Know when to shut your mouth!

Cops to the rescue:

I was driving across 20, 67mph, east of Monroe,La about 2am. Had a minivan swerve and almost hit me, went towards the left shoulder and cut me off. His speed was fluctuating between 50 and 75 mph. Great...a drunk. I backed out of it and put some distance between me and the Darwin special.

A Bullwagon comes by me at about 5 over.

Six: You missed me Cattlebaron.

Bullwagon: Thank you sir.

Six: Watch out for that white minivan ahead of you. Either he wants to die or he's stone drunk.

Bullwagon: 10-4 on the white minivan

Voice: Whats the 20 on the white minivan

Six: Eastbound and the ____ milemarker.

Voice: 10-4. Be right there.

Huh? I see the headlights and the unmistakable driving of someone who has lots of seat time. Bullwagon sees him too and taps his brakes. Smokey glides past me and Bullwagon and gets on the minivan's donkey, no discos. I didnt know they still ran the radio...

Minivan must have known it was a bear on his donkey, because he tried his best to straighten up. However, as you all know, when a driver is sleepy or drunk to the point to where he cant keep a car in a lane or run a constant speed, the concentration needed to straighten up for Smokey will put him over the edge. Sure enough, the van went flying off the left shoulder into the median, back onto the asphalt and to the right shoulder.

Smokey: I see what you mean. This driver is really struggling. Think I will chat with him.

And the disco lights came on. Bullwagon and I instantly jumped into the left lane.

 

I get a lot of lookouts from you guys and gals on the CB.

 

I wish every drunk driver would get caught, my son was killed two years ago by a drunk, and so far the person who killed him is still driving because he has not yet been tried. Every court appearance was continued, and then the last one he asked for a jury trial.

It has been two full years now, oh, and the DA informed us it is very likely that this person may get no more than six months if that in jail, and it is more likely he will just get probation. (I don't understand that at all)

Another thing because of the fact this one who killed our son was not found until a little later (I don't remember how much later) he is not charged with being drunk although it is a known fact he was drinking at a bar before he went speeding down the road and killed my son.

He claims that he thought he hit a mailbox or a deer, it was still plenty light outside and the view on that section of road is not obstucted in any way. He would of had to of seen him from a long ways off.

I really don't understand drunks, and I do call them in if I happen to see them because they kill people. My husband has had several relatives killed by drunk drivers, and him and our now oldest son were the ones who found our son dead due to a speeding drunk driver, who was also on the cellphone at the time of impact.(this is all public information it was in the news for a long time after it happened) but nothing lately because any kind of trial keeps being delayed.

Oh, and once there was a drunk who nearly put us into the Nantahala river, in the rain. It was right at the start of the gorge just before where the wall is where a lot of people are getting off the rafts. This one flipped his truck upside down, my husband went to see if he was okay along with a lot of other people (it is only by the grace of God no one was injured) when my husband found out he was drunk he was mad. Then that man wanted people to help him turn the truck back on its wheels so he could go on down the road, and there were a few people there that were willing to try to do it except my husband prevented it, and made him wait for the police, that man was arrested and put in jail in Bryson City, a couple days later the police called the house about it, and the officer who spoke with my husband said that man thought he was in Georgia and that NC was out of their area, *he was so drunk he didn't even know where he was,

Anyway, in my opinion anyone who thinks it's okay to drive drunk does not deserve the priviledge of owning a car much less driving. Because it is just plain stupid to drive drunk.

My son was eighteen when he was killed. He had just started college, and had plans to get married. But he is dead due to a person who thought it was okay to drive drunk.

As for my son who found him, he wants to go into law enforcement, and has no problems calling in anyone he see's that is driving drunk. He is currently deployed because he joined the military not long after his brothers death.

Sorry to be so long, just saw this post, and thought I'd say I think any driver who is driving drunk should be called in. And truck drivers are in the best position to see a lot of things that go on, and imho I think they can help the police to prevent some deaths, that are caused by drunks.

We have even called in one man years ago, before our kids were born who was sloppy drunk he was hanging out the truck window ( a pick up truck) and drinking beer, he was downing one right after another we could see him doing it, he was also throwing the empty cans out, he was going from one side of the road to the other, literally, I don't know if the police ever caught him or not, I hope they did, because otherwise I doubt that one could make it home, if he did it was only by the grace of God. Because that was on a mountain road.

