Do NOT play Chicken with a big rig

Where is that bear when you want him? And why is it often times when there is a bear, nothing is done to stop the moron with road rage against a truck, however, if a truck does one little thing, he gets jacked up in a hot minute?

That said, there was a trucker (didn't catch the name on the door...an independent of some kind) who got so incensed about the Greyhound bus driver staying in the left lane governed at 68 and passing other traffic that he came up along side the bus and swerved a few times into the lane while blasting his air horn. The speed limit on that stretch is 70 mph, the "shoulder" on the left median about 18 inches wide and the bus was packed. I know because I was in the bus, sitting on the passenger side in the front seat. Granted, the bus driver wasn't passing very fast, but he was going faster than the traffic in the right lane. That truck driver could have killed 56 people with that idiotic maneuver, not including himself or four-wheelers that may have gotten tangled up in that. The end result was the truck had to slow down for a car in front of him anyway and then hammer down to about 85mph to pass the bus on the right (still acting like a jerk) and then jump into the left lane about 6 feet in front of the bus. I mean, seriously.....is the possible loss of life really worth it?

BTW: I did email in a complaint about that bus driver. There were other issues too...but it still did not give that "professional" driver leave to threaten 56 people.

 

Hmm... I had the same exact thing happen to me a while back, except substitute white Volvo (car) instead of green pickup. He braked hard enough in front of me that it shifted the load of paper I had on--46,000 lbs worth. For a split second I thought maybe I should just run him over. Unfortunately, common sense prevailed... I called the cops on him too.

 

This happens way to often, and you were lucky not to have any other problems with that type of load. I am glad your common sense over ruled your urge to show them the error of their ways. I always think of the hours of delays I would become involved in if I were to act on that.

 

Was this a 2 lane or 4 lane road? If it was 4 lane and you were getting into a passing lane why would another vehicle passing the same vehicle you're passing stop you from getting in that lane?(the white pick up at the front of the truck you wanted to pass) Why would you leave your signal on for 45 seconds? Maybe I missed something but I think there's plenty of blame to go around here, I don't agree with the brake checking you because that seldom turns out well for the car.

 

Ok that makes sense, the worst part is that if you were to hit him while he was being an idiot you would be in just as much trouble as him... well if he lived lol

 

Okay, I'm going to revisit this because I've been thinking so hard on it over the past week. I have been driving the hills in the South recently and have run into several situations very similar to the OP. What I'm about to write may not make me a very popular person, but here goes:

1. We know when going up a hill (especially a long one) that there will be slow trucks in the granny lane.

2. Often, there is no truck lane, so we have two choices of lane to use and we are not allowed to use the hammer lane unless we are in the act of passing someone else.

3. Some of us ride lighter or have more power than others.

4. Four-wheelers generally do not like being behind a truck for lots of reasons, foremost is they cannot see past us and we usually go slower than they want to.

5. A four-wheeler will get in front of us, especially when they perceive we will slow them down.

6. When we start up a hill, four-wheelers know many of us will lose momentum on our way up.

7. Therefore, they will pass us at the first opportunity, even if it means they will inconvenience us.

8. When a truck turns on a left turn signal at any point on a freeway, it is an invitation for the four-wheeler on its %$& to floor it and pass.

9. A heavily loaded truck or less powerful truck will cause us to slow down and lose momentum, forcing us to downshift sometimes two gears.

10. We know all of this information and most of us are able to process it within a few seconds' time.

What I see happened here is you had a four-wheeler on your left, blocking you into the granny lane. There was no other lane for either of you to be in. You saw the pickup behind you, but apparently did not register his closing speed to your rear. As soon as the SUV was clear, you looked and saw the pickup at the rear of your trailer. At this point, you had a choice to either brake, drop a gear or two and back out of your passing maneuver or to press forward regardless of the now occupied left lane. You chose to occupy space that pickup was already in, forcing him to take the median.

Earlier in this exchange, you could have backed out of it, knowing that pickup was going to try to pass, because they always do, cussed under your breath for a few minutes, then passed the big truck in front of you. The pickup guy would have gone on his merry way without the road rage incident and you would have been inconvenienced by a few seconds.

I had an almost identical situation going up a long hill in West Virginia the other day. I had a car on my left, another was gaining on my rear and there was a very slow truck in front of me. I couldn't go into the occupied left lane and I was closing on the big truck while the other four-wheeler was closing on me. I was able to climb the hill at 55 mph, but to pull into the left lane may have caused an accident. I saw this and backed out of it to the point of hitting my brakes and letting the jakes help a little....going up a hill on the West Virginia Turnpike. I dropped two gears to let the car pass me and then gave it all it had to get around the other truck. Other traffic had to be a little patient, but nobody got so upset as to brake-check me or anybody else.

You had control of the entire situation. All you had to do was slow down a little, drop a gear and the entire incident would have been avoided. Therefore, had that pickup actually wrecked, it would have landed squarely in your lap and you would have gotten no quarter from the law, DOT, your company or the courts.

We are supposed to be the professionals out here. That means anticipating the moron who we know just can't wait to jam up a truck. We have to be ready for him or her and react in a professional manner. Or people can die.

 

Thats exactly what the copper said to me when I took out the front of his car with my 2nd trailer; (all caught on CCTV)
As I was turning left, he tried to undercut me to overtake
I won the case, and he/the gov(so technically my taxes) paid for the excess of both his car and my trailer.
-------
I was so tempted to hand him a copy of the road-rules and regulations on heavy vehicles to him, but I held my tongue(arm)

 

Noting your signal had been on that long one might assume you forgot to turn it off. Mr. Green should be more careful around a big truck, or anyone else, who is driving down the road with their signal on but drivers like you make us look bad IMO. Too close to the truck in front of you, unpredictable, and then blaming the other guy, oblivious to the fact you were just as dangerous. You should never get that close to the truck ahead of you.

 

Something similar, I was on a two lane narrowing down to one lane about a half mile ahead. I was in the right lane where I belong, I backed down just a little to encourage the cars to go ahead and get past me. but there was this one little white car that was content to ride right next to my trailer. There was plenty of time before the transition to one lane but not forever so I turned on the left turn signal thinking all they have to do is speed up and they are home free. They lady panicked and locked up her brakes, I saw her hood dip way down next to my trailer. I just raised my eyebrows for a moment but kept going and smoothly got over in a few hundred feet. I wonder if she learned anything from that experience?

Forgot to mention that my trailer has those new skirts on it so maybe the whole thing looked like a giant wall of death from her perspective.