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C'mon guys give us a break and think of what your doing !
12 years ago
I copied this from a trucker buddy 
Luthoro
I can attest to all of the statements below are true, you see, I'm a retired trucker.
Over 75% of wrecks involving trucks are not the truck driver's fault!
Seriously guys...do me(and you) a favor: Pay attention when you're near a big truck. I know that they're supposed to be paying attention as well, but that doesn't give you the right to totally ignore safety issues around them.
I know there's a lot of animosity aimed towards big-rig drivers. Some of it is justified, but come the fuck on...We're out there trying to make our living just like you are. The last thing we want is some numbskull doing something stupid and ruining our day(or possibly career if the situation is serious enough). Yeah, truckers can do stupid shit as well and I'm not saying that they don't, however, there has to be some accountability on the non-commercial driver as well. The trucker can't be solely responsible to act safely when they're the one at the disadvantage(larger blindspots, much longer braking distance, limited maneuverability, etc...).
So in order to help you help us, I'm gonna clue you in on a few things that you, as a four-wheeler, can do to help make our jobs a lot easier. Not to mention, keep your ass alive, because lets face it...your 2500lbs sedan versus my 75,000lbs semi-truck...Not even close. So here we go:
1: We need a LOT of room to turn
So we have about 70 feet of vehicle that we have to move from one place to another. That 70 feet pivots about 15 feet from the front of the vehicle. So that leaves about 55 feet of rigid vehicle that we have to get around that turn. This means that we have to swing out pretty wide in order to avoid taking out that telephone pole right there.
The reason I bring this up is because generally we have to set this turn up beforehand in order to make the turn correctly. If it's a right hand turn, this means that there's a chance we will be sitting a little far from the side of the road. This is NOT an invitation for you to squeeze yourself in between the sidewalk and the truck. This is a GREAT way to get run over, especially since there's a large amount of blindspot on that side. That outside wheel will go right up and over the hood of your car.
This also addresses you folks who wanna pull up past the line at the light of the road we're turning onto and prevent us from completing a turn. Stop that. You're just as bad as the people trying to squeeze past us. It's annoying as hell and it's dangerous. So if the truck is about to turn, GET OUT OF ITS WAY!
2: Turn signals are not an indication to speed past the truck
On the topic of turn signals, when we turn one on, it usually means that we want to move over a lane. Since we have very large vehicles, we need a large amount of space to do this, so we tend to signal in advance(or at least I do). However, drivers seems to think that this signal means "I want over, so hurry up and speed past me". This is fine when the car is right next to us, but I've wound up missing my exit before because people blow past me out of fear of "getting stuck behind the truck". If you're behind a semi that wants to move over into your lane, stay back there. Don't try and get past them. Letting them over isn't gonna make you any later than you already are. All you're gonna do is get them cussing, or hell...they might not even see you and move over onto you. Then what? You're REALLY gonna be late.
3: "Why would you stop/pull out like that?"
Seriously...this one is my biggest pet peeve...people suddenly stopping in the middle of the road to turn or pulling out in front of a truck and not getting up to speed.
I'm operating a 75,000lb ballistic missile that (in this certain set of circumstance) is probably going about 40 miles an hour. At that rate of speed, a loaded truck takes approximately 200 feet to come to a complete stop. For those playing the home game, that's a pretty long skidmark. Our trucks do not stop on a dime, and it is absurd for you to behave in a manner that indicates you think they do.
At my old job, the plant workers had a bad habit of running this stop sign connected to the main road. A road that large trucks traveled quite often. I had a pair of close calls myself on that road, people running the stop sign and trying to "beat the truck". Luckily for them, they did. Luckily for them, I was able to react fast enough and get the truck slowed/stopped in time to keep from running them over.
One driver wasn't able to. Lady pulled out in front of him and got hit. The skid marks from the truck were only 35 feet long before the site of the impact. That's how little time she had given him to react. The truck went up and over her car and killed her. The forensics guy determined his truck had been traveling at 26 miles an hour in a 35 zone when he first hit his brakes. 20 miles an hour and it killed her.
Give the truck time to react if you're gonna stop or pull out in front of it. Seriously...
4: Don't automatically assume we know you're there.
Yeah. I know. It's my job to be aware of what's going on around me at all times and to the best of my ability, I am. HOWEVER...climb up into the cab of one of those trucks and you'll see in a big hurry just how much of that rig and the surrounding area you can't immediately see. Those stickers on the back with the "No-Zone" diagrams aren't bullshit. That's how much(if not a little less) of what we cannot see. Just because you are near our vehicle, that doesn't mean we can see you. And if we can't see you, we can't make a safe and accurate decision on how to maneuver our rig and that puts you in danger. So just be safe and give the truck a wide berth.
5: Don't. Fucking. Draft.
Drafting? Sitting close behind a truck to cut down wind resistance and by proxy MPG? That's the stupidest wannabe NASCAR bullshit I've ever heard. I don't care if Mythbusters proved it's legit, it's dangerous as fuck and a great way to get hurt or killed. It ties in with number 4 up there. DON'T. FUCKING. DO IT.
In all seriousness, guys like me have a lot on their plates every day at work on top of guiding these behemoths to their destination. We really would appreciate it if you'd stop and think about how you're acting when around a semi. Don't get up underneath us or in super close. It's dangerous. So just think responsibly when driving near a truck.
TL;DR - Don't do stupid shit around trucks and you might live.
Luthoro I can attest to all of the statements below are true, you see, I'm a retired trucker.
Over 75% of wrecks involving trucks are not the truck driver's fault!
