What would you want other car/truck drivers to know about sharing the road with semis

1) The most common nickname is "4 wheelers", there are others but those are the same colorful terms you would use if someone acts like an idiot in front of you.

2) In my opinion the most common sense based thing is distance. Most of the motoring public never leaves a semi enough room. People call us road hogs thinking we want to take up the whole road. Here are a couple tyid bits they dont think about.
The stopping distance of a semi at highway speeds is 8 seconds. If you cut in front of me and leave me 2 seconds and god forbid loose a tire, I cannot stop my truck in time to prevent a collision. Short summary....you die

Why? Hydralic brakes vs Air brakes. In your 4wheeler you have hydralic brakes. A fluid based system. Your fluid is sitting at its pressure point all the time ready to deploy your brake shoes/drums. You have 0 brake lag. In an air system (which is what trucks run) there is a brake lag. That lag is the time that it takes for compressed air to travel from our air tanks to our pressure points and deploy our brake shoes. It is a little more technical than that but thats the basics. A truck drivers number 1 job is to protect life. We take that very very seriously. My life, your life and the life of that annoying neighbor no one likes. We do tend to get annoyed when a motorist makes that task impossible with traffic moves like that.

3) All the same old stuff. And the Highway Patrol does a decent job of trying to educate people. Such as cell phone useage. Do a little experiment. Sit a couple mirros on your desk at home and pretend they are car mirrors. Have friends do things behind you. Then get on your cell phone and see how much of what they are doing you miss. Remember in both cases to watch in front of you.

Traffic signs that we all see on every highway out there apply to 4 whellers under ideal driving conditions. Dry roads and god visibility. If a truck is running slow in front of you he is actually obeying the law. Yet most people will race past us, give us the 1 finger salute and cut in front of us leaving absolutely no room. Road rage vs a semi causes thousands of deaths a year. We want you to get home safely every night, if the public allows us to make that happen we are satisfied.

Back to stopping distance for a moment. The easiest way to explain this at your speech might be this. Your agerave car weighs about 2 tons and has 0 brake lag. Your average truck weighs 40 tons and has a 1.5 second brake lag.

If I am behind you and you hit your brakes...

It takes the mind 1.0 seconds to register a need for me to hit the brakes.
It takes the mind 1.5 seconds to relay that to my foot and my foot to react.
It takes 1.5 seconds for air to fill my brake lines and my brakes to begin to grab.

In the amount of time my brakes took to even begin to slow the truck you could have gently gone from 65 MPH to 30 MPH in front of me.

Now add another 1 second minimum per 10 MPH of travel. At 65 thats another 6.5 seconds to stop my truck. My the time I hit 50 MPH you are at a complete stop in front of me. This is why trucks should leave themselves such a wide gap in front of them.

I wish you luck with your speech. I'm sure you will get many more responses with additional info. Feel free to ask any questions you want answers too. This web site has been a great source of information to me and hopefully you will find it just as informative.

 

Lol, can't be nice! Well, aside from the aforementioned '4-wheelers', that is. Other nicknames would make a sailor blush.

Yes, space/time is probably the primary issue. Some truckers call the rigs "Big cars", but thats a shaky euphemism at best. These things are big, but are absolutely NOT cars.

1) They don't start like cars: Especially when loaded. Sure, that's a big honkin' engine under the hood. Still, even empty no rig is going to go 0-60 in anything under a minute or so - don't even think of 10-20 seconds!. Getting impatient at physics is not good for your blood pressure.

2) they don't stop like cars: (see the post from didntitellu) The rule of thumb for truckers is: under 45mph, leave at least one second for every 10 feet of truck/trailer length. Over 45mph, add at least one second. And that's on dry pavement. Even trying to maintain your typical '2 seconds' recommended for automobiles is waaaay too close.

3) and they don't TURN like cars. Even when you turn in a car, the rear wheels do not follow the front wheels exactly - but it's close enough for government purposes. This is NOT the case with a tractor/trailer combination. The trailer tires will take a MUCH shorter route than the tractor will. Yes, this is why we swing so wide at corners - and very definitely why vehicles should not get between the curb and trailer of a truck turning right. at best, it'll mess up your paint job. At worst, you won't care about anything, ever again.

