Something dangerous that happened to me twice that I never heard anyone mention

You forgot one important rule:

NEVER keep your attention fixated solely on the vehicle you're following. It doesn't matter how fast/slow you're going or how much following distance you have. Scan, scan, and scan. Keep your eyes and head moving. This not only helps you get better situational awareness, it also helps you stay awake and alert.

 

The best way to avoid this is to back off even further than normal. You should be far enough behind the other truck so that you can see around the truck in front of you. There are some situations like you said in which there will be a hill though and really only the lead truck is going to see what's happening first no matter what. The more buffer you give yourself though the more advance you will have.

With that being said, also stay alert and be prepared for things like that to happen all the time.

While on this topic, somewhat related be aware at night that when there is a bobtail in front of you a ways ahead of you it will sometimes appear as if it were a four wheeler in the distance when in actuality its a bobtail in close proximity! The tail lights on the bobtail will appear or look like a distant four wheeler and you will find yourself running up on it quickly because it really is a bobtail.

Be very careful of this as to you will not have ample enough time to move over if the bobtail is moving at a slow speed!

 

Yep, s#@& happens. Sometimes you do all a resonable person can do, and then an Asian woman swerves across 5 lanes of traffic and comes to a complete stop in the right lane in your path. Many new people to this country never grew up in a culture of cars. They just simply have not an ounce of "common" sense regarding traffic or wheeled vehicles. All I know to do is drive slower than normal in traffic and be extra vigilant. That works pretty well. You sound like you know what to do, but sometimes its not enough.

 

I didn't tell you to not follow the truck. I said never keep your attention fixated on the vehicle in front of you.