Your scariest moment as a truck driver

few things that freaked me out.I-24 E/B just past the scalehouse,ahhh whats it called,before you get to Monteagle.The parking are there for trucks.I'm parked on the get on ramp for the night (the ramp for the truck parking,the rest was full and no hrs)Had 40,*** lbs of paper on goin to Atlanta area.Set the tractor brakes and get all settled in for the night.Thats when I hear a creeeeeeeeek and feel a wiggle...hmmm wtf was that? creeeeeeee....eeeee.....eeeeee....k OMG I'm rollin! lol jumpped up and set the trailer brakes started the truck and turned the wheel all the way to the right so if I rolled I'd hopefully go into the ditch and not back on the interstate......one more was goin up I43 NB just outside of Greenbay.Snowin all to beat the band I'm in the left lane,passed a big truck and gave plenty of room,signaled,waited about 6 or 7 flashes,looked and looked some more,started to come over and what do I see? All the sudden a white 4 wheeler with no headlights hitting the shoulder,flashing the high beams and honking.I eased back to the left lane and kept steady on the fuel till I knew for sure (again) that I was clear to return to the right lane.Needless to say I got told I was number 1 =] altho I did number 2 in my pants =P

 

RNGTransport - I did the same thing in illinois goin from 55n to 270w I guess I didn have the key turned all the way in the run position and I went into the ramp which curves up and east,south then to the west and as soon as I hit the ramp the engine died on that ole classic xl and I was loaded about 44,000 of frozen meat.not much of a shoulder on that cloverleaf so I knocked down a few of those little marker poles gettin outta the way before I lost momentum cause for all I knew I was gonna be there a while.Went to turn the key off and realized it already was lol fired it up hit my signal and got down the road.

 

left the consignee and planned my route to whites truck stop on I 81 looked at the map it was a straight shot, checked the restricted routes, low clearance all was good. So I thought when i went to go turn on it there was flashing lights and a sign saying trucks prohibited. Looking at my pc miler on the laptop and the map I decided to take it anyway. That was the scariest ride i've ever had, the road had 90 degree turns where the tandems set all the way to the front and still came within a foot of fallin off the road and going down the mountain the wrong way.

 

This is on topic, but sort of not as it isn't -really- a truck related scare, but anyways:

I was in Lake Charles LA, on my way to Beaumont TX with a load of paper rolls. I'd been driving solo for about two weeks at this time. I was scooting down the interstate when some folks in an SUV flagged me down. I stopped thinking I might be dragging a belly hose, or something like that. They pull over in front of me, I get out to look and about 10 seconds after I'm out of the truck I feel a gun at the back of my head.

I don't know if you guys are like me, and daydream sometimes about what you'd do if you were in a store getting robbed. Maybe how you'd showcase some awesome judo moves or something and save the day. I used to have daydreams like that all the time.

Anyways, the person holding the gun was CRYING, like hysterically crying. Told me to walk straight into the woods, which I did. We walked about half a mile probably into the woods on the side of interstate 10. He told me to get on my knees, still crying. I heard him talking to one of the other people that had been in the car with him, and I was about 100% sure I'd be dead soon. He stopped crying after a bit, not really sure how long it was. They stopped talking and I sat there on my knees for a good long time waiting for it. I eventually looked over my shoulder, and realized I was in there alone. I went back to the truck, climbed in and drove non stop to Beaumont.

I don't really know how close I came to getting shot, no real way to know. But I can still remember what those woods smelled like, and I can still remember what it feels like to have a gun at the back of my head.

 

That is scary as hell! I'm not getting out of the truck for anyone!

 

Going north on Idaho 95 from Sandpoint into BC. Night, and the driver in front of me and I play "dodge the deer" for about 30 miles. Snowing, and getting snowier. As I pull out of town, I lose traction, just as I go into this big sweeping uphill curve. As a young farm boy, hanging iron is for sissies, soooo.......Lock in the differentials, and......... start losing traction again. I end up going around the curve with the trailer slipping down hill, the truck pointing somewhat uphill, all drivers spinning, and the truck slowly moving, somewhat sideways, in the direction it was supposed to. You couldn't have driven a needle up my backside with a sledgehammer for about 2 minutes. Nothing like drifting 80,000 lbs around a curve!

I'm really good at hanging iron, now.

 

I've had numerous occasions driving on snow and ice when an incoming vehicle loses control and heads in my direction. My worst experience was a little different. I was pulling an empty dump bucket in western Pennsylvania with 3-4 inches of snow on the ground. I came over the top of a steep hill and was staring at a state trooper parked behind a two car accident in the left lane. The right lane was filled with rubber neckers and backed up about 300 feet. I moved left and stopped about 40 from the trooper's number.

 

Roughly my first solo trip, and I'm driving around mountains in the dark during a Canadian blizzard, so just when I'm thinking the window icing up with my defroster on high was slightly disturbing, versus the thought of stopping in the wrong place at the wrong time, while peeking through a small hole at the top of the glass, with my seat raised all the way up... it gets worse, every truck rolling the other way totally snow blinds me for five seconds at a time, and the road isn't straight, well I wasn't exactly scared, too busy thinking where am I, and how did I get here... must have been beginners luck.

 

Your scariest moment as a truck driver

When I pulled into my favorite truck stop this one time, and they had no fresh (or any) hot dogs on the grill..

I was MORTIFIED..!!