We all know about the overwhelmingly negative attitude most 4 wheelers have about truckers. If there’s an accident with a truck involved, it’s always the trucker that gets blamed. Forget that the 4 wheeler was speeding, changing lanes erratically, and intoxicated, it MUST be the trucker’s fault. Well now, finally, there’s a program aimed at educating non-commercial drivers about how to be safe around us.
The Florida program called Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks, or TACT, uses education, outreach, and enforcement to raise awareness about safe driving behaviors. Florida troopers will be on the lookout for aggressive driving violations like speeding, tailgating, and unsafe lane changes.
“The Florida Highway Patrol is committed to reducing the number of commercial vehicle related crashes,” said Col. David Brierton, director of the Florida Highway Patrol. “Crash reduction can be achieved if we all share the highway with each other and avoid aggressive driving behaviors.”
Florida Trucking Assn.’s President and CEO, Mary Lou Rajchel wanted to make sure truckers know that the effort will be focused on them as well as other drivers. “Safety on Florida‘s roadways is a cooperative effort by cars and trucks alike,” she said. “As an industry, safety is at the top of our minds — it matters above all else.”
Remember that our nation’s highways are only getting more and more crowded and we need to be conscious of all traffic around us… but all that traffic also needs to be conscious of us.
Next Story: Alleged Highway Sniper Captured
Source: fleetowner
Image Source: truckaccidents360.com
gregg warner says
Yup, education will really change things, oh and bye the way the Easteer bunny is real too. I can’t tell you how many times a day I get cut off by aggressive, brainless, ignorant, jackasses in four wheelers. All the education in the world will not change that. As long as there are people out on the road who think they are so much better than everyone else, and that they are more important than anyone’s saftey we will have wrecks. You can educate them till your blue in the face but when they get in their killing machines all that education goes out the window and they become bullies with one mission in life, and that is to get where they are going no matter how many people they have to injure or kill along the way. It amazes what people will do and risk to save a few seconds.
HJ says
gregg said it all………
bbq dave says
I believe that this type of program should be done in every state. Having spent 40+ years behind the wheel of a Semi one would think that I had seen all there was to see. “NotTrue” I also think that “OUR” Goverment that is supposed to develop educational and enforcement programs han’t a clue what is really going on out here. They get reports from Special Intrest Groups, which have a lot of money to spend to lobby for their causes. Goverment officals like money, so the more you have to spend the better they like the cause. EXAMPLE: The Tourist Industry along with Goverment (States) Tourist Departments have kept the requierment, that RV’ers obtain a license to operate large RV Buses and RV pull trailers over 22′ . REASON: It would reduce Tourisum, which in turn would reduce the amount of the MONEY coming in. So what if that 65-75 years old Person can’t see past the steering wheel, has never driven anything except their car. The rest of the motoring public can look out for them.
Now Lets go to the other side of the coin; Trucker’s Schools are so poorly training people who want to be a Driver it makes me wonder why they call them schools at all. These schools teach “Drivers” how to fill out logs, backup to a dock “Sort of”, and just enough driving skills to obtain a license. “WHICH BY THE WAY MOST OF THEM SIGN A FORM FOR THE DRIVER TO GET IT”. Then within three to four weeks they get turned loose on the hiways. OH YEAH most companies the hire NEW GRADUATES as their call put them with a trainer who has had at least 1 year of experience for 30 days maybe. They teach them how to aim it, follow to close and Bully The fourwheeler that isn’t going fast enough in the right lane, instead of going around. Then they don’t bother to point out that when they are less than 1 truck lenght away from the truck in front of them while going down the highway, takes away 85% of their field of vision in all directions. I know that there is a driver shortage in this country and we need the Tourist dollars, BUT at what cost???
Steven Shaw says
I don’t know what school you went to but I want to truck driving school in 1999 I’ve been out here for 12 years and never had an accident all they talked about was safety and certain areas – to look out for look as far down the road as you can excetera excetera so stop exaggerating driver
MIKE says
When I was out with a trainer he tried to get me to tailgate out in Cali and my response was my license, lively hood I drive safe or I pull over and you can drive.
