In my last post, I spoke a little bit about what truck drivers do on the road that can irritate 4-wheelers. This post is intended to help people understand what irritates us truck drivers.
Look ahead when you merge!!
Merging, especially in congested areas, can be very stressful to a truck driver. I pay very close attention to people when they merge and I don’t think a lot of people realize that they aren’t even looking until it’s too late. I will look in the mirror of a car and I can see the drivers face. Usually, the first time the driver even looks in the mirror is when there is 100ft of the lane remaining before they need to move over. Our trucks are 60ft long! Please look for us as soon as you begin coming down the ramp, and decide whether you are going to pull in front of us or slide in behind us. If you want to get in front of us, that’s fine. Just hit the gas soon enough so that you can move over with ample space. Don’t wait until the last second to either cut in front of us or slam on the brakes to get behind us. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen somebody come slowly down the ramp, only to get stuck beside me, then punch the gas when they are on the expressway. If you’d just punch the gas on the ramp instead, we wouldn’t have had a problem? Capiche?
Don’t hit the brakes after you pass, and leave us some space
This happens time and time again. A car will pass me, move over leaving very little cushion room, then hit the brakes. I don’t think people really realize they are doing this. But they will speed up to get around us, move in front of us, see they are speeding, then hit the brakes to slow down. When we see your brake lights come on after you moved over with only 1 or 2 car lengths in front of us, it’s dangerous, annoying, and raises our blood pressure just a little bit. If you need to ease off the gas, no problem. But please avoid hitting the brakes. Our blood pressure will thank you.
Don’t pass on the right
We have a lot of blind spots in our trucks. But the right side of our truck is often referred to as our “blind side” and for good reason. We can see much better on the left side. If we move over into your lane for some reason, we have a reason for being there and will move back over into the right lane as soon as we can. Please don’t get impatient and pass us on the right. Moving over to the left lane is usually a good indication there is a hazard up ahead that you didn’t see, so that should serve as even more incentive to stay behind us. There’s usually some reading material on the back of our trailers and mud flaps. Enjoy it for a minute!
Stay back!
We have absolutely no way to see behind our trailer. Usually, the only reason I know somebody is back there is because I can see their shadow. You don’t have to “tailgate” us for us to not be able to see you. Leave extra room. You’ll be glad you did if we have a tire blow out on us or fling a nice sized rock at you. You might see the sticker on some trucks that says “if you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you.” This isn’t a lie we just made up. It’s true. We might know you’re back there, but we can’t see ya. This is also important when we are stopped at a light, especially on a hill. Most trucks have manual transmissions. This means we might roll back a little bit before the truck starts moving forward. Leave lots of space. Being right up on us won’t make us move any faster. The hood of your car will especially appreciate this advice.
Either pass us, or get behind us
For some reason, a lot of people feel the need to get right up next to us, then match our speed. Any little gust of wind could drift our trailer into your lane. And if we blow out a steer tire, you could be toast. A lot of truckers, myself included, will hit our turn signal if you’re riding next to us for an extended period of time. We aren’t trying to be jerks. We’re simply saying “move along, please.” Also, we might see a hazard up ahead that will require us to move over. So we’ll hit our turn signal to let you know we’re comin’ over. Make a decision, either get in front of us, or get behind. Doesn’t matter either way. Just get out of the way! Thank you. continue to page 2 –>
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TruckerMike,
“What’s that four wheeler thinkin!!!!”
Well they are not thinking about driving.
They are absorbed in whatever is going on in their lives at the moment. Girlfriends, job, fight with the wife, sporting events, work, you name it, but not driving. Driving to most people is an autopilot state of mind and of course that is very dangerous.
You’re a pro they are the amateurs, but they get to play on the same field.
My question for you is:
What do you think is safer, driving over the cracked thawing frozen Arctic Ocean or driving through New Jersey?
-ike
t
TruckerMike I couldn’t agree more on the drivers ed part. I took it in 2003 and they said nothing about how to handle big vehicles. I hope state DMV and DOT will add it, maybe even have a handout and test for those renewing their DL
When merging onto the highway, increase your road speed amd merge ! don’t merge over doing the ramp speed of 34 or 40 then take off like a rocket when you see me hammering down in your mirror ! just a pet peeve of mine when i give a 4 wheeler plenty of room and time to merge only to watch them ease over doing 20 miles below the posted limit with a clear lane in front of them.