What are some of the unwritten rules among truckers?

Respect gets respect.

 

Don't tell lies in the driver lounge.

 

After parking, pull the curtains and whisper into the Mic "I ain't go no panties on".

 

never, and I mean NEVER, never ever take your headset off.

 

Winner.

 

The leftover turn signals are usually a sign the driver is talking on the phone. Some trucks have self-cancelling turn signals and some don't. I've always been in the habit of cancelling the signal my self by how I position my hand on the steering wheel. In this time of auto headlights and auto transmissions it seems more and more newbies just let the world do everything thing for them so they can devote more time to the phone.

As for "losing a lane" in the old days some truck driver would stay out in the closing lane to stop every car from hear to the South Pole from rushing in front of all other traffic and "beating you to the merge." The etiquette was for the truck behind him to allow that truck to merge at the last moment. It seems whether you do things that way or the every man for himself way you will royally tick off a ton of drivers. This is trucking no matter what you do or don't do you were wrong and have no business driving, or so I hear.

 

Dense traffic merges and light traffic merges are two different things. Also, many construction zones today explicitly tell drivers to utilize both lanes (when heavy traffic already exists) and merge at the marked merge point. This is for good reason. in a perfect world, you could tell drivers miles ahead what lane ends, and everybody would be gracious and thoughtful and blend into one lane in a perfectly fluid and efficient motion .... but we don't live in a perfect world.

It all depends on traffic density and how the signage reads leading into the zone as to the best course of action and when. In heavy traffic, I will take the first available opening that does not severely cut somebody off. Taking a chance and forcing another to brake hard so you can barely squeeze in is a recipe for disaster and a short driving career. Do what you have to do and be as patient as you have to be. If others get pissed because they happened to find an opening to get over or were already in the right lane, where you were caught unaware, piss on them.

You'll learn that there are other drivers who expect every other driver to be as familiar with that road as they are and as such should handle the scenario exactly like they do, and if they don't then they are just "the worst" possible driver. We all have our turns being in the wrong lane, too heavy, too unlucky to be surrounded by inconsiderate fellow motorists who won't give you a break. Use this understanding to be more considerate for others the next time, when the tables are reversed.

 

I just don't speak to other drivers with their headset still on in the talking position. I'm tired of asking them how they are doing to get no response or some LOUD EXPLANATION meant for whomever is on the other end of their phone. It seems most people were raised in a barn or by wild animals. I don't understand why a driver would WANT to be on the phone 24/7 for their whole career. Who in the blank are some of these drivers talking to at 3 am? I guess YouTube has convinced many that the world really won't keep spinning unless it receives a lifetime play-by-play of life.

 

You did fine. Apparently the Smith system taught drivers to get over as soon as possible. Now they say the zipper merge is faster, you wait until the lane ends, then you merge over alternating lanes taking a turn.

 

I get into the open lane after I see a "closed in 1 mile" sign. I've noticed that when all the traffic cooperates and uses common sense and merges into the open lane a bit before the merge, the only slowdown is going thru the zone when more caution is necessary. It becomes stop and go when you've got a hundred impatient dicks that wait until the barrels to merge then try to shove their way into the open lane thinking "merge" means right of way. If that were the case then everyone should run in the closed lane because it would flow smooth.