call in

Good, get drivers like him off the road. Drivers like him is why there are 50 car pile ups

 

In 9 years I've called in on 2 drivers. Both were for extreme tailgating. I would think that most other truckers would know that most of us are governed and can't go any faster. I don't mind someone getting in close while waiting for the left lane to open, so they don't lose momentum, but if the left is open pass me already.

 

There is absolutely NO GOOD REASON to be that close to any vehicle. Screw momentum. If a driver can't tell he's faster than another truck BEFORE he catches that truck, that's his problem. Some would tell you that the most important part of trip planning is checking your map before you leave. It's not. The most important part is planning the thousand feet right in front of you.

Pay attention and change lanes early. Four wheelers won't let you out? Not the big slower truck in front's fault. Don't endanger his life because you're in a hurry. Afraid that if you get out early you'll get passed on the right and cut off by the four wheelers. It's really no different than being passed on the left. They'll try to take off your fender from over there too.

And too many truck drivers are scared to death of the left lane. I had one two weeks ago come flying up behind me to within 10 or 12 feet of my trailer. Sat there for a half mile. Then he jumped in the left lane and threw his right turn signal on. He was 3 feet into my lane before the rear of his trailer was past the front of mine. I had to take the shoulder to keep him from hitting me. And to top it off, this was at 2:30 AM on I-72 in Illinois. Not another car headed west for a mile in front or behind us. You can rest assured I sped up and got his info and called him in. That stunt got me researching dash cams and planning to install two very soon. One facing front and another aimed at the rear view mirror.

 

Yep...no need for the drafting crap before passing...chill out.

 

I have dropped a dime or two, or three, or 50 a few times. I don't care as I take their approach, that they don't care. And I qualify my complaint by freely giving my name and an email address if they wish, so they will KNOW it is not a crank call.!

The more of us that have a valid complaint and drop a dime (or more), the more these companies will know what they have behind the wheel.

This might very well be the one thing that many of us can agree to and actually work together on.

 

Oh please, don't tell me y'all never did anything wrong.

 

I, for one, am not perfect. Nor will I ever claim to be. But I have, to this day, not done anything that I would even remotely consider to be worthy of a call to my company or to the police while driving a commercial vehicle. You may be able to sleep at night after seriously injuring, or even killing, someone. I'm not going to take that chance. It's just not worth the 2 seconds I might save. Nor is it worth my job.

 

What you deem as an immediate risk to safety isn't the same as what everyone else thinks.

Ever speed in a construction zone? Nearly everyone that drives a governed truck does.

Ever text and drive, or even look at your phone while driving?

Turn or merge without a signal?

Cut someone off?

You are no better than the driver you're snitching on. As they say, karma is a #####!

 

Many years ago, going north on 50/301 in MD, there was bridge work around the Annapolis exit. Myself and one other trucker were driving in this construction zone which was very narrow for a car and a truck to drive side by side. Some cars were straddling the center line. The other trucker and I did the same, he was in front of me. And other truckers were doing the same.

Some Richard Head, a doctor, called the 800 number on the back of my trailer.

My safety manager chewed me a new one.

I learned two things that day.

1) remove the 800 number from the trailers

2) do what is needed to safely go thru construction zones, so narrow, that 2 vehicles riding side by side will make the car driver MORE nervous than any of us ever would be.

To me at that time, to straddle the center line in such a narrow zone did no harm over someone tail gating or speeding or cutting off someone. Which would be in my humblest of all opinions, much more dangerous than some Richard Head doctor being slowed down a little bit as the zone was maybe all of 500 feet long.

And if he was on his way to perform an operation..?? He should have left earlier.

If he was on his way to the golf course, he should have left earlier.

And if his patient died while waiting for him..?? Oh well shyte happens.

We never heard no more of it, I w as never suspended or given any days off.

So apparently, no one died, no one missed an operation or no one missed Tee off time....