Steven Shaw says
Rite on
Bonnie MacPherson says
Education would help if drivers were actually educated before receiving a license. Drivers Education is not mandatory in any state. The Drivers Education programs in all states only teach how to move a car around the roads with brief mentions about motorcycles and trains. Nothing about big rigs or other vehicles. Nothing about the size, weight, length, stopping distance, speed, manouverability, (or lack thereof) of cars, motorcycles, trains or any other vehicle.
Drivers Education should encompass information about all the types of vehicles on the road.
Drivers Education should be mandatory in all states.
Drivers Education should be nationally standarized.
Drivers Education/Safety Class should be required and noted on a persons license or with a credit card size certificate when a person wants to haul a trailer of any size; drive a motor coach or RV; rent a trailer or moving truck; ride a motorcycle, or drive any vehicle other than the original one listed on their license. (meaning licenses would not only have an A, B, C designator, but also have listed the type of vehicle the person was trained to drive).
Everyone receiving a moving violation should have his/her license suspended until he/she has completed a Drivers Education Refresher Course.
So-called outreach programs are a joke. I think that education before the fact, not maybe later, and continued education afterwards would prove more effect at reducing crashes than tickets and CSA.
Lee Barron says
I agree as a new trucker that this dilemma could be reduced a bit by education about large semis before licensure at the motor vehicle depts. I also believe that anger and being too much in a hurry will over ride most education attempts. Unless we all slow down and be respectful on the road and really share the road, the accident rate will continue to rise.
Tracey says
Denver is one of the best places we’ve driven for keeping a watch out for this. We had a 4-wheeler cut us off in rush hour traffic and a Trooper was on him so fast. It made our day! All states should educate everyone about driving around a Tractor/Trailer and Oversize Load, and their Police Force should ENFORCE it! They want the goods, but they don’t want to see how they get there. Aggressive driving needs to be kept where it belongs… on the racetrack! Way to go Florida!
scrapyardog says
Pa did ?the same thing, and guess what it didn’t do anything. What state patrol and local lawenforcment needs to do is have a hard hitting zero tolerance program where officers follow and watch big trucks . We have no way to defend against aggressive or stupid drivers of cars. Most of our rigs are governed at or below ?the speed lmit so we can’t simply pass or escape a angry motorist and even then most of ?the time they will actually follow you just to cut you off or brake check you. The law enforcement community should be actively looking for this behavior and citing it. It is great feeling when you have done nothing wrong and a car still decided you have no right to be there and proceeds to victimize you for it ?the seeing those red and blues come out of ?the trees around you then follow ?the car to the shoulder. Bottom line- aggressive enforcement is ?the way to get a message across not “education”.
Steven Shaw says
Okay so what do you suggest I am all ears
Howard says
You’re right, but it’s also our own out there too that are idiots. Remember you’re the “PROFESSIONAL” act like one…Drive like one.
jon says
That’s right, what happened to the nationwide no zone, the give room for big trucks, all that stuff,
short stack says
Oregon and Washington use to have an officer run around in a truck and take pics of of the cars that would change lanes to close to trucks and have an other cop give em a ticket
Rick says
I hope this campaign be over all states and appear on tv to everybody see how dangerous is play 4-wheelers in front of trucks and to show how is difficult to avoid a accident driving big rigs
Mike says
I agree with what you’ve said, but to a degree.
As a “new recruit” in the industry, I can tell you that not all “training carriers” are the same.
I work for Stevens Transport. I can tell you that their training program is very long and rigorous, and sometimes seems like bull$#!+.
You start with 3 weeks of classroom and track training to pass the road test and get your CDL – which they DO NOT vouch for or even guaranty, by the way.
Hundreds of students a month flunk out at this stage.
Then you start OTR training, which is a minimum of 5 weeks. In this stage, you, as a trainee, must tackle a specific amount of miles, drive in all 5 regions of the country, and take 3 mountain passes (2 without a Jake brake). These are just a few of the requirements, and there are restrictions as well.
Meanwhile, the trainer is grading your performance to see if you’re improving over time.
Yes, trainers are only required to have a year under their belt to apply to be a trainer. However, this is only part of it. They are also required to have and keep a low CSA score, and must also train to be a trainer.
