of crazy is faking being broken down. In an emergency, I have picked up total strangers, male and female, in my car. But I knew that the situations were emergencies. Just the other night I was confronted with a crazy. Still can't figure out what the deal was. I was coming home after a football game, probably about 11 at night. I was on a dark and deserted windy canyon road and it had been raining for several hours. I saw up ahead that a mustang had slid off the road around a curve. I slowed down as I approached the scene. I saw a man walking up the road towards civilization. He had something in his hand, perhaps a Maglite that was turned off. At this point I am going really slow. He ran up to my car and started beating on it with the object in his hand, breaking my side mirror! Needless to say, I sped up. When I got up to the wrecked car, I was very reluctant to slow down to see if the guy there needed any help. At that point I wasn't going to stop even if someone was injured because I didn't trust these guys. I barely slowed down, and yelled out the window to see if he needed me to call for help. Apparently he had a cell phone (amazing that he got a signal in the canyon) so I sped up and got out of there.

I don't have a problem stopping during the day to help a fellow truckdriver but at night I won't stop. It's just to dangerous like others have said.

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The odds are against us, and the situation is grim - sounds like fun.
- Capt. James T. Kirk, Star Trek Generations


Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit

I have had close friends killed because they stopped to help someone in distress on the side of the road.
However, I think we have to trust our gut instinct, because sometimes someone really is in need.
Here in Canada, especially in winter, I will stop because someone could freeze to death pretty quick.
When I see a motorcyclist on the side of the road, I will ALWAYS stop, until I know they either have help coming, or they are stopped for reasons other than health or mechanical breakdown.

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I think I would have made sure she was alright.
Made sure she had help coming.
Thrown her a blanket to keep warm.
I wouldn't be inclined to push her out of the median.
She needs a moment to reflect on her driving skills in inclement weather.
Besides, what if I hurt myself saving her a few bucks?
Where am I then?
I'd keep her company till help arrived.
She might be allowed in the truck if the weather was really nasty.

I've always called on the cb if there was a big truck broke down.
Usually I'm too far past the truck to stop safely by the time they either answer or don't.
If they don't answer in time, I call a trooper.

I have stopped in time to help put out a fire or two but that's only because I saw the smoke or I heard it on the radio in time to plan that stop.

There's been many a time in a T/S parking lot that I've seen a hood up & someone struggling with a repair.
I've almost always had time to lend a hand or tools.

In my earlier yrs, it was very common to see me & others stop on the side to help out a broke down 4 wheeler or another trucker.
These days I find it easier to stop for a truck broke down than a 4 wheeler.

This isn't then anymore.
Nowadays you have to think the worst until proven differently.

I truly hate that I am forced to think that way but....
My first responsibility is to myself for my family's sake.

I would point out to everyone who think it is more risky to stop now then it used to be that violent crime is far lower in most of the country than it used to be.

I also believe it is improtant to do the right thing whenever we can beacouse our lives will end one day no matter what we do but our deeds can in fact out live us. We should do what is within our ability to help.

A young man and his master live outside kyoto japan. One day death comes up the road toward the house. The young man sees death coming and tell his master he is afraid and leaves to spend the night at a hotel Kyoto. The old man walks out meets death and offers him tea and place to stay fore the night. Death shakes his head and says "I cannot stay, I have an appointment with a young man in Kyoto tonight"

sounds like you need to change your handle and get a job at burger king. its not our fault you're doing things wrong!!! Your supposed to be better than that. find another line of work,we have enough idots out here as it is.

