Do you let other trucks know when you spot a defect?

I always let someone know if I see something wrong with their truck. Its kind of frustrating at times how few of them have their cb on but oh well.

I called out to a black and chrome truck awhile back about him having a blackeye. He got huffy and said something to the fact of he knows it as everyone passing him has been telling him about it. I kind of hoped he would get stopped for it with that attitude.

 

If I see something that obviously just happened like a flat, light or strap I will tell them. But that doesn't mean you spend all day inspecting trucks looking for something to tell them. You see them type of drivers that critique everything. That's kind of an obsession that takes away from your own driving.

 

You mean the type that would go " Breaker 1 9 , Breaker 1 9 for that Red PETERBILt Large Car , the 5th lugnut cover on your rh rear wheel is not a shiny as the rest"

 

I passed a (go figure) CRE lease/op truck one day with.....man, must have been close to a dozen load locks across the back of his cab. As one might figure, one end of them had fallen and they were getting ready to hit the deck in what would have been a most unappetizing fashion. I tried to get him on the radio, then tried to get his attention as I went by. But his headset-wearing, fingerless-glove sportin' self (no, not kidding...he really had them) paid me no mind.

But getting squirrely over a light that is out and the potential that--HORRORS!--a diesel bear might find out about it, or something piddly such as that is a little paranoid, IMHO.

 

I wouldn't do that? That is just looking for trouble.

 

I at least try to tell the driver about a problem. Most of the time I don't get a response.

 

You get no response because too many people run without CB's these days, which is not the most brilliant thing to do. There are plenty of excuses for not having one, or running with it on, but you miss out on a lot of things that way, like traffic reports and other things of that nature.

 

I take back what I said. I do help people as far as telling them if something is wrong. I got to thinking and realized my opinions where influenced by something that happened earlier in the day.

 

I've always been of the mindset that if it boils down to something I'd want another trucker to tell me about it, I owe it to them to do the same, regardless of the response I may get. Most times, it's a "Thanks, preciate it." If it's negative in nature, I just let it roll mainly because they have more issues than just the truck......

 

In my line of work, it's not the headlights and tail lamps stuff that we call out, it's stuff pertaining to open trailers. Those tickets can be H U G E! Big enough to end your career. An improper load securement violation on your DAC can hurt as bad as a reckless. So I will call these things out faster than I will a headlight out.

Saw an oversized running through Tennessee on 75. Sun had gone down a half hour ago. I pass him and get the name off the door....didn't want to call out 'oversize' on the radio. Some of the bears still have ears.

Six: hey _________, got your ears on?

Driver: yea, go ahead.

Six: drop down two

Driver: gone

Six : make it?

Driver: yeah

Six: driver where are you stopping at? You're going to get yourself in serious trouble.

Driver: I'm going to stop in Ringgold,Georgia. 10 miles.

Six: need me to run your front door?

Driver: no, I am good.

Six: You need to turn that beacon light off and unplug those trailer lights. There's a scale right to the other side of that exit. They have cameras. They might see the ambers.

Driver: I got 30 minutes after sunset, I'm not that late.

Six: it's 30 minutes before sunset in Georgia.

Driver: oh crap! Really?!?!