After these 5 weeks, you come back to the yard for another week of classroom training to polish what you’ve learned.
Then you’ll do 1 of 2 things, although the requirements remain about the same either way.
You either go back out with a “finishing trainer” – who actually does very little training, or they team 2 graduating trainees up.
Both require you to be out for at least 3 more weeks, and drive a set amount of miles.
This is a final check to see if your training has stuck, and to make sure you are capable and mostly competent.
Upon completion of the “trainee team” phase, you will then join the probationary “grad fleet”, which is yet another layer of training in disguise.
Up to this point, you’ve never been alone with the truck, and you’ve been on salary. Now you are solo and making mileage pay for the first time.
This phase is 90 days minimum, split into 3- 30 day stages.
With each stage satisfactorily passed, they give you a little more leash, until you’ve met all requirements and they finally cut you free of the restrictions… Sort of.
The first stage of Grad Fleet seems to be Stevens’ version of “Hell Week”, as it seems they carefully and systematically push all your buttons… I’m guessing this is probably stress management training…
When all is said and done, only about 5-10% of those initial recruits actually even make it to Grad Fleet. My CDL class was 48 students. Only 6 made it.
Stevens is rightly obsessed with safety. They have a low CSA average, and they aim to keep it that way.
I’m sure if you’ve been out there for more than a few months, you’ve noticed Stevens trucks don’t do more than 65. That’s because we are encouraged to do between 55-60 for safety and economy, and we are governed to 62 – unless you’re a 2 yr+ driver, then its 65.
We don’t do snow. We rarely do Vail and the Eisenhower Tunnel. We don’t park on off ramps or shoulders. We NEVER pull U-Turns.
Our trucks are equipped with QualComm computers and GPS tracking devices that monitor EVERYTHING, and our Safety Dept. is always watching.
And to tell you the truth, I’d be more worried about the “old hand pro” with no formal training. They’re the ones I’ve seen being reckless.
You know the driver…
The “pro” who remembers the glory days of trucking when you didn’t even need a CDL – just a CB handle.
The guy with the Longnose Pete covered in chrome and LEDs – and no muffler on his Jake. The one doing 75 in a 60, 2 feet off the rear of the Prius in the right lane, flashing his high-beams.
The one racing down Grapevine at 80 with his brakes smoking…
Those are the drivers I’d worry about. Not the newb still working on backing.
So what if it takes 15 pullups? So what if it takes 10 minutes?
NO ONE comes into this industry a pro. We all start somewhere. Try putting the CB down and letting the newbie drive.
You’d be surprised how much better they’ll do without the Pros harassing them.
Russ says
The real change will come with new drivers since the people that have been lincensed awhile think they know it all!Showing high school kids vidoes pics of 4 wheelers smashed by a truck might leave a lasting impression on them
mike c says
I can speak from experience, I lived in SF for 18 years. TACT might work to some degree but law enforcement has bigger hurdles than education of drivers. Road rage for one. We won’t see the end of that until people stop losing their homes and make a wage that actually meets the cost of living. Second would be the language barrier. It’s like a third world country down there, all the road signs are english but hardly anyone speaks it. Just to get a good job you have to speak spanish. Third, maybe using all that expensive highway surveillance would help. I could go on but I won’t.
James C says
Yeah, with this attitude, this campaign is sure to go reeeeeal far.
“Florida Trucking Assn.’s President and CEO, Mary Lou Rajchel wanted to make sure truckers know that the effort will be focused on them as well as other drivers.”
I agree that truck drivers should always be a focus of enforcement. We drive 80,000-pound vehicles. When you look at statistics, however, the above statement strikes me as more of an authoritative threat towards truckers and a balm for drivers of cars, than it does as any kind of cogently assertive attitude towards the problem.
Look at the majority of truckers. We’re given extensive training before the majority of us are even handed a CDL. We are thereafter monitored by programs like DAC, CSV2010 and by our companies; many companies now monitoring their trucks with on-board telemetry, which monitors us for things like speeding, taking curves too fast and hard breaking. And many companies are moving to electronic logs, reducing the numbers of exhausted drivers behind the wheels of commercial motor vehicles.
