i'm sorry for bring this 1 up

Scared? Shux, I'm pretty much fearless. Or is that clueless? Hmmm....
Seriously though....there are situations that you get into that really makes me concerned, for myself and others. But if/when you get to the point of being scared, IMO you need to find a place to park it ASAP, because you're about to become dangerous, to yourself and others. Becoming scared will rapidly lead to irrational knee-jerk decisions, and that would be a bad thing in an "80000 lb missile".

 

when your right knee gets the speed wobbles going... just back off a bit or take a pee break... don't follow too close to others and stay safe.

Last winter I had an episode of bad weather, I didn't quite beat home, and the road was icy as all heck. Had a couple of 4-wheelers following me so I took the off ramp to get them off my bumper. They followed me down and right back up on... guess they didn't want out front either??? So I just laughed and kept going... if they only knew they were following a newbie, well maybe they wouldn't have been following my tail lights !!! LOL

 

Scared? No, not scared...wrong word. I would say I am very respectful of what I am driving. I respect the amount of kinetic energy (KE=1/2m x v^2) embedded in a 80K pound truck doing 60 mph. But I also respect the embedded energy in a 4K pound car doing 60 mph. Notice that the velocity is the big factor in this equation...in either an 80K truck or a 4K car, forces are in play which turn the human body into mush . If you don't respect these forces, in either case, you will kill someone (yourself or others). So, leave plenty of room, drive at safe (for the condition) speeds, be deliberate in what you do and I don't think there is any reason to fear it. As Dirty Harry said: A man's got to know his limitations."

 

Nuff said LOL

 

I drink a fifth of Seagram's VO and shoot up with heroin just before I take off and then I'm pretty calm and I don't seem to be as skeered.

Naw....You get used to it in just a few miles...Everytime I'm away from it for a bit,when I get back in one it seems as big as a Boeing 747,but after you make a couple of turns.(hopefully without crushing any Toyotas) it seems to shrink back down to size and when I get back in my pickup I feel vulnerable like it's way to small.

 

After thinking about the word scared/afraid a little more I am going to edit this part.. I would think that all feel scared at some point, most just will not admit it becuase it would make them feel week, A testosterone thing..

An uncomfortable feeling in your situation can simply be referred to as scared/afraid. As I say later in the post it is how you react to it what is important.

Scared: "a time or condition of alarm or worry"

Now I have said OH S!###!#$$ several times due to what I have put myself in or mostly what others have put me into.
Fear does not set in for me but I instantly start thinking of what I need to do in order to get things back under control/get out of that situation..

Although fear is a good thing...... Its how you react to fear is what is important.. If you panic in the face of fear then trucking is not for you cause you going to kill sombody one day..

I have seen many panic and make idiotic decisions an failed to react to the situation correctly due to panic.

 

Scared is not the word. I am aware. I drive fairly conservatively, the only time I speed is in 55 mph states... of course it could have something to do with 65 mph governor...

I am not worried about me making a mistake as much as I am a car making a mistake that I wind up having to deal with. I cannot control the stupidity around me. I follow at a safe distance, take turns slow, always got 10 miles below posted yellow speeds, but all it takes is one idiot in a minivan popping in front of you from an onramp when you are at highway speeds going 30 mph and boom now I've killed someone cause they were stupid. And whats worse, I may not even hurt the idiot I may kill the poor kids. And thats something that bothers me.

 

"Aware" is the word I like for this, you betcha.

And the kids (or other innocents) is what bothers me the most. I already know I won't lose any sleep over the driver who caused the problem. Evolution in action, don't you know. But I get peeved when stupid people take others with them.

I already know I'm not going to be a $70K/year driver. I'll probably be lucky to break 40K. I don't intend to be cautious - I intend to be paranoid

 

Scared. Well yeah, in the sense of a sudden punch of adrenaline when the whole world goes sideways on ya in some way. Experience banishes fear. In some ways fear banishes fear. I been scared in a lot of different ways, but it just doesn't scare you the second time like it did the first time. I have been scared but, I am not afraid. I am alone but, I am not lonely. Just something you accept without dwelling on it I guess.