Why doesn't anyone talk on the radio anymore?

Today I encountered two situations where by the drivers not having their radios on...lives could of been lost...

1. Driving in thick rain...get passed by a groups of cars...3-5...probablly teenagers racing...
about 10 minutes later...in the thick rain...I notice what appears to be a spot light in the middle of a 4 lane freeway...instinctivly I begin to slow down...at first I thought it might have been a cop, with his spot light...

As I get closer, while continueing to slow down, I notice the 'light' was that of a car that had been banged up and turned around on the freeway facing traffic...(rain coming down thick and hard)...I make out occupant walking around dazed...and start noticing other cars sprawled out behind the glare of the light, which was dangling from the hood.

In other words...about 3-4 cars were sprawled out across the freeway...and the occupants of the cars were out there two...you could tell the accident just happene...(At night and dark)

Here's what made me upset...it was the fact that the two trucks about 1/4 mile in front...although had their flashers on, did not so much as bother to alert the drivers behind them of the situation...I was the only one to grab the mic and alert other drivers that people and cars were scattered across the freeway...

But to make it worse..my warning went unheard, cause the drivers behind my didn't have or think to turn their radios on either...or just didn't respond...

Bottom line on this one is that would of never happened 2 years ago...never...drivers back then would have been all on the cb alerting each other, word would of gotten out for miles northbound and southbound...but tonight...not so much as a peep from anyone...

How sad...how pathetic...even when other peoples lives were at stake...drivers still would not talk on the cb radio...didn't want to disrupt their cell phone conversation or music on xm radio...

This is the new face of trucking...

 

Shortly after that...I encountered a LCT truck...they passed me...I could see something sparking beneath rear trailer tandoms...could of been air lines...I don't know...I just saw lots of sparks...

So I get on radio...'Hey driver...sparks are coming from your rear tandams...might want to check it out...'....
No response...to busy talking on cell phone or again, listening to xm....but here's what angered me about that...if indeed it was the airlines and they ruptured...then the rear brakes would lock up as the air pressure dropped...the trailer would skid out of control and who knows what after that...

Again...a driver who places themselves and others at risk because they choose to tune out the world around them and drive the big truck like it's a car...

Again..the new face of trucking...
People are more interested in entertaining themselves with music and chatting on the cell phone rather than being in the 'here and now' of trucking, their job...and by doing so create many dangerous situations that could of easily been rectified had they simply had their radio on...

There's more to being a trucker than just holding the steering wheel...(Yes I know that's a old clishae) but it's true..and tonight prooved it...

 

I don't go out and drive to listen to satelite radio or yap on the cell phone for hours...

I actually enjoy hearing all the different people in real time...other drivers and personalities fascinate me far more than fictional characters on the radio...

I love it when you have like 20 people trying to talk at once...it's like the Benny Hill show or something...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spz8_rpE0e0&feature=related
Drivers can be so funny at time...and when I hear like 20 try talking at once...and catch pieces of conversation here...and pieces there...it makes me laugh...

It's like this...'Ye my mother'....20 to 40 dollors man....channel 5 for company....3-4 miles up the road....and we visited London and Paris...shut up stupid...what was that you were saying about your ma?

When I hear drivers talking with each other...it makes me happy...it feels like a community...I like it when other people like each other....I prefer real life over xm...

I drive on the road for road experience...not to listen to soap operas on the radio...I love hearing life and enthusiasm radiate out of others...I love hearing two strangers strike up and conversation on the radio and help each other resolve a problem like directions or best place to fuel...all that represents 'life' to me...

When the radio is silent...it's like we're all dead to each other...that's a very lonely scary feeling...nough said...

 

Great story...I love hearing stories like that from the good ole cb radio days...

But check this out...now they want to make it illegal for drivers to use their cell phones...that's madness...even though I rarely use mine...I do on occasion use it when I need last minute directions or if dispatcher calls with change of plans...

Truckers need their phones..cause thier running a business...and there's hardly anyplaces for drivers to stop...this law will outrage a lot of drivers...

And if they listened to their cb radios...we would all unite and stop this law before it passes...but this is what happens when drivers try to operate as induvisuals...

Senators and other law makers listen to large numbers...not one or two induvisual complaints...

I'm sure you'll hear it in the news today about the proposed outlawing of truckers using cell phones...that's beyond absurd...