What is more nerve wrecking: Tight, congested streets or Steep Mountains?

Coming from oil field exp in WV and food service with a full blown otr setup, 228wb cascadia and 13'2 48 box its city work no doubt. 3 axle frac pump at a 100k gross looking up at nothing but blue sky doesn't faze me but still have wicked respect for it. Other than driving school my 1st actual go around was midtown manhattan 48th and 6th ave out to jfk at 8am.

 

Conjested streets! I think most otr guys and gals would agree. City driving is frustrating because you're more dependent on idiots making the right decision, mountain driving for the most part, I'm only dependent on me making the right decision, so there's only one idiot to deal with.

 

For me its tight streets, going to a new address in a new city or area, and realizing I missed a turn:

*In my head (and sometimes out loud)*:
"Crap, I was supposed to turn there and I don't know where TF this street goes. Hope there's somewhere to turn around! Gosh dang it, its a one way only. Shoot, I can't fit through there. Here goes nothing! Now what?"

*GPS chirping*:
"Recalculating, take next right in 500 feet", "Recalculating, make a U-Turn" "You're an idiot!"

*Me*:
"No, I can't go that way" "Shut up" "I know I'm an idiot and Imma toss you the f out!"

 

Anywhere there are other motorists. Personally, I loved racing down the mountains. I used care but didnt heed road sign info. Im local in FL now, so yall are safe.

 

Look at it this way. In all honestly on a steep mountain you are not having to worry about a low bridge on an Interstate highway. You are not having to worry about your back tandems doing damage to miss snowflakes car or property. You are not having to keep a watch for low hanging wires. <<Yes I know utility companies are required to keep wires up so high, but sometimes these heights are out of a utility companies control. Your also not having to multitask (even with GPS) as you try to find a shipper/receiver. No I will take places like cabbage any day of the week over urban driving. However if you want to be a safe driver with no accidents and a clean MVR you had better master both! I am going to pick on this low hanging wires thing a minute. I got up this morning with my email icon rotating as it normally does in my taskbar. A friend of mine was telling me about his son pulling down about 3 hundred feet of Electrical Overhead wire yesterday. His company told him it is considered hitting a stationary object EVEN if it is too low. I think drivers hitting overhead wires is a bigger problem them hitting other objects. I was sitting watching a driver do a fantastic job of getting around in a tight place only to almost hit wires. He only stopped because I came running pointing up like a madman. Some truck drivers for some reason can't watch up high. And everyday in America drivers OTR and Local pull wires down. You think I am kidding I am not. You let some snowflake miss her (TV SHOW) because you just pulled down her cable or electric and you will see someone that now hates truckers.

 

I would rather take this road at 12' wide than go near a city. Oh wait, I have...

 

Tight streets. Mountains are easy. Proper gear and jake brake. I roll down the Cabbage at 45 in 8th gear and rarely ever need to touch the brakes.

 

Tight streets are definitely more stressful. Never had a guardrail pull out in front of me then stop going down a mountainside.

 

In the case of my example the driver was on private property. And even on public right of way if the wires are of legal height the driver can be held responsible. This is actually established case law. I just can't seem to be able to find the case precedent. However come next week hopefully I can find it. I do remember a case where my father pulled down a phone line back in the early 80s. Thankfully the sheriff's dept actually measured his trailer height and it was within the limit. GTE had to eat the cost because they had let the line get too low.

Edited to add an example of what I mean. An idiot dump truck driver left his bed up and entered a roadway right here in Hampton Roads a few months ago and pulled down power lines. Dominion power did recover damages