American Motorist..

I'll try to provide some honest answers... I've never driven or been inside the cab of a truck before.

I don't know about truckers, but a lot of 4-wheelers tend to get a "lead foot" on the interstate. I know I do. I've never intentionally done what you describe, but I know why someone would - coming up quickly on a big truck/trailer reminds the driver to check his speed, and when the driver realizes how fast he's going, he slows down - and just happens to be beside your trailer at the time.

What's tailgating when you're behind a truck is a normal distance when you're behind a car. People either don't realize that they need to leave more space behind a truck, or don't think they should.

Or they're drafting to improve gas mileage?

Again, this is people treating trucks like they treat any other vehicle. What you call "space" is probably a huge distance to a 4-wheeler.

Not signaling is laziness. Sometimes I don't signal, but I always try to signal when in traffic and when around big trucks.

Common adrenaline-response reaction to someone infringing on our territory.

Alternatively, the driver may have gotten the reverse of "lead foot", and a big truck trying to pass him made him realize how slow he was going.

No idea. I always stop at the stop line, and don't understand why people stop past it.

I'd like to turn this question around - as I said, I've never driven a truck. If I'm stopped at the stop line in the left-hand lane on a road without a median, why do some truckers (and bus drivers) making a left turn past me to go the opposite way insist on coming SCARILY close to my poor little car when there's plenty of maneuvering room to their right? I've had trucks and buses come literally within inches of hitting me when they were making left turns. A couple of times they've actually had to stop in the middle of the intersection while I pulled into reverse and backed up to give them more room - which is a pretty dangerous thing to expect me to do.

Dunno, this is a pet peeve for me too. I guess they forgot they had them on? My car's brights are broken so I don't have that problem.

Dunno. But don't attribute aggressive driving to tardiness - there's a lot of people out there who are just aggressive drivers.

Well, here's the thing. When I'm in the driver's seat of my short, low-to-the-ground car, my eye level is maybe 5 feet off the ground at most. So when I'm driving behind a truck - even at a very safe distance - the trailer blocks most or all of my view of the road ahead. Because I'd like to make it to my destination with both myself and my car in one piece, I need to be able to see the road ahead of me to be able to react to any potential problems ahead. Not to mention, if I'm not intimately familiar with the area, I need to be able to see the road signage too - and your trailer makes that impossible.

So, when I'm behind a big truck, I try to pass it as quickly as possible. That goes for when I'm next to a big truck as well - for a different reason; entirely too many truck drivers snooze at the wheel and drift around like they own the interstate, and I'd like to avoid being run off the road, or worse, run over, because some trucker can't bother to pull off the road when he's clearly too tired to safely drive.

Personally, I share the roadways as well as I can, with the caveat that you don't try to get in front of or directly beside me, because I feel those situations create an unsafe driving situation... and when there's a car and a truck in an unsafe driving situation, we know whose vehicle is going home in a shoebox and whose will need touch-up paint.

There's just a lot of knuckle-heads on the road, period.

 

You have more patience than I do --- trying to explain things about Big trucks.
So, ..... whenever folks whine about Big trucks being on the highways, in their way --- I just agree with them.
Danged ol' Big trucks.

I tell them there's a real easy way to get rid of them.
YuP!
Just stop buying ANYthing that was EVER shipped by a Big truck, from raw materials to finished product.
No demand, no need to supply.
So simple, even a caveman could do it.

Mr. Bowles --- you just ain't right.

 

Well, dunno about the patience part. LOL.

I did throw this argument at her. Don't remember the reply, since this was probably 15 years ago[/quote]

Okay, that was uncalled for. Color me offended.

Excuse me while I call my therapist.

 

Pretty good responses.

Let me address this issue, if I may.
Although it may look to you like there is plenty of maneuvering room to their right, there probably isn't. I know when I've been is situations like you described, the only reason I was that close to the car was because I had to be. The right side of the truck is difficult for us to see from inside the cab. Those with experience know within scant inches where they are from the curb/light post/mailbox/whatever while those that haven't gained said experience don't and will be further away from the obstacle than they need to be, therefore encroaching on your lane. They expect you to back up because the immovable obstacle on the right side won't, well, move. Sometimes there just plain isn't any room, no matter how close to the obstacle on the right we are.
I put together a diagram that might give you an idea and a view that you can't see from your normal position.
I know it's crude, but what do you expect for three minutes in MS Paint?

 

All right, that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation and diagram! I'm planning on starting CDL school in January, so I'm sure I'll learn these things... was just curious on that one after a big truck came within centimeters of relieving me of my left headlight a couple of weeks ago. (That one was just plain bad driving on his part since he DID have plenty of room to his right - only vehicle turning left in an intersection with 2 left turn lanes per direction turning onto a 6-lane road.)

 

The only time I do this is if I'm speeding and there's a cop coming up ahead of me. Those trailers do wonders for blockin' ladar.

I don't ever tailgate, but I do cruise behind big trucks. Usually 4-5 car lengths. Saves me gas, and I trust a trucker more than I do a 4-wheeler. Also good for strikin up convo on the CB.

I personally don't get infront of a big truck unless I'm 4-5 car lengths ahead of him. I always count to 5 before I get infront of him.

I don't ever speed up unless I'm getting passed while I'm ridin the hammer lane.. At that point I was probably daydreaming and need to put my foot on the gas anyway.

Don't ask me, I always back up.

Because my truck's a piece of crap and they're stuck that way.

... Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Like I said before, you guys scare the average 4-wheeler.

Because everyone hates truckers except truckers.

 

Well, Im a 4wheeler for 4 days a month, so Ill try to answer.

 

It boils down to this:
Some (I said SOME) 4-wheelers turn the key and turn off their logic and go on Auto-Pilot mode.
Want to see proof?
Drive around a road construction project that just began that day...
They're so confused.......

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by dwayne
9. Why can't you just share the roadways with those of us who try their best to be professional and courteous?

Because everyone hates truckers except truckers.

Now the statement about everyone hating truckers execpt truckers is just plain wrong. If it wasnt for truckers you would not be able to go to town and buy your food, clothes, gas, and every other thing you use in life everyday. Most of use try to be as curteous and professional everyday as we can be, you 4wheelers show no respect by cutting us off, and every other thing you can imagine. So next time you say you hate a trucker, think about that when you are buying your groceries or gas in town and how it got there.

 

Never gonna happen. The things people take for granted...sad but true.