6 months into my driving career and thinking I have it all figured out I had a Stupid kid wanting me to Convertalize his car while hanging a right . We had a 3 million mile driver talk to us at work. He said you learn something new everyday in this industry. And Never Ever drop your Guard.
Speaking of mentally challenged. Working a hunter/jumper show on a backhoe/ dump truck. These folks don't savy like the western riders.
Not long after I started driving back in the 70's I was pulling a lowboy in Houston and had to make a right with a light pole right on the curb. I was driving a little short day cab and could get around pretty good, but still had to take up most of the second lane. I stopped for the light back a little so I could block both lanes, and watched a caddy coming up that was not going to stop, but pass on my left. Behing the truck there was nothing, but along side of it up to the intersection there was a short concrete median. The guy dead centered it and with all four wheels off the ground, slid right up to my window, he rolled his sunroof back and told me he didn't intend to do that. lol
They better have full coverage-that was a brand spanking new 2019/2020 Ford Mustang Bullitt Edition. One of those will set you back $46,000 to start-and Ford sure as **** ain’t discounting any of them!!
Reason why i take up two lanes when turning right, and sometimes even two lanes when turning left. Depends on the situation.
I drive alot of downtown Los Angeles, narrow streets, light poles right in the apex of the corners, cars will try and get thru, personally, I stop and wait if its a corner that I cannot gaurd the curb to begin with. I have one Whole Foods store I deliver to some of the time it is, the southwest corner of 8th Street and South Olive, Direction is cross 8th stop on the right in front of the bike stand, Wait for traffic to clear, when clear pull forward swing to the right set up for a back into the underground parking, Warning watch low roof (12'), swing to the blind side parallel to the dumpster, guard the curb during the maneuver. This is the actual directions. So good luck with the good drivers around you waiting for anything. Just be careful, remind yourself your suppose to be the professional in the mix, not the car driver.
A couple of months ago, I was parking at my local Lowes. This guy was standing talking on his phone right where I needed to park, so I stopped until he moved. As soon as he walked away, I started making the turn to pull in to the spots. The idiot who was picking him up decided to stop right next to the trailer! I didn't go charging, but his brand new Lexus was no longer pristine.
Back in the 70's during my first year of driving, I was pulling a lowboy and there was a wreck on 225 east of houston. There was a major traffic jam and cops directing traffic at the intersection where the wreck was. When I finally got to the intersection and got the go ahead to make the turn, I started of the clutch while turning a little to the right and heard a horn honk, I clutched it and looked in my mirrors, nothing, so started off the clutch again, again I heard a horn, so stopped again. Now I hear you ran into my GD car, so I slide over and look down. lol There was a near new monte carlo on the shoulder and my bumper just touching his drivers fender. I was driving a construction companies low boy truck, and it had a massive shop built bumper that you could push or pull with a dozer, no way it was going to give any. lol This guy had to squeeze between my trailer and a do not drive on the shoulder sign to even be there. I started laughing and ask what he was doing there, the guy was chapped, but when he looked at the cop and he was laughing, he gassed it and started spinning his tires while turning right. This caved in his door and actually ripped the rear fender open, and sped away. I looked back at the cop and he just shrugged his shoulders and motioned for me to go . lol
I've heard a few times that NYC cops tell truckers if there's a unoccupied car in the way "do what u need to do they see nothing." I'm not willing to test this theory tho.
It’s true. I know a few flatbed drivers that happen to. The New York City cops would stand there and watch them make the turn and see if they hit the car, it turns out that most of the time the cars were illegally parked. And if the owner of the cars came out raving and ranting, the cops would write the owners a ticket!