American Motorist..

Baack, I love your messiah sign. funny but oh so true

 

For me personally, I just like knowing who's back there, in case I need to dodge something in the road, etc. I'd much rather have a car get impatient and get in front of me, at least I know where the knucklehead is that way.
Something else to chew on...yes, a car can stop quicker than a truck. So suppose you're right behind my truck when I have to lock 'em down. Sure, you can stop in plenty of time, but you're still right behind me, right? Now, what about that loaded truck behind you? You suppose it'll hurt much if he can't stop in time?
If you're gonna stay behind a truck, at least hang out to one side of the lane so the trucker can see you back there. And leave yourself and escape route just in case.

 

Or come to complete stop..

 

But... but... but... a big truck driver wouldn't be following me that closely, would s/he???? A professional trucker -- which we know truckers are -- would ALWAYS leave enough stopping distance between vehicles.

Thanks, ssbowles, for responding. I think ya'll feel the same as I do -- I like being able to see who's moving around the vicinity of my own vehicle.

 

Another thing to think about next time you're behind a big truck. If he blows a tire or loses a recap off the trailer, have you ever witnessed what one of those gators does to a windshield, and ultimately, the objects behind the windshield?

 

That's a good point... and one I hadn't even considered. I do know that I leave more than ample space when following a trash truck or a pick-up loaded to the hilt with unsecured cargo. Or worse yet, with a tarp loosely tossed over the top that's flapping in the wind. I've always had visions of one of those tarps coming off and landing squarely across my windshield!

 

You'd think so, wouldn't you? I get pretty peeved when I see a "driver" following too close when there's absolutely no reason to. In heavy traffic, even moderately heavy, it's very difficult to maintain the distance that is considered safe. Someone will always be more than ready to fill that void, even though it won't get them where they're going any faster.

 

"Difficult"? How about darn near impossible! If you leave more than about 1-1/2 car lengths between vehicles while traveling into and out of Philadelphia on I-76, someone's sure-as-shootin' gonna jump in there. And I'm not talkin' trucks, either.

 

You're right. But we have alot of trucks out of our South Gate terminal and they have no problem getting their loads done in time. But those drivers know the city inside and out and it blew me away when they still got all their work done after the earthquake took the freeways out.

All of our drivers are trained in the Smith System and I will grant you there's alot of backing out of the throttle but you do what you can to maintain a safe distance. Also this is where the company has installed cameras looking at the driver and straight ahead.

In Las Vegas the people drive even worse than L.A. Luckly there you're not restricted to the right lane and I drove the middle lane most of the time. The 7 second rule is a good one but looking far ahead helps too. It's almost impossible to watch your distance in front and keep track of who's tailgating when there's heavy traffic. So you've got to go along with the flow and keep your distance the best you can. The conditions change very rapidly and this is why I believe it's much harder driving a truck in the city than OTR.

 

Yep, it's a challenge. But it's not all that bad once you get used to the volume of traffic and the way the knuckleheads drive. And as long as the traffic's moving, maintaining your distance ain't all that hard. just go a few MPH slower than traffic. Sure, cars are gonna jump in your "cushion" in front, but they won't be there long before they either pull away or continue playing musical lanes and then they're gone.