Why do truckers get angry about certain things

Good call on your part. You just can't argue with ignorance and all it will do is endanger you and everyone else!

Some drivers will do crap like this out of, (believe it or not,) BOREDOM or in their case boreDUMB! I've never been able to figure out that mentality.

Sounds like you are on the road enough that you run into a bunch of nuts, as well as the regular drivers. Unfortunately, the nuts are out there, and likely will continue to be.

The only thing I can add here, is that if this is happening the majority of the time when you interact with the big trucks, then maybe you need to look at what you are doing. Don't take that wrong, I'm not accusing you of anything, and from you posts it doesn't sound like it is your problem. But it is something to keep in mind.

 

I figured as much - exaggeration and (no other way to put it ) ignorance . Three cars lengths is not even close to half the stopping distance a truck would need if you suddenly stopped . Depending on weight and road conditions a truck needs at least a 4 to 7 second interval between it and the vehicle in front of it to maintain a safe stopping distance . The next time you're on an interstate stay about 5 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you when going 65 -70 m.p.h. and see what that interval is . It might answer your question why drivers get annoyed with the way you pass .

 

It could also matter where in Ohio....

If you're in a hilly area your 70 or so might still leave you slowing an underpowered heavy loaded truck on the downhill making it harder for him to get up the next.

 

I can understand the truckers point of view, will understand it even better once I start driving. But on the other hand I can understand the RVers also. I pull a 38ft fifth wheel with a crewcab one ton when we go on vacation and sometimes finding a spot to park can be hard. When we are on the road and one of the kids needed a rest stop we would park on the semi side because a lot of times the other side didn't offer enough space to get into and out of easly. We never spent the night at a rest area but during the day the lots were not full. I did get a lot of mean looks and had one explain why I shouldn't be parked on the side I was on. I was friendly and respectful with him and soon he calmed down and we went to talking about the pickup I was driving. Now for the ones that let their slideouts out, that just rude. We have plenty of room to move around in ours with the slideout in. Even if we had to spend the night at a rest area we could sleep in it comfortably with the slideout in. They should wait til they get to the camp ground or RV park to completely set up especially if the rest area is a busy one.

 

I can understand the Rv's point, but on the other hand you are not on a time table. If we are close to our shut down time and there is no place to park and we have to keep going we can get put out of service. You don't have to worry about being shut down if you go on to another location.

 

I completely understand your point. Thats why if the rest area is to full and the trucks are packing in we just pass it by and go to the next one. If it turns into an emergency I can always pull over and let who ever is in a bind use the restrrom in the travel trailer then drive on till we find somewhere we can stretch our legs, like a Wally World or something. I see some a-holes on both sides. Some truckers act like they own the whole lot and some RVers just don't give a crap. I try my best to treat others like I would like to be treated. You can take the biggest a-hole on the planet and if you treat him with respect and compasion long enough he will break. Have you ever watched someone try to argue with a person who is staying calm and being very respectful? The argument doesn't last to long. I doubt it will ever get any better though. There are always gonna be people on both side that think they should have their way and everyone else should bow down. Things is we should all be on the same side. I've only been on this site a few days but I have read post from a lot of great people and they are a benifit to the trucking industry.

 

You make some excellent points here Grumpy! I guess the biggest problem in the world today, is that so many people have the "ME FIRST" attitude.

I wish you luck in your upcoming trucking career!

 

I drive my RV from Fl to NE every year and have noticed that most rest areas have a sign that tells trucks, RV's, and towed vehicles to park in the same lot. I don't know what the penalty is if you park an RV in the auto only lot, if there is one.
What I usually do is park on the entrance or exit road between two trucks or where a truck will not fit. I have noticed that some truckers will park and leave 40-50 feet between them and the next truck. It is enough room for my 35' RV, But not enough for an 18 wheeler.
I usually drive 12-14 hours so when I pull into a rest area I am also tired.
If I do park in the truck lanes, I park more to the rear of the space than the front. This way the truck beside me can get out easier, and the truck pulling in can see me before pulling into the spot and having to back out when he see's a da$n RV in his spot.
I have been on both sides of this, so I try to be more considerate of trucks than most, I guess. When I was driving OTR and pulled into a rest area and found a straight truck or RV in the last spot, I would grin to myself and think " The lucky sucker got there first".
Maverick

 

Well actually, a truckstop is open to the public, If a driver does not like the customer base, then ,maybe he should be the one to fuel somewhere else. And I am and have been a commercial driver for over 2 million miles.

I have not known of a truckstop that would not sell fuel to anyone with the money.

To start with you should have bee a couple of truck length not car length before you pulled back in. The distance you leave between you when you pull back in is so the vehicle you pasted has stopping room. You pull back in 3 car lengths and something happens where you have to stop fast that truck is going to crush you and it would have been your fault. Im not excusing his behavor, but thats the deal and cars on a reguale basis pull into the saftey cushion left between trucks, I call it the DEAD ZONE, most pull thru into the next lane, so I dont make a speed adjustment for them. It just a real bad place for a car. 80,000 vs 2000 lbs, who do you think is going to loose. I may be flippin burger at Mickey D's, but you'll be pushin up daiseys. On the averag I think I probably have to take corrective action at least 4 to 5 times a day to prevent crushing cars that just do not care.

 

Thanks Big-Don. I'm bitting at the bits to get started, this sitting around is driving me crazy. I'm sure I will be seeing all types out there on the road but all I can do is watch out for the idiots and just grin and go on when I come across one, as long as they haven't driven up under my trailer. Lifes to short to let them get to you.