No more flashing!

OH BOY!
I'm glad you asked EH!

Hmmmmmmmmmm
How can I 'splain this...............................................................?

Have y'all ever heard a train's horn, on a train, not on a Big truck? There's a different pattern of long and short blasts for different situations. It's a set pattern, and it's the same at R/R Crossings, but the engineer can interject a personality in that signal, and often does.
I think it's interesting to listen for that.

Blink
Blink
Same thing.
YOUR personality comin' through that Big truck's lighting system.
Like a handshake.
Some are firm, and some aren't and some don't shake at all.

Best Blink, Blink personality I EVER saw was an O/O --- who always pulled the same refer --- had "THANK YOU" flame cut out of a piece of diamond plate, polished aluminum.
That was backlit with interrupt lighting that made no mistake when THAT Big truck driver was sayin'
"THANX"

I also have a Blink, Blink, personality.
Believe it or not,.................................

When strollin' 'cross oh, say,........... New Mexico, because I LIKE that State, and I'm passing another Big truck, I try to glance at that Big truck's driver, and give a little wave. It's cool when it's a newbie company driver 'cause their eyes light up when I wave. I think the ones who do that will be the better drivers. I remember when,..................................

Anyway,......................
Once I see the headlights flash, I immediately hit the interrupt switch which blinks my inside two red Big trailer lights as well as the marker lamps, front -- rear & side.

I hold 'em off for a second or two, followed by three short blinks. And continue to put distance betwixt our Big trucks.
Then I hit my turn signals, and ease 'er back over. Once I've completed my lane change, I give three more short blinks.
And move on to the next governed Big truck.
Y'all see, my Big truck had looonnnggg legs.
Ran outta speedo Waayyy before she ran outta tach.
Christeen,.................. was her name.
Triple-Digit,.............. she was.
But we made it a habit to keep the (speedo) needle betwixt the lines.
SAFETY is NO Accident.

Blink
Blink

 

yeah i kinda see what ya mean, my truck is governed but at 72mph i do alot of passing

 

I agree with you. It used to tick me off. I just started thinking they didn't know. I was tought that many, many years ago by a private trainer. New guys probably don't even realize. I really get pissed though when a driver sees you trying to get into a lane and speeds up to stop you rather then slow down.

 

My company forbids us from flashing - an insurance thing. OK, I can deal with that. Right after you signal the lane change, I flash my markers to say, "I'm cool with that!"

 

An "insurance thing"?!
Hmmmmmm
I wonder what they base that stipulation on?
Studies?
How many crashes were PREVENTED because a Big truck driver flashed another Big truck driver over?
Hmmmmmmmmm

Probably jealous because their desks don't have lights that they can blink, blink.
But they don't go ANYwhere --- ANYway.
Well,...........except to the bank.
But banks ain't open at night.
Are They?

For,.................................
"SAFETY" they say?
Yeah, right!
The "safety" of their PROFITS?
OK,
I'd buy THAT.

 

It's my personal opinion that flashing headlights, and flashers...the "all clear" and "thanks bro" light flashing is more than just that. Every time drivers flash at eachother they're saying more than just "all clear" they're indicating that truck drivers are on a different plane than all the other vehicles on the road.

It's a language. It's a system of communication that without words says that truckers are not only civil, but polite and alert; with their eyes on the road and their kin at heart.

Of course that's just me, I flash when I'm in my car, I flash when I'm in the truck...but I use the turn off/turn back on method...never brights.

 

Heres my blurb. When you should dim your headlights is not when I have just cleared your bumper, but when I have traveled far enough to give you your following distance also. You would then have enough room to actually stop if the worst case happened, and I had to stop quick after the lane change.

Just so you know when you flash your high beams your telling me NOT to come over that your going to pass me back.

Flashing your tail lamps or markers is thank you, using your 4-ways is telling the trucks behind you there coming up on a problem.

The only other time you should use your 4ways is if your stopped on the side of the road,in the time your deciding if your going to b there long enough to put out your triangles.

And courtesy is probably something we could all use more of.

 

Here's a little story for you. This one time coming over the PA/NJ border I was in the slow lane with heavy rain coming down just before sunrise. It was dark out and very bad road conditions. I was in my small car and there was a truck in the left hand lane. Here is the issue. The truck was passing me on the left. As I noticed him come by he sort of stoppped half way up so he never got in front of me. I then noticed the guy behind me give his high beams for this guy to come over. I then realized that the truck probably thought he passed me and I got scared as hell. I punched it to get ahead of him before he came across. Unfortunately he clipped my back end before I could get ahead. I sling shot across the highway and onto the grass median without getting killed. Boy was I pissed. The truck never saw me but the jerk behind me should have made sure I was clear before gicing the OK.

 

What a shame that because we have a world full of Lawyers looking to make a dime anyway they can, we have idiots telling us we can't live anymore.

Makes a lot of sense doesn't it.

 

We Canadians ALWAYS have daytime running lights on and I love them and notice a lot of US drivers have them now, too. The only time I ever flashed my brights was to warn of a policeman up ahead with a radar gun because, in a car, there's nothing else to flash. I've had people flash me that way, too, and it was fine - usually on a divided highway so no blinding at all.

In our truck, Mike flashes most people and most flash back. I'd never flash a truck from my car - just wouldn't think of it. After what was mentioned above, wow, that's dangerous!! I figure if I'm a car, they won't pay attention anyway. I only learned about flashing recently and think it's a great courtesy in bad weather and/or at night. We usually get flashed back