Truckers always pick up hitch hikers in the movies, do you?

I wouldn't want anyone in my truck who was desperate enough to want to ride with me.

 

Laws are there for good reasons. Public safety number one.

 

Never off the interstate, but a few times on back highways. If I pass a vehicle with 4 ways on, and see someone walking with a gas can a mile ahead, ill give them a lift to the next station on my route. Just trust my gut feeling though, sometimes I just keep rolling.

 

Except in an emergency I wouldn't want to take an uninsured passenger with me, too much liability. In the event of an injury, not even a motor vehicle accident but just an injury like a slip and fall, the motor carrier is going to hang you the driver for the costs, so unless the passenger is your significant other you are going to have trouble. The rider insurance is cheap. As for picking up random strangers and taking them further than the next town, not gonna happen anymore.

 

I bring the dog so my wife is exempt under (3).

 

Never happened and probably going to keep it that way. Somebody so destitute they can't even afford a bus ticket doesn't have much to lose. Gonna leave that alone. Somebody stranded who appears not to pose any threat might be a different story.

 

While it is nice of you to give complete strangers rides, ( and I have even had to hitch hike before myself and certainly appreciated the folks who gave me a ride), just know that you might give 100 people a ride and never have anything bad happen to you, but it will only take one serial killer to ruin your day! You should maybe Google serial killer hitch hikers and see if anything interesting pops up. Back in the old days it was much safer to give rides to people, but this is a very crazy and much different world out there nowadays. And you most certainly do not want to pick up anybody while in your Tractor Trailer, you never know it could be someone who is intentionally trying to get a Trucker to pick them up so that they can hijack your load and kill you in the process, or you could just simply destroy your career permanently if you get caught or have an accident while carrying an unauthorized person.

 

I gave a groupie a ride back in the 90's when I was driving for Warrant on the cherry pie tour.

 

Watch "Road Games" with Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis, older Australian flick.