So you NEED to pull over to the side of the road?

So you NEED to pull over to the side of the road? Notice I put the emphasis on NEED? The shoulder of the road is for EMERGENCY parking only. You better be having an emergency to use it. It isn't for pee breaks or taking a 30.

Out west there are PLENTY of safe places to get well off the road. But in spite of this fact all TOO often I see drivers not using their noggin. You need to have a plan to be able to SAFELY get back up to freeway speed and merge into traffic. Way too often I see clueless drivers, without thinking in advance, forcing themselves to merge into traffic before they get into high range.

This is sheer IDIOCY.

Here are some classic boners:

1. Pulling over at the very END of an on ramp. What's your plan now? Do you REALLY think you can get up to highway speed in two truck lengths with a full load?

2. Pulling over on a blind curve. How in the WORLD are you PLANNING to pull out when you can't see the eight trucks taking up both lanes bearing down on you?

3. Pulling over in the middle of a steep uphill. How EXACTLY are you planning to get to highway speed?

4. Pulling over just BEFORE an entrance ramp. Great! Now you have to deal with blind side merging into the entrance ramp and/or force your way into the travel lane. Great choice!

5. Pulling over on the shoulder just BEFORE an exit off ramp. This is at the 9th level of stupid. Folks have been killed running into the back of a parked truck before they start reducing speed. Bonus stupid points for the idiots that merge straight across the off ramp into the travel lane without taking the off ramp.

If I am ever on the shoulder of the road, it's a ###### emergency. I need to secure my load, get a bee out of the cab, I hit a large animal, or my truck up and died. Reflective triangles get placed PROPERLY within a few minutes (yes Mr. Waddle, this means that last triangle MUST involve a long walk).

If it's only a SLIGHT emergency, like needing to piss, I WAIT until there's a good, safe place to pull over WELL off the road WITH PLENTY OF SIGHT LINES TO SEE TRAFFIC A MILE BEHIND ME, on level ground or a down slope, with PLENTY of room in front of me to accelerate BEFORE I merge into the travel lane.

Have a plan, work the ####ing plan.

 

Thanks and I will add one more thing about my "plan" for merging, even coming on from an on ramp:

I don't care if it's Prime that gets over to let me merge. I DON'T get up to my preferred speed UNTIL Prime passes me and has a chance to get back over. It keeps traffic flowing. I bide my time behind Prime, wait for traffic to clear, then get over and blow his doors off.

It's the courteous and safe thing to do.

 

Yeah, I think my next thread will be "The Compleate Richard's Guide To Trucking".