There's way to much, "Everyone man out for himself", attitude. People break down, or have some kind of problem. I stop. Yeah, I know that times have changed and there's dangerous people out there. But so what?
Someone alot smarter than I once said something like "When Good men do nothing, Evil Flourishes."
When I started in this industry, people helped each other out. I still believe in that philosphy.
Like someone else wrote before, I was in law enforcement for a time. (Northern Nevada back in the 80's) One thing being a police officer will teach you is to be one cynical son-of-a-gun. I still have alot of that going for me. Probably more so than most people, but another thing law enforcement can teach you is compassion. It's pretty hard to balance that out with yourself.
46 years ago, on I-80 just outside Carlin, I was in a roll over with my mother and older brother. I woke up, 5 yrs old, alone with my Mother unconscious and my brother covered with blood. Two trucks stopped and those men, God Bless them both, pried me out of the car. They somehow got the police and ambulance there and after a ride to the hospital, one of the drivers took me, at 5 years old, to Elko's only movie theater at the time and sat through, I don't know how many showings of a Batman and Robin movie, until my father came from Winnemucca. He didn't know me. He didn't know the family. He and the other driver saved my Mother's and brother's lives and sat with a scared little kid.
Yeah, I stop for people broken down and I stop to render aid if I come on an accident. It's the least I can do. Yep, times have changes and there's screwy and dangerous people out there. I'm not going to let some screwball take away my own sense of decency or humanity. And who knows? Maybe in 46 more years, some grown kid will remember something I was able to do for him and have a sense of his own decency and humanity.

So what?!
What's your life and/or job worth?
I don't think we should do "nothing" -- but I DO think we should do the RIGHT thing.
People STILL help other people --- albeit in different ways than back in the day. Back in the day, we didn't have cell phones.
COMPASSION?!!!
I think there are far more Big truck truck drivers who stop to help folks broken down than cops with "compassion". No doubt.
Would you admit that there's a huge difference betwixt what could be a faked problem and a roll-over crash?

Factoid: there ARE bad people out there who wouldn't hesitate to hurt or kill a Big truck truck driver to hi-jack their load.

I personally have had million dollar plus loads in my wagon MANY times, and I'll be dad-gummed if I'm going to put myself in jeopardy, and a load like that in a position to be stolen.

I've hauled military loads valued at 2 1/2 million dollars --who KNOWS who'd like to get their hands on a weapons guidance system? I don't stop.

Cigarettes --- another million dollar load.
Electronics --- another million dollar load.
Software --- another million dollar load.
Designer clothes --- another million dollar load.
Gaming devices (electronic slot machines) --- another million dollar load.
One customized calendar motorcycle --- another million dollar load.
And many hard to trace loads that would be sold for pennies on the dollar to the benefit of a bad guy. No thanx. Too risky for me to stop for what might be a set-up.
Ever heard of an "Inside Job"?
They KNOW whatcha got in the trailer.
For that reason, I often DON'T take the obvious routes, or stop in the seedy Big truck truck stops.

Now, an obvious bad crash, like a roll-over, and I'll stop to render aid and do whatever else I can to assist. Big difference in my book.

To label a Big truck truck driver as uncaring because they won't stop for a relatively minor inconvenience of another motorist is another story. Prior to cell phones, I'd stop on down the road -- when it was safe -- and drop a dime. Now-a-daze, we have cell phones to call out for help on, and I'd be quick to do that. But when I'm entrusted with high-dollar loads, I'm not gonna put myself and my load at risk for a minor incident. Folks depend on ME to stay safe, too. And that's WHAT I do.

I read recently where a Big truck truck driver DID stop to assist at the scene of a minor crash ---- and a 4-wheeler crashed into the back of the trucker's trailer. The trucker was cited for his attempts, and will probably lose his CDL-A as a result, after the courts get through with him. Possibly do some jail time. Then, there's the 4-wheeler who crashed into the trailer suing him for every penny he'll make for the rest of his life --- just for tryin' to "help".
Was it worth it in your opinion?
What do you think your family would say when you lose everything y'all have worked hard to have?
Thanx for "helping"?
Or ..............
WhAT were you THINKIN'?

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Pontificating Dogmatist

It happened when "we" became the "me" generation. Did anyone stop and think that those people you stop and help might be in as much danger as you are for stopping? They don't know your not a ax murderer yourself. But of course ,think of yourself first! then think what it would feel like if it was your family on the side of the road,in the middle of the night.