What do people in cars need to worry about? What are they being monitored by?
They’re scored on the numbers of tickets they receive – their insurance rates increasing, and if they’re not careful enough, possibly the loss of their drivers license over a long history of poor driving habits.
And how do they get these tickets? If a police officer HAPPENS to catch them in the act.
Start forcing the installation of monitoring equipment in cars of drivers who have a history of poor driving habits. Force governors on their cars, so the car can’t go above the speed limit on our highways. Start writing increasingly draconian fines to drivers of cars who persist, making it so that they lose the ability to drive because they simply cannot afford to. Start impounding cars of drivers, making them need to find an alternative way home, after committing violations.
Right now, our traffic enforcement laws have no teeth. People who drive like they do in cars have no respect for the laws. “Please drive more carefully and here’s a brochure how” is like handing a child a mild scolding after he has just nearly set your drapes on fire while playing with matches.
Getting to watch their cars get towed away after their second or third speeding violation, however, along with a promise of not getting it back for a month, for instance, will make a LOT of drivers think twice before letting their foot get too heavy.
Right now, there is just no consequence to drivers of cars, save for the occasional trooper sitting in the median of the highway. If state legislatures are serious about reducing the numbers of traffic accidents and fatalities on our roads, they need to stop playing hop-scotch around the issues with statements like “We’re focusing not only on you, but truckers too!”, and get on a serious campaign to give motorists real food for thought before they even think of getting behind the wheels of their cars!
Bryan says
This old pro remembers not having a CDL,it was a special chauffeurs license ,and not having a CB handle because there weren’t any. I remember helping another trucker or motorist change a tire on the side of the road. I remember not taking up two or more parking spaces ,or leaving a truck on the fuel island while the driver goes inside to eat,shower ,and play video games. I recall actually driving for a living and not being a “homeless” driver,or driving just to pay for bells and whistles on a radio. I recall not driving along in the left lane for hundreds of miles oblivious to our surroundings ,all the while dictating a verbose autobiography on the CB. Knowing how to actually descend a steep grade properly ,how to correctly adjust brakes,and perhaps even rebuild the engine. How to drive down the highway without a laptop ,cell phone, or other gadget taking priority. I remember locker room type showers, full service fuel islands ,and signs posted on shower doors indicating it was in use by a female driver. I remember slowing down in adverse weather conditions and not letting my dispatcher be the deciding factor in whether I went to the emergency room ,or the morgue. I know what it’s like to pay for the tires my drivers didn’t check ,or drop a few grand on an engine or transmission. I recall teaching many that “hot loads” pay the same and will not cool off lying in a ditch somewhere. I remember not leaving trash and urine bottles scattered all over a rest area parking lot. I remember when “practical miles” (the computer doesn’t have a behind the wheel view) were not that practical when one saved twenty five miles by driving through a hundred small towns with endless traffic lights and thirty five mile per hour speed zones ,thereby eliminating twenty five extra miles ,but adding two hours to the trip. I recall not hearing drivers rave about not getting enough miles ,when some eighth grade economics 101 reveals it isn’t insufficient miles ,it’s insufficient pay. But mostly I remember a bygone industry that has went the way of the Burma Shave sign.
Ron says
“If there’s an accident with a truck involved, it’s always the trucker that gets blamed. Forget that the 4 wheeler was speeding, changing lanes erratically, and intoxicated, it MUST be the trucker’s fault” I can add another one Police playing Politics….I had a guy on Sept 14,2005 in Ohio run a redlight into the right rear of my straight truck into the rear duels,and his passenger was thrown from the car,and was killed. Now I have a vehicular manslaughter charge on my record,and had my Michigan drivers license revoked since 2006 by the Fostoria Municipal Court. Why? The vehicle that hit me was OWNED by the state of Ohio,and the driver was an EMPLOYEE of the state of Ohio. “equal justice under the law”. not if the Ohio highway Patrol can manipulate the facts to cover up for another driver’s negliance. Education won’t change things…it will be people’s attitudes while driving that has to change. I had been driving for 38yrs up until this.
