Hitch hikers, thoughts?

When I was 17, I started hitch hiking partly for fun, partly to get away from where I was in order to get some where new. One thing I noticed was that a number of rigs would pass by because truckers either were not allowed or did not want to pick up a hitch hiker. Unlike some other thumb waggers out there, I wasn't bothered by it. I was travelling for fun and the rig drivers were doing a job. I was hardly in a position to gripe. Not only that but when you're picking some one up, who knows if they're hopping into your truck with smiles and good intentions or a hidden want for whatever is in your wallet not matter what the risks may be.

That being said, I did get to ride in a number of rigs with all kind of different drivers. Even a retired "by the book" guy who was working in the trucking industry to keep busy picked me up thinking I was broken down when I was in fact being dropped off by my previous ride. He ended up taking me through a few scales as we provided all kinds of interesting conversation for each other before he had to turn south.

So here I am now, poised to get my license to drive rigs and am looking forward to the day when I may be able to get a long haul position somewhere once I have some miles under my belt. I don't know if I'll pick any one up brandishing their thumb at me but I would like to think I will unless I would get fired for it or something.

I guess what I'm asking is simply whether or not you would pick up a hitch hiker and why or why not?

Cheers

 

I suppose that's one advantage I had as a hitch hiker. I wasn't trying to move a three bedroom home along with me like some people do and I always made sure to be neat in appearance. I'm incredibly vain so that just comes naturally.

Like I said, I didn't gripe when I was a hitch hiker, partly because I did get rides from rig drivers but mostly because I didn't think I had any right to expect that someone engaged in doing their job should be picking me up at all.

I guess it seems like there aren't any laws against it but certainly there are company policies against picking up riders from the side of the road. If what's I'm reading is correct anyway. I seem to remember some sign in the corner of a highway cop's window saying something like "don't pick up hitch hikers" or something to that effect but that was years ago and I could just be suffering from a faulty memory.

Any states/provinces where it may in fact be illegal to pick up a hitch hiker? I know that there certain stretches of road way/highway/freeway where stopping to pick some one up is against the law but any "no hitch hiking" jurisdictions out there to anyone's knowledge?

Cheers

 

Yah but years ago they thought women wanting to vote was a mental illness...if you ask me, all voters are mentally ill and I'm absolutely insane.

I remember when I was thumb wagging, the trucker who was giving me a ride was talking to some one about a Canadian long hauler that was shot by a guy he picked up.

Terrible things can happen to you if you pick up a hitch hiker because you're engaging in interaction with some one you know nothing about. I guess it's a trade off of sorts. Personally I don't worry too much about people and i will pick up a hitch hiker in my car.

I dunno...it's a tough one to wrap my head around as a wannabe because from a trucker's point of view, it amounts to a professional decision depending on how you look at it. For me in my car it's just a question of whether or not I want to save 2 minutes. For a trucker it's a question of insurance, job security, saving truly precious time in many cases, personal safety on the job, etc...

Cheers