Comments By John Y.

Sorry, but that is not true. I followed the rules whether you like the rules or not. Do you think that the trucker was right in running me off the road? It sounds that way. And by the way I purposely got away from this trucker so things would not escalate. You can try to make excuses but I did exactly what I was supposed to do to merge. Zipper merging does work when done correctly. Everyone needs to learn how to do it correctly. No vigilantes though!!!!!

No load about 35,000 lbs. Yes, I plan to report bad drivers especially ones that did what this trucker did to me. I assume that when you run someone off the road that you are trying to injure them. No? Why else would you do it? Just to scare them? This trucker didn't know what could happen. I would also expect a trucker to have a higher lever of right and wrong on the road. They are trained commercial drivers and not just yahoos that have a driver's license. As Joey says "C'mon Man"!

And one more thing. When the truck ran me off the road we were probably going about 34 mph. When I tried to get back on the road the traffic was stopped and inching forward. I wasn't passing people on the median at speed. I was probably going 3 to 4 mph. I hope the approver on this site posts my previous replies also. I appreciate the advice but maybe better merging skills need to be taught during CDL training also. I can take advice but maybe there should also be some on your side.....

Thank you for the advice but what I did was the correct response at the moment. When a 35,000 lb. truck runs you off the road I don't think that the driver is looking for a friend. The truck ran me off the road when I was already half way past him so there was no time to drop back. I could have dropped back afterwards but just wanted to get away. This seems to be the only thing that you are criticizing me for. Ok, if that is what you are looking for. I made a decision at the spur of moment. Maybe truckers shouldn't try to police the road with their own form of justice? The advice that I will take away from this is is that next time I will drop back and I will also have a dashcam. I will report aggressive incidents like this to 911 and I will also report lane blockers but next time I will have video evidence....

I appreciate the advice but I think that I did the right thing however since I avoided a conflict. When a 35000 lb. truck runs you off the road I don't think that the driver is looking to be your friend. Dropping back to not get run off the road was not an option because I was already past the center of the truck length when he ran me off the road. Off the road was the only place to go. Sorry if I offended you by not agreeing but you weren't there and did not have to react instantly. My advice to you all is maybe you should leave the law in the hands of the police and not try to police the road on your own. What advice I will take away from this is to that next time I will drop back and will immediately call 911. Also, if anyone is blocking lanes on purpose in a construction zone I will do the same. I will have a dashcam in a few days so there will be evidence next time. Have a good day!

I was wondering how long it would take to start blaming the victim. I knew that this would happen. I really don't have to explain my actions to you. I wanted to get away from this guy. I didn't want to be in back of him again because I would probably had to pass him at some point. I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to get away. If you have any doubts about my wife's condition I have the proof. Now I wish I had gotten in back of him to get the license plate number. I regret that. I did slowly and safely as I could pass him. Remember, I would not have been in the median in the first place if it was not for this trucker's unsafe actions. This in my mind was the best thing to do get far away from him. Was it wrong? Maybe. But I was still pretty surprised that this happened at all! I can see that I will have to end my comments since the comments are starting to turn in the wrong direction. From now on I know what I am supposed to do. Thanks to those with helpful and positive comments....

After running me off into the median the trucker would not let me back on the road. He would close the gap in front of him to not let me in. His engine was revving pretty high to do it. I could hear it being right beside him. I had to pass him and another truck in the median to get back on the road. To be fair I have seen passenger cars, mostly large pick up trucks, try the same thing. I had my wife in the car with me who is recovering from a very serious neck and back operation. I did my best to get away so that there was no incident that could jeopardize her recovery. Anyway, I am not one to complain and do nothing. I have contacted PennDot to see if anything can be done with signage to let everyone know that purposely blocking lanes is illegal. We'll see if they respond. I also just purchased a dashcam. No one will do this to me again without consequences. Just sayin......

Thank you for responding. At first I was a bit confused at what was going on since I thought that I was following the rules. I plan to do something about it though. For one I will be contacting PennDot to see if they can add a comment to their digital sign that says something like "Blocking traffic from moving forward is illegal". Seems simple enough. And, I will be buying a dashcam and will record and report all blockers. I like fairness and taking your turn but I don't like people taking the law into their own hands especially when they are wrong...

I will confess, I am not a trucker but I recently had an incident with one. On Sunday January 7 I was travelling West on Route 80 thru Central/Western PA and was around Dubois. There is construction there on an overpass which forced the traffic down to one lane up ahead. There were several road signs that said to "Use both lanes until merge point". Unless I am wrong this means fully use both lanes until merge point. I have seen these before and they work quite well if everyone follows the rules. I was in the left lane at the time so I just stayed there. About a 1/4 mile before the merge point the tractor trailer in front of me changed to the right lane. I thought nothing of it so I kept on going straight past him in the left lane. As I did this he quickly change lanes into my lane and ran me off the road into the median. He then would not let me back on the highway because he kept blocking me. I didn't do it at the time but I later called the state police and asked them what should I have done. They said next time call 911. So, I will be travelling thru that area again soon and will be purchasing a dash cam before then. I know there are a lot of bad drivers both car and truck out there and there are many crazies these days. But I notice that many truckers don't know how to use or don't want to use the zipper method to merge in construction areas. Some purposely block the lanes so that no one can move forward in front of them. Whether you agree with this method or not you don't need to be blocking lanes and running people off the road because they might pass you. I welcome comments but if there is any name calling I will not answer.....