City Traffic Rants.. What Pisses You Off...

I need to rant as I am sure most of us do.... I am a city driver and I drive along the busiest highway in the world (highway 401 in Ontario).. I understand that I have to deal with traffic as I work within Toronto.. Traffic is not a huge deal for me as I get paid a good hourly rate, it's the people in the traffic and on the roads that really piss me off...

I have found that there has been an increasing amount of ignorant "truckers" among us... Yes it's not just the 4 wheelers anymore... The truckers are being increasingly ignorant.. I think the worst out of our industry would be the dump truck drivers...

This is my list of issues that tick me off.... Now somedays are better then others.. I learn to control my frustrations and go with the flow.. It's not easy being in this crap everyday in the city.. Sometimes it makes me want to go back to OTR... Sure OTR you encounter this as well but not as much as a driver that is in it all hours of the day...

Not in any special order

#1 - You signal and no one lets you in.. So the problem with slowly merging into the lane anyhow is if the car your cutting of gets into an accident.. You the driver is at fault.. The problem is if you don't force your way over then you'll almost never get over.. If your in stop and go traffic you cares if a truck is infront of you.. Your not going very far very fast.... For instance today I had my signal on to come over (in traffic that is going maybe 10km/h) I counted 8 cars (yes I said 8) that just kept on driving along side me and not letting me over.. So finally I just crawled over and laid on the airhorn... So I mean come on 8 cars.. REALLY!!!!! How do these people think your gonna get over?? Do they think it's gonna be the next car that stops for me, or maybe it's the next one after that.. or no maybe the next one after that..... etc.....

#2 - People who use the exit/entrance ramps as ways to skip cars... So your driving.. Dude enters highway and instead of merging in the empty spot they decided to go until the lane end and at the very last min try to get in.. Stopping traffic flow cause the lane has ended... Dump trucks love doing this... Lately I just keep going.. I refuse to put on my brakes so that they can come in.. If they hit me it's there fault.. They are not using the merge lane properly.. So if they hit me they are at fault.. Sometimes you get the finger or something.. Makes me want to yell out "learn how to use the lane properly idiot"

#3 - So I gross usually around 100,000lbs (no engine brakes in our trucks)... I really had when I am going down a hill and some moron decides to cut infront and put the brakes on.. So you just cut me off why??? This will ticks me off when I have to go up a hill on the other side I am going to low so now my speed is reduce big time.. Just idiots getting into my safe zone because they think it's a opening when it's not.. It's me safe following distance..

#4 - I really hate when I let people in who can't say thank you after i give them an opening to come into traffic (4wheelers and trucks alike).. I mean I have nice enough to let you in... Due to the weight me slowing down to let them takes awhile to get back up to speed again.. It's only takes a fraction of a second to give a hand wave or flick the lights..

#5 - I hate when truckers weave in and out of traffic (again dump trucks are big with this).. It's bad enough the cars do it now we have truckers doing it.. Unbelievable.. Your driving a f'in truck not a race car..

Well that's it for now.. Well at least that I can think of... I try to be as professional and courteous as I can be.. But there is only so much a person can take until they start changing the way they do thing.. Just like how if a guy uses the merge lanes improper or doesn't let me in knowing I have clearly put my signals on .. I guess to drive on the city roads you have to sometimes drive like the rest of the idiots... Sad but true... I am still a safe driver....

Where have the professionals gone?? I mean I have been doing this for less then 10years but I still like to be viewed the way truckers were back in the day... The problem is there is so many idiots out there it's hard to keep a good image.. I know I guess you could say if I was 100% professional I wouldn't do the lane change thing or the merge lane thing (which I don't do that all the time) but come drive in Toronto on the DVP or 401 and then tell me that...

Anyone else with things that really piss them off???

 

You know the other funny part about this is...

Ok so because I haul heavy loads it's I get slowed down easy.... So when I go to pass in the slow lane... I get beside them and they speed up and next thing you the a car behind me things I am not the slow guy in the middle lane and give me the "your an #######" kind of look.. Not even realizing that the moron in the slow lane didn't like that I was passing him so he sped up making me look slower... Then when you get back into the slow lane guess you you happen to catch up.. You guessed it.. Mr. Slow Poke..

I mean we are governed to 105km/h in Ontario.. Which means the cars I am passing are doing like 85-90km/h.. So they are choosing not to do the speed limit of the highway (100km/h) until of course I get beside them in the other lane then they decided to do the speed limit for like 200feet and then back down to 90 they go..

 

Yeah the noises on the radio are annoying.. The Tarzan call, woman orgasm, donald duck and daffy duck etc...... I mean one day this guy like did the Tarzan thing like 10 times just annoying people... I guess it's funny once or twice but people get carried away.. I also hate when people just sit there with a dead key up... Just tying up air waves...

I keep the CB on all day because I like to know what is going on with traffic and talking to fellow drivers I work with... Sometimes if someone is being annoying constantly I will shut it off or turn it really low so I can barely hear them...

The drivers who call on each other are just immature in my eyes.... I mean are you really going to endanger people on the highway pulling over to duke it out... One day I heard some guy telling another guy he wanted to fight all because the guy was caught in the center lane and was going slow so the other truck got pissed off and started to call him out.. The funny part is the guy who was slow in the lane had a wideload (I don't know the circumstances of why he was in center lane) and the pissed off guy was like.. "Pull over up here, you can pull the wideload off right here and we will fight this out"... Yeah bud that's smart lets put people on the road at risk cause dude was going slow in the lane... Real smart...