Amazed at the Lack of Courtesy Anymore

"whoa! can the courtesy, you're an American now!" - Fat Tony

 

About flashing,, I almost never do. Why you ask? Because too many drivers move over far too soon and take away my cushion. Some come over before the trailer even clears my drives. I can’t flash since I’m bracing for the crash.

I should mention that my shift starts at 4 a.m. and many drivers are dead tired by then. And I always say “Thank you”. (grin) My mom taught me that, not driving school.

 

well, which is it? I feel your pain though - you've plunked down your hard earned money, and you want the high quality, first class, decadent meal that you've forked out your $4.99 for. but have a little empathy for these folks - this is just a temporary job for them. they're probably only making $8-9 an hour, and working their way thru truck driving school. and when they gradeeate, they can git them a job making $4-5 an hour drivin one of them thar big rigs.

 

I think BoDarville01 may have touched on something when referring to 'good ol fashioned self-pride'. I'd like to throw professionalism in the conversation. If you take pride in what you do, you do it better. If you do it better than the norm, you must be a professional. I understand there may be company policies which prevent drivers from doing certain things and that's fine. However, if you go back to when you started driving, you too may have used flashers on an uphill grade or flashed over and thanked someone for doing it to you.

Maybe another interesting topic would be 'the truckers code of ethics' ... watch for it!

 

Sadly every year since I started driving courtesy out here on the road is disappearing and the rotten attitude has taken it's place big time. Sure some drivers do bring this on themselves, but I remember a time even out in the western states when you had to pass someone no one would get on the radio and throw a fit if you took a few minutes to get by. Now when you do that, you're called every name in the book, people pass by and flip you off, and some will even swerve over in front of you and slam on the brakes to voice their displeasure. Real smart to mess with an 80 thousand pound semi.

I always tell drivers if you don't like how fast I can go, call the company.

 

My company discourages the practice too... liability issue. They do have a point. The company was sued when one of our guys flashed a billybigrigger in - who then promptly managed to end up in an accident. Claimed that the reason he crashed wasn't his piss-poor driving, but the fact that our guy flashed him in.

That's rather a harsh indictment of all new drivers. There's always other alternatives in life... getting on the dole, living under a bridge, door greeter at WallyWorld. Up to last year, this was a field who gladly accepted everyone they could find because it's truckin'. So, give the newbs a chance, and try to help them become a better driver, eh!

I flash everyone in - not necessarily during daylight hours, but certainly once it starts getting dark. Use the CB as well. I figure if there's no other traffic, the guy passing me can do just fine on his own when the sun is up. As soon as the 4-wheelers start piling up behind a big truck, it behooves me to help him get in before something gets tangled up right in front of my rig. Flash a thanks when I manage to pass someone as well.

Don't get wave's back when many pass me...

Don't get flashed back when I flash someone in - most of the time now...

Get hung out to dry in the hammer lane when I let another truck in from the giton ramp...

Get stuck in the fuel island behind a driver who can't manage to move his rig 70 feet to the pull-up lane - or park the dang thing when he goes in for whatever...

I don't think it's trucking in general. You get it all across our society now. Just look at the intollerance displayed in the political forums here - absolutely no respect for anyone's opinion from the other side of the aisle. What we're seeing on the road is just a reflection of everything else.

It starts when the trucker is about 2 years old, and doesn't get taught how to act is a respectful manner...

 

Off subject. Take a look at your reciept next time. I have seen where Mcd charges take out tax and eat in tax.

Back on subject. There is nothing more frustrating than driving a 65 mph truck and move over to let someone merge into traffic and have them hang you out to dry. Then drive just fast enough that the 4 wheelers think they need to pass the slow guy in the left lane on the right! But they don't move ahead so everyone is stuck and I can't move back over because of a impaitent 4 wheeler.

Earlier post about slowing down to let them in. Not sure I agree with this. Had a Roehl do this in front of me the other day and didn't just apply the brakes but slam on them. No warning. Well the distance between us closed quick and I couldn't move over. Get on the radio and say something so that it makes other drivers aware of what your intentions are. Thank you

 

Unfortunately most of the big (CDL mill) companies discourage the practice. (They say it's a liability issue) Most of the idiots coming out of these CDL mills are not truckers, They are people that have no other alternative in life so they decided that they'd try trucking...Most of them suck at it!
I flash all trucks over and if they don't return the courtesy, So what? They're the jerks, Not me. Those of us that are the real deal recognize each other and we easily see the 90 day wonders that'll be gone in six months or a year and be back working at Burger King or some other lucrative career.

I don't flash back, I give a thumbs up because our safety consultant said that flashing lights can often distract or alarm other drivers, creating an 'incident'.

I will say I was taught by my father that if someone signals to merge - you let them, especially if they are bigger than you!