Dawn, we could fill a book! Sure, it's not ONE driver doing all these stupid things.. but so many drivers doing at least one of them that it's something that needs to be addressed. Short list:

In no particular order:
Talking on the cell phone. It's been proven that this hinders your driving MORE than being (barely) legally under the influence (.o4 BAC, if I recall)
Preparing for work. This means both applying makeup (ladies) and shaving (men) while driving. If you are too tired to get up in time to do this at home, go to bed earlier.
Reading. I've seen drivers actually reading while driving. It may be a map, it may be notes for a presentation - lord knows, I've seen a BOOK on the steering wheel.
Unsafe lane changes. From 'sweeping the lanes' (crossing more than one lane at a time, without pause) to actually stopping on the interstate and backing up to get to an exit. If you miss your exit, go on to the next one and come back.
Unsafe Passing. Passing on the shoulder, or to the right of a truck turning right. I don't really need to explain this, do I? But it happens every day.
Failing to pass. In spite of the danger to you if you are not far enough ahead of me in my truck, it's more dangerous for you to be beside me. The blind spot in a car can hide another car. The blind spot in a truck can hide another truck. Don't start to pass me, then just coast along next to me.
Tailgating. (yes, I used to be guilty of this).
DUI. I almost decided to not include this, since it's so obvious.
Traveling slowly (more slowly than traffic around you). It doesn't matter what the speed limit is. If everybody on the road is driving at about a given speed, you should be too. You can feel all smug about keeping with the speed limit, but you are IN THE WRONG. If you are not comfortable at those speeds, get off the highway.
Learn to Merge! Do NOT expect anybody - much less a truck - to be able to make room for you on the highway. It may not be possible. Pace yourself to hit a gap, and hit it at highway speeds. Do NOT merge onto the highway at 30mph when the speed limit is 65. Even 50 mph is too slow.

If you look, you'll note that virtually everything can be boiled down to just two words: Pay Attention!. When you are driving, you are in control of a weapon. Act like it. Remember, everybody around you has one, too.

That trucker isn't trying to irritate you. He's trying to keep you alive. Not only is he doing HIS job, he's doing yours as well.


Hope this helps

 

The previous posts have covered most everything. My 'list' is as follows
1)Learn to Merge! People dont bother to look at what theyre driving into. They wait until they get on the interstate to merge and speed up. For christ sakes, dont merge into 70MPH traffic at 45. Dont expect us to move over for you. WE(traffic your merging into) have the right of way! (except in AZ-on ramps have the right of way as another driver found out the hard way(crash into a 4 wheeler).
2) Dont start to pass us then get scared and 'hang out' at the corner of our trailer. What if we need to change lanes and cant because you wimped out at passing us?
3) Dont pass us then slow down in front of us. You wonder why some truckers tailgate cars?
4) Dont draft us. Yes we all saw Mythbusters and think it saves gas. Guess what? It WONT save your life if we stop suddenly!
5) If we pass another vehicle, dont impatiently shoot out in the right lane passing us leaving us hanging out in the left lane. Be patient and wait for us to get back in the right lane.
6) Stop driving down the shoulder in traffic jams. Your time is no more important than the rest of us. Wonder why trucks ride the shoulder in jams?
I could continue for the next 7 days, but those are my major pet peeves. Good luck on your project and thanks for trying to educate people.
Also, have you thought about gathering statistics?...also pictures of truck vs car accidents. Pics will hit home better than anything, IMO.

 

All of those previous post cover just about everything I think. I just wanted to add, like the other drivers said, if you're going to pass a truck, then get past the thing. Any idea of what could happen to you and your vehicle while you're lolly gaggin past a truck and it blows a tire? Your car will probably not only be wrecked but totalled because when a tire blows on a semi, it doesn't just go flat. It explodes and it's coming right through your windshield. So get past the truck all ready!! The other thing I wanted to add was, how many times have you seen a semi rolled over on an exit ramp? It was because trucks are very top heavy and that driver took that curve a bit too fast. The rule of thumb for truckers is to go 5mph slower than the recommended exit speed posted at each exit. Tankers need to go even slower when loaded cause the liquid in the tank will ride up the side it of as he's making the curve and roll that sucker right over in a New York minute!! So if you're behind a truck on an exit ramp, be patient. He's going slow for a reason!!

