Should we just give up?

Personally I say never swerve unless it is safe to do so. A soft shoulder isn't safe, a paved shoulder is so long as you can see it's clear far enough ahead. Unless swerve means blindly turn the wheel as hard as you can I disagree with that advice completely.

 

will you please tell me WHEN IS IT EVER SAFE TO SWERVE AN 18 WHEELER.........??? what's to guarantee that "paved shoulder" can even support the weight on an 18 wheeler, or the driver doesn't hit the guard rail........????


YOU NEVER SWERVE ONE...........EVER...........!!!

it does NOT take much to lose control, have the load shift, maybe even have a tire blow out (too much stress on the sidewalls)..........

 

Go ahead and disagree driver, he probably did too! I have never rolled a truck in my 14 years! Killed a lot of animals though! Still have a clean CDL too!

 

I am willing to bet Rerun's record is like mine too! Bet he still has a CDL! Still doubt my advice?

 

Hey Rerun, I think we should start a poll. Driver Experience vs. Swerving, and those who still have a CDL! Or something to that effect.

 

20+ years, no accidents..........and still "got it"..........

 

Well, I would rather avoid an obstacle than hit one if it can safely avoided. Maybe I have a different definition of what swerve means but if you're aware of your surroundings it's not a big thing to make a sudden direction change.

 

Driver, if you are safely avoiding an obstacle then you are not swerving. If you have to swerve to avoid an obstacle you are not driving safely. That's the way it works in the US!

 

The hood repairs from a deer strike don't cost as much as the loss of the load, the repairs to a complete side of tractor and trailer and then the cost of a guard rail repairs to road surface or constructs along the side of the road the cost of that 4 wheeler and maybe others life because you didn't want to hurt a dumb animal! if you even start to swerve in your CAR to miss a rabbit then DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY going to a truck driving school! The cost to save a DUMB animal just is not worth it! Why do you thin they call them dumb animals? Because they stand in the road! Even people standing in the road are fair game! If they are so stupid as to think crossing the road in front of a truck doing 55 MPH and can stop because of that "Pedestrian law" need's to stop wasting air the really stupid need to live on!
Try to stop while maintaining control to keep from hitting people, deer and larger 4 footed animals but do NOT swerve UNLESS there is room and you KNOW you can control the truck! To die in place of an amimal or moron is insane!

 

Yeah, I think there is a difference between "moving over," albeit even in a more urgent fashion, as opposed to "swerving." I have seen deer dangerously close to the road and moved over in advance. If the deer comes into the road, though, all bets are off.