Seriously guys...do me(and you) a favor: Pay attention when you're near a big truck. I know that they're supposed to be paying attention as well, but that doesn't give you the right to totally ignore safety issues around them.
I know there's a lot of animosity aimed towards big-rig drivers. Some of it is justified, but come the fuck on...We're out there trying to make our living just like you are. The last thing we want is some numbskull doing something stupid and ruining our day(or possibly career if the situation is serious enough). Yeah, truckers can do stupid shit as well and I'm not saying that they don't, however, there has to be some accountability on the non-commercial driver as well. The trucker can't be solely responsible to act safely when they're the one at the disadvantage(larger blindspots, much longer braking distance, limited maneuverability, etc...).
So in order to help you help us, I'm gonna clue you in on a few things that you, as a four-wheeler, can do to help make our jobs a lot easier. Not to mention, keep your ass alive, because lets face it...your 2500lbs sedan versus my 75,000lbs semi-truck...Not even close. So here we go:
1: We need a LOT of room to turn
So we have about 70 feet of vehicle that we have to move from one place to another. That 70 feet pivots about 15 feet from the front of the vehicle. So that leaves about 55 feet of rigid vehicle that we have to get around that turn. This means that we have to swing out pretty wide in order to avoid taking out that telephone pole right there.
The reason I bring this up is because generally we have to set this turn up beforehand in order to make the turn correctly. If it's a right hand turn, this means that there's a chance we will be sitting a little far from the side of the road. This is NOT an invitation for you to squeeze yourself in between the sidewalk and the truck. This is a GREAT way to get run over, especially since there's a large amount of blindspot on that side. That outside wheel will go right up and over the hood of your car.
This also addresses you folks who wanna pull up past the line at the light of the road we're turning onto and prevent us from completing a turn. Stop that. You're just as bad as the people trying to squeeze past us. It's annoying as hell and it's dangerous. So if the truck is about to turn, GET OUT OF ITS WAY!
2: Turn signals are not an indication to speed past the truck
On the topic of turn signals, when we turn one on, it usually means that we want to move over a lane. Since we have very large vehicles, we need a large amount of space to do this, so we tend to signal in advance(or at least I do). However, drivers seems to think that this signal means "I want over, so hurry up and speed past me". This is fine when the car is right next to us, but I've wound up missing my exit before because people blow past me out of fear of "getting stuck behind the truck". If you're behind a semi that wants to move over into your lane, stay back there. Don't try and get past them. Letting them over isn't gonna make you any later than you already are. All you're gonna do is get them cussing, or hell...they might not even see you and move over onto you. Then what? You're REALLY gonna be late.
3: "Why would you stop/pull out like that?"
Seriously...this one is my biggest pet peeve...people suddenly stopping in the middle of the road to turn or pulling out in front of a truck and not getting up to speed.
I'm operating a 75,000lb ballistic missile that (in this certain set of circumstance) is probably going about 40 miles an hour. At that rate of speed, a loaded truck takes approximately 200 feet to come to a complete stop. For those playing the home game, that's a pretty long skidmark. Our trucks do not stop on a dime, and it is absurd for you to behave in a manner that indicates you think they do.
At my old job, the plant workers had a bad habit of running this stop sign connected to the main road. A road that large trucks traveled quite often. I had a pair of close calls myself on that road, people running the stop sign and trying to "beat the truck". Luckily for them, they did. Luckily for them, I was able to react fast enough and get the truck slowed/stopped in time to keep from running them over.
One driver wasn't able to. Lady pulled out in front of him and got hit. The skid marks from the truck were only 35 feet long before the site of the impact. That's how little time she had given him to react. The truck went up and over her car and killed her. The forensics guy determined his truck had been traveling at 26 miles an hour in a 35 zone when he first hit his brakes. 20 miles an hour and it killed her.
Give the truck time to react if you're gonna stop or pull out in front of it. Seriously...
4: Don't automatically assume we know you're there.
Yeah. I know. It's my job to be aware of what's going on around me at all times and to the best of my ability, I am. HOWEVER...climb up into the cab of one of those trucks and you'll see in a big hurry just how much of that rig and the surrounding area you can't immediately see. Those stickers on the back with the "No-Zone" diagrams aren't bullshit. That's how much(if not a little less) of what we cannot see. Just because you are near our vehicle, that doesn't mean we can see you. And if we can't see you, we can't make a safe and accurate decision on how to maneuver our rig and that puts you in danger. So just be safe and give the truck a wide berth.
5: Don't. Fucking. Draft.
Drafting? Sitting close behind a truck to cut down wind resistance and by proxy MPG? That's the stupidest wannabe NASCAR bullshit I've ever heard. I don't care if Mythbusters proved it's legit, it's dangerous as fuck and a great way to get hurt or killed. It ties in with number 4 up there. DON'T. FUCKING. DO IT.
In all seriousness, guys like me have a lot on their plates every day at work on top of guiding these behemoths to their destination. We really would appreciate it if you'd stop and think about how you're acting when around a semi. Don't get up underneath us or in super close. It's dangerous. So just think responsibly when driving near a truck.
TL;DR - Don't do stupid shit around trucks and you might live.
Turbo35
~turbo35
Amen my friend!!!. I always try to give truckers a wide berth on the road . I've never driven a truck that size, but for years in the Navy I was also a qualified tow tractor driver for aircraft. Kind of gives me a little idea of the weight and slow response of acceleration and brakes you guys and gals deal with.
shadow_bandit
∞shadowbandit
OP
Thanx buddy, that would be awesome to tow aircraft around, it's very sad to see someone hurt or worse in an accident between a car and a big truck, and most of the time it's a silly overlooked thing. *hugs Turbo*. SB.