 

1: What do you call us car/suv drivers? I'm sure you have nicknames for us. BE NICE!!!! Four Wheeler about sums it up. Adjectives added as warranted.

2: What are the common sense stuff that we car drivers ignore? That an eighteen wheeler is 80,000 pounds of Hazardous To Your Health, and, because of this fact being in close proximity is not a good idea. We can't completely avoid each other, but, limiting the exposure is helpful. Don't dance too close, we are big, and, by nature, clumsy.

3: Have you seen any new/disturbing vehicle behaviors that we need stop doing before it causes an accident? Yes, but we're too late. The accidents have begun. Cellular telephones are by far the biggest, current, "new/disturbing vehicle behaviors" I've noted. In fact, some drunks drive better than cell phone gabbers. I drive in jurisdictions that forbid the driver from using a hand held cell phone. There are just as many talking and texting when it is forbidden as there are where no policy is in place. This practice should be stopped, now.

Many jurisdictions now limit trucks to the right two lanes of a three (or more) lane highway. I'm not smart enough to argue against (or for) the merits of such rules. If not for these relatively new rules, the center lanes would be considered the safest to use because it keeps a motorist from having to interact with merging traffic, and it keeps the far left lane open for those inclined to drive a little faster. Unfortunately, that center lane is now a trucker's best alternative to the passing lane. Many drivers, truck included, just ride that middle lane as if they're the only folks on the highway. During gridlock that's fine, but if traffic is flowing, and, there is an opportunity to move right (Slower Traffic Move Right signage comes to mind) so that a vehicle that is not allowed to use the "express" lane can safely complete a pass without being forced to do so in the lane designated for slower traffic. </rant>

Thanks for your inquiry. I hope our responses will help to prevent some of the carnage from occurring on our highways.

 

Dawn, seems the previous posters covered all the bases pretty much. Let me echo what's already been said on getting past a truck with no lingering. When starting a pass on a truck DO NOT LINGER. Sorry for shouting. Once the pass has been completed and you have moved back into the lane in front of the truck....don't slow down. I encounter this each and every day seems like. On a side note, I think I am seeing cars being more courteous (and vice versa) towards trucks. Its hugely appreciated and I personally do all I can to return it each day. If the motoring public could just give a spoonful of courtesy and patience instead of the "its all about me" attitude car/truck crashes would be significantly reduced. This goes DOUBLE for truckers...we are supposed to be professionals and most of us show it...to the rest of you have some courtesy...especially to cars. Now, back under my rock.

 

Excellent responses have covered it pretty good...My pet peeves are for a 4wheeler to pass me on a two lane road and then stop to make a left hand turn where they have to stop and wait on oncoming traffic whereas they shut me down too or straining to pass me and then slowing down on a hill.

I also have a MAJOR problem with truck drivers who drive under powered trucks doing the same thing on hills out on the big road and I wish there was a law in place that would get their CDLs suspended for the first offense.

 

wait wait, you want to have my CDL taken away because my company makes me drive an under-powered or otherwise limited truck??? We can't all afford triple-digit rooster cruisers, ya know

 

I notice that 4-wheelers fail to look early when they want to merge onto an interstate highway. What happens is I am in the right lane, and there are cars in the left lane so I can't move over to allow them to merge into the right lane. BUT, if they would use their mirrors and glance to the side earlier in merging, the 4-wheeler would recognize that they need to accelerate or, if they prefer, decelerate to merge into the right lane. Nope! They don't look until there is five feet left in the merge lane and there I am...looking down into a vehicle with looking up at me. So they force me to break for them, when it is much easier for them to accelerate to merge...I try to help anyone merging, but they have got to look to figure out the best course of action...some don't look at all and are so clueless that they don't understand why I am mouthing the words "you ###*&^%!" as they look up.

Two things come to mind...the use of cell phones which only exacerbate their poor driving skills. The majority of the folks who don't know how to merge, have a cell phone glued to their ear (or worse...are text messaging). The second is that as fuel prices have gone up, more people are drafting trucks and seeing how close they can come to my ICC bar on the back of the trailer. I kid you not...there are idiots who draft so close, I can't see their headlights! Do you have any idea how nerve-wracking it is to have this happening on the highway. If I brake hard for something they are going to be introduced to mister ICC-bar and I'm going to waste hours with the highway patrol after I have tried to pull the bodies out of what remains of the car.