Olivia Weathers says
Prasie the lord finally somebody see it the way it suppose to be seen. Just like you said it’s always
the truck drive gets the blame for everything. I pray and hope that they bring it here to texas God’s know we need it here
Bryan says
One can educate ’til the cows come home” Until there are functioning brains to receive said education, it’s useless.
Jennifer says
Mike, you haven’t been driving long enough to know you don’t know anything. Try coming back in 10 years and reading what you wrote. Maybe then you’ll see your full stupid flopped out there for all us Pete drivers to see. You go and be content to have the label of rolling roadblock while the real drivers are just trying to earn a real living while you try making anything but minimum wage at your 60mph. Foreign trucks go faster than American ones nowadays, get tax breaks we don’t, and have better credit available. You think Stevens has a great training program because that’s all you’ve ever known. Had you been “trained” by an old school driver you would see what a farce they and the other companies are. You are cattle, just like the rest of your class who didn’t make the cut. They just got an opportunity to have a real life by failing the gov’t crony class. Stevens and the rest of ’em are helping America sell itself out by following the ridiculous headlines put out by some wanna-be Politician who doesn’t know anything about driving, just how to put rules in place to justify his position, regardless of the effects. By the way, a real driver knows better than to think they can’t learn anything new, including how to react to a complete idiot without going to jail. It’s a rite of passage to be harrassed, and if you can’t handle someone telling you to hurry up you’re in the wrong profession.
gregg warner says
Jennifer, What can I say that you haven’t already said. So I’ll just say thanks for telling it like it NEEDS to be told. Rolling road blocks!!!!!!!! I knew there was a term for all those morons who jump out in the fast lane, cutting me off just to pass another snail and tie me up for half a day doing so. They are soooooooooooooooooo safe arent they.
John says
I have NO sympathy for four wheel drivers that get killed, they race, drive distracted constantly. I see them on the phone, texting, they putter along in the middle lane. Lot’s of times I’ve finally gotten around a big truck driving erractily , (speeding up, slowing down, wandering all over) and they have the cell phone in their hands too, so some of us are just as bad! I swear all highways should be 5 lanes so the 4 wheelers can have 3 middle lanes. f*** em!
gene says
How many steven transport drivers have i seen hung up on a certain bridge around hunts point in the bronx.They may teach ya alot but they don’t teach ya comon scence.And I have called your safety department. To enquire why so many of you trucks make the same stupid mistake. and try to turn a street where your directions tell you not to. Just goes to show no matter how much a company tries.It’s up to the nut behind the wheel to think.To be fair just pay attention and follow directions youll be ok. And if I ever go back over the road I would consider steven to drive for.
jack says
Its nothing more than a way to get another government program and receive federal tax dollars to keep it going.It hjas nothing to do with safety.ts all about the dollar.
jack says
why do JB HUNT, schneider,us express drivers travel in the center lane of a 3 lane interstate with a sign on back that says DO NOT PASS ON THE RIGHT….Are the new school boy drivers taught to travel in the center lane and hold up passing traffic at 64 miles an hour?
BLACKMARKESS says
i have been drivin so long and seen so much out on the road i cant tell how much i have seen out of four weelers i cant understand why things happpen on the road you cant never find a police officer or a state troooper to help but when a truck driver does some thing wrong they are on top of us with their ticket books out and already got the ticket wrote except the name in it .some thing has to been done with the 4 wheelers drivin like they do .why wont the let the statE troopers ride with the truck drivers again like they used too? so no matter what new law comes into affect it will be the truck driver who will get it in the end . ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS WATCH THE FOUR WHEELERS.
Charlene says
Education may not solve all…but, even if one driver out there gets it and finally understands…and it saves their life or the lives of their family…I say it is worth the effort!!! I would like to think that if the motoring public truly understood that their bad judgement around the big truck…may result in washing their loved ones out of their wrecked car with a water hose…they would make the effort not to be so stupid…I would love to stop…but often I couldn’t if I wanted to…and the texting driver beside me scares the Hell out of me….with that said….maybe you are right….”the Easter Bunny is real!!!!”
