Bad driving habits

This is something that has been on my mind for quite a while now, and until now I've kept it to myself, but for some reason, I really feel the need to rant about it at the moment.

It has to do with others truckers driving like complete ######0LES.

I have 3 years OTR experience with no accidents.
I get to my customers on time or early.

This is what I don't do.
I don't speed more than 4 mph over the speed limit.
I don't tailgate.
I don't stop at truckstops during my run unless a) my 11 is up, b) I need to fuel c) I need to use the bathroom (most of the time I use the bathroom when I fuel, and also grab subway at that time as well), or if I haven't been able to take a shower in 2-3 days and I happen to have extra time. I just keep going, steady as a rock, until I get to where I'm going. I don't waste time, I just go and do my job.

I don't pass people in congested areas. One area in particular I go through often is I80/94, and the particular area that has me steaming is between exit 15 in Indiana all the way to probably I355 west of Chicago.

There is no reason why any truck should be passing another truck in this area, when the speed limit is 55. If a truck is going less than 55, well then ok, you could pass WHEN THE COAST IS CLEAR and you're not going to cut off a car, or even clog the lane. There is no reason why some of you drivers need to be going 63+. THere is absolutely no reason for it. You're NOT going to get there any faster. Is getting somewhere 4-5 minutes quicker going to make a difference? NO. Unless you're running late, in which case you should have left quicker.

It really amazes me how some people don't enough have enough self discipline to tell themselves "no" when their right foot says "yes". It's just not worth it. I don't want to kill anyone out there any more than you do. And also, I am proud to call myself a truck driver, and also the fact that I take safety and responsibility seriously.

Do I get frustrated when I come upon a car going 60 in a 65 zone, and traffic in the hammer lane is heavy? Sure, of course, we all get to that point, but you have to just let it go. Just take it easy, ok? You aint no Super Trucker having to hurry up and get over and pass Grandma so you can save yourself 30 seconds. You wonder why the trucking industry has a bad reputation, well this is part of the reason why. Do a lot of car drivers drive like complete idiots? Sure. But driving is not their profession. They don't see the road and traffic like we do, they don't have our perspective, so take what they do with a grain of salt.

Also, as drivers of very large vehicles, it IS our responsibility to avoid accidents when we can. It's called Defensive Driving. If an accident happens, it doesn't matter who's fault it is if somebody is DEAD. They're DEAD, and if you or I get into an accident with someone else, and that someone else dies as a result, it's going to keep coming to your mind for years and years whether you could have done something to prevent that person from dying. And if you think "oh well, wasn't MY fault he died, he drove like an idiot and got what he deserved, maybe people will wake up", if you think like that, then you're a cold hearted bas*ard who should not be driving anything at all, period. I'm not saying a lot of you are like that, but there probably are some.

I see truckers tailgating people all of the time, and it makes me sick.

Please just slow it down, have some patience, you will get there, and getting on Grandma's ##### isn't going to solve a ###### thing.

If we as supposedly professional drivers don't straighten up, we're going to see the day where they are going to mandate governed trucks @60mph.

And I don't want to hear your BS arguments saying "well if truckers can't go faster than 60mph, no one will drive, and they'll have to move it back up", because they won't do that. If it gets that bad, they won't. There is a reason why speed limits exist. We're not the exception to the rule, just because we're professionals, and yes I agree that speed limits aren't the end-all, be-all of safety, and yes I do go 68-69 in a 65 on a clear day, clear road, but not in CONSTRUCTION, not in TRAFFIC, not in the RAIN, and certainly not going through downtown Indy on I70, or through Chicagoland.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, and I'm not suggesting anyone else have to be. All I'm saying is that there are drivers out there who are not displaying enough maturity to take it into their own hands to try and make the roads safer for everyone. We are professional drivers, let's act like it.

Anyways, end of rant, and thanks for reading.