Want Truckers opinion

For sure man, hell in a pinch use a shirt to tie off a nasty gash. But I want to tell you, I really like what you have written, and enjoyed the debate in this thread very much.

 

Thank you Bayle.
I agree.
And your comments are greatly appreciated.

I think this is a VERY important thread and a very important subject. And I thank DW200 for starting this thread and for participating in the discussion.

If the information contained herein helps to prevent only one mishap, it will have been well worth the time and effort that went into this conversation.

 

Oh Boy looks like I better back up and reread..........

post 49 and counting

 

The "White-Sheet" law was actually written so if a DOT officer "inspected" a truck he would know that the driver had actually been sleeping on his formerly white sheets...instead of "speeding".

 

From what I've heard that supposed "white sheet law" can't be proven from the FMSCA regs.

Just saying its what I've heard.

 

What color are YOUR sheets?

And do your curtains match?

 

something to think about also is the fact that trucking is one of the few careers you can choose that is performance based...

someone in a an office still gets paid their wage even if they have a bad day and do not do squat....


most of get paid by the mile and it is a race within our head - and for some idiots (on the road) to get as much as we can...


all the more reason why wages need to come up for a lot of the guys out here so they will not operate on 100% greed..

I realize some guys will still drive like idiots - but I have heard a lot of late night cb chats where guys are crying about running tired or "hot" just to make a decent check that week....


no easy answers.

 

Thanks for your input.

Would I have done anything differently? Yes, probably taken Alternate 27 instead of highway 27.

>>What if the same thing happened at a red light on this road. Then what? What will you do the next time. Hopefully sacrifice 5 seconds of your time and be on the safe side instead of adding to an unsafe situation like you did this time.

I did not make an abrupt, unexpected lane change. I surveyed the traffic behind me carefully.

>>Ok, if you surveyed the traffic behind you carefully, you would have known he was comming up on your left like a bolt of lightning and still chose to change lanes into his path comming up on an intersection. What is it that you don't get. Did you ask yourself, "What if the light turns Red?" or "What the h*ll am I doing?" Or is that just someone elses problem?

I then put on my turn signal, and changed lanes properly. I didn't erratically change lanes into the path of the semi.

>>But still changed lanes into the path of a speeding semi. Don't feel bad, I'm sure people with the highest of IQ's do this all the time, really.

When I drive I scan my rearview mirror often to make sure I have plenty of distance between myself and other vehicles.

>>Great! Just try to take note of how fast they are going (right or wrong) on their part, and make a choice to change lanes based on safety, (not because they are speeding or shouldn't be). Check side mirrors too for now on. Driving a truck or car, I wont pull out in front of a speeding truck even if I check my mirror 27 times (exaggeration), if I see them comming up on me. What freaking sense does that make? Yes, they are drivig with a sense of entitlement to the highways. But why should you do the same like you did in this situation? It just makes a bad situation that much worse, even though it doesn't seem fair to you.

I even check my blind spot. This is why I have a clean driving record, and plan on keeping it that way.

>>I didn't know that maintaining a clean driving record was accomplished by mearly checking rear view mirrors and blind spots....

He or she knew they were approaching a stale green light, and they did not slow down, knowing there was a good chance the light would change.

>>How do you know that they knew the light was stale. Again, you are making assumptions based on what you want to think. There's know way that you know if the truck driver knew the light was stale, come on!

They had plenty of time to downshift, but chose not to.

>>Is that so? And what foreknowledge of yours is this statement based on? I know that by this statement that you are not a truck driver because it is 100% purely wrong. Again, you are conjuring something up in that brain of yours that is derived from what? Not experience! How many gears does a truck have? Do you know? Google it so you can give me an answer.

>>Why don't you quit your job and do my job an that should answer some of your presumtious questions?

If they were too tired to drive or distracted, they shouldn't be on the road endangering others.

>>True, But again, you don't know if they were tired, ect. unless you confirmed it with the truck driver. Too many assumptions that you make. Maybe your idiotic actions had something to do with this and neither of you should be on the road. How's that sound to you.

The suggestion one person gave that I should have gone through the yellow light suggests to me this is a common occurrence in the trucking industry.

>>I'll give you a suggestion, wait next time for the speeding truck driver to go by. How hard is that for you to do? Then make your lane change. You loose 5-10 seconds instead of your life. Not willing to do this? Something tells me that this is a common occurence in the car industry.

Should we run red lights as to not inconvience truck drivers that have a deadline to meet? Where is the logic in that?

>>No don't run red lights, stay in your lane next time and don't put the speeding jerk off truck driver in a position where he either has to kill you or the person that he smashes into when he goes through the intersection to spare your life. No, he shouldn't be speeding. Knowing that (which you said you knew) by checking your mirrors, why would you still pull out? If you keep that up, people will eventually get hurt as a result of your ignorance (it's not my problem attitute.) That person could be you or someone you care about. Or just maybe someone you don't care about....whatever.
NEXT TIME, DUE YOUR PART IN PREVENTING A DISASTER, INSTEAD OF HAVING THE (2 WRONGS MAKE A RIGHT) ATTITUDE AND FOCUSING ON WHAT THE OTHER GUY DID WRONG INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE RIGHT. And no, you, nor the truck driver were right...both need to use that brainmatter more effectively.

I know trucker's have a job to do, but they know their capabilities are different than a person operating a car.

>>Ok, then by the downshifting statement you made earlier (relating to stopping distance), THEN, WHY DON'T YOU KNOW THAT TRUCK DRIVER'S CAPABILITIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM A CAR. Again, you are equally wrong here because you don't know what our capabilities are and just make an un-educated guess on what you think our capabilities are and then act on it in a traffic situation.....

Anyone who has driven in central florida on highway 27 knows that trucker's speeding and driving like the rules don't apply to them is common here. I'm sure this person has been ticketed for traffic infractions, it is just a matter of time until he or she loses their driving privilege's.

>>I hope that driver does get nailed if he drives that way.....I hate people who drive like morons. Nobody needs 'em out here on the road. And I hope to GOD that someday all states will somehow find a way to implement a manditory section in the drivers exam that educates all motorists about ALL VEHICLE TYPE CAPABILITIES, STOPPING DISTANCES, YEILDING WHEN YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO YEILD, ECT. So people like you, (believe me, there are many out there, can finally make educated decisions instead of acting on preconceived, uneducated guesses that put inocent people's lives at risk.
Again, he souldn't have been speeding. But how would you have felt if he killed someone going through that intersection just to avoid hitting you from behind. Either way, I'm sure if you lived through it, I am willing to bet in which direction you finger would be pointed. Hopefully next time instead of taking a different route, (even if you do take a different route), you will use more common sense as this should be a learning experience for you. Nothing will ever get better until someone decides to be the bigger person and actually do something about it, instead of looking for people to take their side to confirm that the other guy was wrong and then continue driving the same way. Be the bigger person for once.

I don't have any points on my license, so I must be doing something right!

The tone of your message is that you are doning something right and the other guy insn't. Focus on how you can improve as a driver to save lives and not on your zero points, and wrongs of other drivers. Do you think there are people out there that could improve their driving skills that have zero points. I do. I can improve mine and so can you, let's do that.


Have a great day!

 

look at my reply to your comments right above this one....Whtlinefvr

 

I should have mentioned that the "White Sheet" law was written in the late 40's to early 50's, and it disappeared from the rule book quite a while ago. (Late 70's, perhaps?)