Charlene says
Jack…the reason we all do this is because…we can’t be in the left lane…and shouldn’t be…but the right, slower lane is way too dangerous…Cars coming on the on ramp don’t even look and will merge at the last minute in front of us….and cars going off the ramps…will slam on their brakes and slow down at the last second…at 75,000 lbs…we aren’t stopping anytime soon…so we choose the middle lane to keep from running over a car that has a driver that is suicidal or just doesn’t understand…at 55mph your car stops in 75’…at 55mph my truck loaded stops at 150′ plus…Until driver’s of cars stop thinking that a big rig stops and handles as quickly as their car…I will continue to choose the center lane…
gregg warner says
Charlene, Perhaps I am a little cynical. You are right if it saves one life it is worth the effort. It’s just when you’ve been out here as long as I have you begin to doubt anything will ever change. I have seen accidents, caused by stupidity that actually made me cry. Sometimes now, I’ll see a wreck and think to myself “well you got what you deserve” but know one deserves to die because they are stupid, or careless. So maybe education will do some good, I do hope so, because the carnage out here makes me sick, and sad.
Tom says
Jack, just common sense. If there are three lanes available, I’m taking the middle one. It gives me a better chance of survival when seven four-wheelers come barreling down a ramp and scatter over all three lanes like cockroaches. Gives this Schneider driver the option to go where ever I need to in order to avoid an accident. You sound like one of those four wheelers that gives me the finger for not getting our of their way when there are only two lanes and I can’t move over to let them on. Never mind that they haven’t been taught how to merge into traffic. If it’s that important to you to go 75 – 85 MPH in your rig, get into the left lane and go like hell…till the cops catch you
Meg says
I have to agree that driver education is essential to keeping our roads safe, however it applies to both truckers and 4 wheelers. As a trucker, I am constantly seeing bad driving behavior from both sides. Take for example the trucker that cut me off when I was trying to pass him(I was passing legally and at the speed limit) just to stay ahead of me(gave me 3 ft to maneuver with 50k lbs in the back), then slows down to 30 below for no reason. Because of his actions both the 4 wheeler coming in the other direction, and myself wouldve been killed if the roads were wet/snowy, and things went another way. We all need to learn to slow down and pay more attention to the road, and people around us. I know everyone has appts, or somewhere to be, but the extra 5 minutes it takes you to drive safe will not make a difference in the long term, but you will still be alive and safe.
Just my 2 cents.
T Owens says
Ok I’m gettin off my soap box now. Education will only Benifit those who are educatable. Not only 4wheelers need education but also laws forcement officials. One can only hope it will help. You have to try to guess what the drivers ahead and around you are gonna do. Keeping a safe distance has kept my rear outta lots of tangles but their is always one who sneaks in by you n turns stupid. I don’t tailgate or speed. I do feel that the electronics age has made people more dumb. I really wish we could go back to how it was 20 yrs ago. No one callin n bothering you when you tryn to sleep or while driving. You wanted to call someone you got your bag of quarters out n headed into the truckstop pay phone. You got your load papers from dispatch n u headed out being responsible for planning your trip and stops. A lot less bull from the DOT. You worked an honest day for your buck. I feel it should be mandatory that DOT and law enforcement should be required to obtain their CDL and log at least 10,000 miles behind wheel of a class 8 rig before they are issued their cruiser that way they have a slight taste what we go thru with 4wheelers. It may possibly also have the effect to lessen their attitudes towards drivers. Whatever happened to the ‘ol school of hard knocks?
Kratz Leatherman says
As a certified CDL-A Driving Education instructor your generalized comment about trucking schools is very uninformative. Yes, there are bad schools. There are good schools. the one I teach at is very good. we stress safety & skills & being a responsible driver. But once the student passes, what happens is all their responsibility. They have 2 want 2 drive safely &, not be intimidated by superiors who want HOS & other safety rules violated.
mike says
It will deter some later but not that much it will be a good justifiable reason to generate money . at least they are being fair about it now everyone getting extorted equally.
Brian R. Biggs says
How much experience did your trainer have? These large and medium sized companies are putting everyone at risk by letting drivers train with not much more experience than the ones they are training…..