Rock in the stream: the Safety Dept. lied to you!

Given the context of the various state laws posted consider these scenarios:

• Scenario 1:
  
• Two lanes of travel
• stacked traffic in lane 1 going the speed limit
• "Vehicle 1" going the speed limit in lane 2 with a mile of open space in front of him and a half mile of space behind.
• 7 vehicles taveling at speed limit plus 10 are over taking "Vehicle 1" - which is most in violation of the law?

• Scenario 2:
• 3 lanes of travel.
• Stacked trafffic in lane 1 going the speed limit
• "Vehicle 1" going the speed limit plus 5 in lane number 2
• General traffic is going speed limit plus 10 in lanes 2 and 3.
• which is most is violation of the law?

 

So are you finally admitting you are violating the law by speeding? After all one can't be violating more if they aren't violating to begin with.....
See, it wasn't hard to actually admit to that.

As for which is worse, I don't know and don't care as I'm not going to play semantic games. That was never the issue. The issue is claiming it's legal to speed when it's not.

And if you are going back to the claim of it's legal to speed, well consider this as my reply as I won't bother that dead horse. To quote myself "Show me the law that allows speeding, because you have yet to post a law that allows one to exceed the speed limit.

 

The problem is you are the one playing semantic games by claiming that absolute speed limits trump presumed speed limits, particularly when the presumed speed limit laws were passed AFTER the absolute speed limit laws which under the theory of implied repeal make them the primary law.

I have posted several laws that reference "normal speed" and "not withstanding the prima facie speed limits". Given the laws AND state patrol guidance the greater violation is the vehicle impeding "normal speed", and speeding is allowed to pass a vehicle not conforming to "normal speed". Any vehicle traveling below "normal speeds" is REQUIRED to drive in the right hand most lane which allows "normal traffic" to travel at speeds "not withstanding the prima facie speed limits". Thus 'speeding' is 'legal'. As a counter - any vehicle traveling above 'normal speed' is in violation of speed laws, thus drivers doing 45 mph on I-43 in Manitowoc fog when the rest of traffic is doing 35 are 'speeding' despite being 25 mph below the absolute speed limit.

In the states I originally listed 'presumed' speed limits are the primary law meaning that the acceptable speed is primarily dependent on conditions, not absolute speed limits.

 

I saw him twitch - hit him again!

 

In a very simple and most logical answer.. screw that noise! This is simply another poorly disguised tantrum about yet another driver who wants to drive at or above the speed limits because they don't care about anything or anyone but themselves. The whole premise and title is more "whoop whoop Truck it up" bovine scat that is always foisted on the industry as fact when its just more pandering to the rent-a-mob for approval and self gratification... If I am passing someone in a 75 zone and doing 75.. and some schmo wants me to get out of his way so he can go 90 with several other idiots all jammed together, they're ###### sure going to wait till I get past the slower vehicle. If I am traveling through a city or larger multi-lane loop in the center of three lanes at the speed limit or less due to congestion (proper following distance means things) and someone wants to pass me going faster on the right of left.. that's their problem. If someone wants to crater me in the rear.. that's ALSO their problem.

 

I occasionally train new drivers for the company I drive for. Most are fresh out of driving schools ( and I use that term loosely) with zero truck driving experience, which this company is making a huge mistake hiring inexperienced drivers to drive tankers!
It is mind blowing. The schools seem to be mostly classroom. Just getting them to understand the surge and other handling characteristics of a tanker is tough. Not to mention the operation of the tank trailers themselves. Most quit after a few weeks.

 

I've been training new and "experienced" drivers for decades now.. the new drivers are not the issue, they are new. If the whole industry wasn't a colossal joke in their treatment of driver's generally... we wouldn't be training thousands of new drivers a year. And a huge part of the problem is blaming trucking schools for not turning out experienced drivers. Its another cop out of the industry at large. Trucking schools were NEVER supposed to turn out experienced drivers because its impossible and the industry knows that. The trucking schools are supposed to turn out a driver who can drive in a lane, make safe right and left turns and have a very basic understanding of backing. The industry has always had the responsibility of REAL training in the real world and they have FAILED totally in that. The first issue is that the vast majority of "trainers" are simply morons who want a free log book to use to make more money. The second issue is that the "trainers" never have to prove what they know and or have to meet any sort of standards or the industry would have no trainers.
On the Smith / Safety side of the "new guy" debate, most new driver STILL are apprehensive and have a healthy level of fear and respect of the equipment. Generally new drivers ONLY when they get pushed or coerced by the industry ("trainers" Ops etc etc) do they over drive their abilities Had these new drivers had actual trainers instead of the pack of unprofessional bozos that call themselves trainers, the issues wouldn't exist.

 

Everyone deserves a chance to earn a living in this industry.
But, there are certain sectors that inexperienced drivers should not be put in unless they have a couple of years safe OTR experience. Tankers/hazmat and oversized are two. Just saying.

 

The problem with that is that those segments are also suffering a self-inflicted driver "shortage". Back in the day, the local tanker jobs required multi-year experience.. then the premium tanker jobs required multi-year experience and someone in those companies to vouch for the person. Those days are long behind us.