Anyway I better hush, it's been a long week, and we are still waiting for a court trial for the person who killed our son, it is not even on the schedule yet, I think the person that killed our son at least should not be driving, but until they have a trial he is allowed to continue on, oh, and he thinks he has done nothing wrong, I know this because I heard it come right out of his mouth when we were at court last time, I was behind him in the hallway.

Somethings are just difficult. Also I have no problem with a sobriety check point right outside any bar, I mean if someone has a desinated driver then there should be no problem right? And if someone is drunk it would catch them before they got on the road. Which would save some lives imho.

 

I've been stopped a couple of times right after I gave bear report. Both times there was almost no other truck traffic, so I'm sure they were listening. In fact, in Louisiana, the officers even admitted listening to the "children's band" radio. So now,if I give a bear report when there is little or no trucks traffic,I give it in a different way to minimize the chance of being stopped. If I am going south,I'll key up and say "Hey southbound,ya got a bear on your side at ....", so that it sounds like I'm going north.
Which reminds me of another story. Another company driver and I were running together, talking on channel 19. I was the lead truck. Our company had pre-pass and we both got green lights, to by pass the scales. Another truck was between us and did not go into the scales and passed me just after I passed the scales. A couple of minutes later,my friend told me he had blue light coming up behind him real fast. I responded by saying that he might be after the truck that passed me, unless that truck had pre-pass also. I then said that the cop had better gas on it because that truck had his turn signal on and was approaching an exit.I then told my friend that the truck had gotten off at the exit and headed west. The cop passed me and then got off at the same exit, headed west. My friend and I continued to talked for several miles, then I told him that the truck had NOT gotten off,that I was lying in case the cop was listening, so I guess he was !!!!!!!!!

 

And the guy going north does the same thing so you still get pulled over...

 

LOL Oregon scales coming out of of Washington I think is Hermiston always stop too check out my truck or logs! It never fails everytime I come thru they pull me over, well I was running with 3 other trucks from the same company . I was in the middle before we got to the scales I said hey fellas I dang well know I am going too get DOT'd. on the radio they said naw they never check here I said they always pull me over never fails they laughed and said you imagining things. Well first truck goes onto the scales green light then I get on green light the last gets on green light well I smile I made it thru, WRONG as we turn the corner mister DOT is waving me over into the Inspection station ARRRRRGGGG I swear Oregon is out too get me!

 

We had an idiot start driving for our company, who was discussing his extreme tardiness of his logs with another one of our drivers. The senior driver told him he shouldn't discuss that on channel 19 because you never know who might be listening. The new driver told the senior driver that DOT doesn't monitor the C.B. A third voice said driver pull to the side please, it was the DOT officer who was listening. You all know what happened next.

 

He got the "Good Citizenship" award?

 

I think we ALL forget sometimes that there are BAD DRIVERS out there holding the wheel of big trucks.
And by the same token....
There are bad cops out there doing what they do.

But where we (yes, I said "WE") often make mistake, is in lumping ALL cops into the trash for the actions of a few.

I work VERY closely with LEO.
And I can see who is "good" and who "needs help".
And it's not funny to me..... OR THE OTHER LEO's.

But like drivers, they have to put up with the idiots and suffer for their stupidity.

I say give them a break.
MOST are good guys just trying to do a tough job for very little pay.
(sounds familiar)

The "US vs. THEM" mentality is old and tired, and needs to go the way of the MARMON.

Very few are "out to get the truckers".
Sure, there are some like the one around Estilene, TX. But for the most part they are just like you and me.

I always tried to get along with ALL of them.
Only had 2 problems in 12 years, and those were expected as they were notorious already.

I had a regular "buddy" in Anderson, SC that I would sit with at the TS and eat and talk with.
He was the SC trooper that worked the area.
REALLY good guy who liked firearms, hunting, fishing, and was the "odd guy" in a family of truckers.
After I gave up driving, we lost contact. But I always enjoyed the talks and "debates" we had.
The reaction from some drivers was really sad though. Some would even make snide comments at the guy.

For any who knew him, there was a NM trooper who used to hang out at the Flying J in Alb..
Another great guy who was helpful and friendly.
He was killed in the median by a 4wheeler they were chasing, when the guy tried to avoid stop sticks.

 

If you were working for me, I would have slipped an extra $50.00 on your check if you would have taken a picture of the DOT bear soaking wet!