90LowNSlo

Ask me anything.



(I reserve the right to ignore any question I want... But you can ask )

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

When I am in the left lane in my small bright green Mazda2 and I see you put on your turn signal to get over in front of me to pass a slower truck. I then flick my lights a few times. What is the correct response once you are safely over?

On a scale of 35.7-83.76, how much do you hate when a bobtail pulls all the way in a spot at Pilot, and you think it is open and it is not, and there are no other spots for you to sleep for the night?

Should I get a CB to talk to you truckers? I do 20-30k miles a year right now out traveling.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

Do you berate and talk **** to other truckers that can't drive for ****?

90LowNSlo

When the truck is safely in the passing lane, hang back and let the passing truck complete the pass. Do not get stuck next to the unit being overtaken. Once the passing truck has signaled to get back in it's original lane then accelerate and pass both units.

35.7 doesn't bother me, they need to park too and usually do that for a bit of privacy. What I hate the most (83.76 on the shuiend scale®) is when a busy area has a large percentage of parking being taken by single bobtails. You can easily fit two to a spot and allow for more units to park.


I don't have one in my truck. They can be handy but it's mostly idle gossip and road rage venting. If you do decide to get one you'll need an external antenna mounted on the vehicle to get half decent reception. I've had my eye on this unit: Allows for a none permanent mounting solution (you'll still need and external antenna however)

For the most part Google maps has you covered better than CB info.

90LowNSlo

No, you'd be surprised at the % of drivers that are on the road with no experience. Everyone has to start somewhere... I do though to the guys that think they are God's gift and they have the right to do anything they want.

I do constantly **** talk cluless morons in cars. (Cars meaning: anything smaller than a tractor/trailer... Yes ******* in your Dodge/f250/smallpenis advertisement, you are considered a C-A-R)

WigglingWaffles

What brand of shoe do you wear casually?
What about formally?

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

I was expecting tap your brakes a few times as a thank you.

90LowNSlo

I am not brand conscious, I buy which ever shoe is available at the time that is A) not neon/ wildly coloured and B) is offered in a "wide" variant. Currently both pairs are nikes but they have only lasted a year so i may be more careful on my next purchase. Usually buying new shoes means the current ones are regulate to yard/general work duty. I also have a pair of boots that are double duty snow weather and hiking. Being I live in an area that doesn't get snow they are used only a time or two a year. I own a pair of black and a pair of brown formal shoes... All I remember about them is the brown ones are more comfortable.


Ah, I miss understood. This courtesy is rarely extended to traffic as it is generally considered their obligation to allow trucks over. Personal vehicles are mostly considered by the majority of drivers as trespassers on the interstate system. That being said in very heavy traffic areas (major cities) I will usually give a show of thanks.

Little known fact though: most units have buttons specifically for signaling others with their lights. My current unit has buttons to temporarily disable the trailer lights and headlights for this purpose. Most trucks have this feature or one similar. When you see a truck giving his "light show" of thanks... He is just using one of those buttons.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

I think you might be to far from the US / CN border to understand what i'm asking.

lol

hks_kansei

What are your thoughts on legislating trucks to have blind spot cameras retrofitted to prevent them from changing lanes into other vehicles etc?


(happens often here, you'll see a car going a little slow in the slow lane, then a truck will overtake in the fast lane and start moving back over wayyyyy before they've cleared the car, or just car drivers moving into the blind spots and sitting there for ages)

(also I assume by truck you mean big Semi trailer prime mover thing, not a Ford F150)

90LowNSlo

The truck drivers do that on purpose to be dicks... hate to say that but its true. Most trucks have six mirrors and no blind spots except directly behind them. I can see down both sides of my truck from the steer tires to the trailer rear bumper. To answer your question I don't think "blind spot" cameras will change a damn thing... Mandatory dash cameras would though. If every commercial vehicle had a recording camera 24/7 that would cut out 80% of the ego/******* bullshit (for cars and trucks).

And yes truck = 18 wheeler, semi truck, tractor trailer, big rig, whatever you want to call them. Legally speaking they are referred to as trucks ie "no trucks in left lane". The DOT regulations call them trucks as well, everything else is a passenger vehicle. Truck drivers call anything smaller a car or a "four wheeler". Even dually pickups look the same as small cars when you're sitting 8 ft off the ground with 70ft of truck and trailer separation. There is just comparison...

hks_kansei

Yeah, I guess cameras wont help if someone doesn't look, or just doesn't care.

Interesting to hear that you've got mirrors etc to see down the whole side, pretty much every trucker here in Aust says that the entire passenger side of the vehicle is a blind spot, as well as most of the driver's side. Which always just sounded like they were too lazy/cheap to buy a damn mirror to me, but then i've never been in the cab of a proper truck to see (a 3 ton box truck doesn't count)


Terminology wise, it sounds like the trucking industry over in the US uses similar terminology to Australia.
Here it's the same, truck means anything more than 4500kg in weight. (and we have difference licencing depending on total weight and articulation)
Anything under that is a car/van/ute.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

How often do you punch the Trucker Clock when you're on the road?

z31maniac

No questions, just want to point out the intense level of hatred that builds when some jerk swings over into the left lane to go around the truck in front of him.

Because when I experience this it's two lanes going the same direction, with a speed delta of 1 mph between the two trucks, so I'm stuck by the a$$hole who changed lanes at the last second and is traveling 10 mph under the speed limit.

The fiery rage of a thousand suns doesn't even cover it as it takes 1-2 miles for him to make the pass.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

And God forbid there is a hill and the truck on the right is lighter.

der_vierte

It gets even more frustrating, when you're in Germany and there's no speed limit...

codrus

I have been told that some bigger vehicles like that have speed governors, so passing at 1 mph may be as fast as he can do it. I agree on the frustration though.

--Ian

bahurd

iTrader: (8)

Most states (if not all) have impeding traffic laws which, if they would actually enforce them for a bit, might resolve some of it.

I used to spend a lot of time in Germany and one of the things I remember is don't camp out in the left lane unless you're passing someone like... right now. I guess it's gotten worse with all the truck traffic now.

90LowNSlo

A lot of drivers here say passing on the right (passenger side) is suicide. 100% though if the mirrors are adjusted correctly there is no blind spot.

I'm not sure if this is slang for something. All commercial vehicles are required to run electronic logs. There is no cheating them. If someone wants I can explain how the logs and clocks work on more detail.

I'll group these together. I don't know of any company that DOESN'T have governed trucks. Most are around 64 - 67 mph. No body wants to be stuck behind a slow truck (or next to them)... Even other slow trucks. When two trucks are next to each other "drag racing" it is only considered impeding traffic if they are doing so intentionally. Most of them are just trying to get where they need to be as fast as they can.

What pisses ME off is when I'm catching up to another truck and I'm about 60 seconds from him and I put on my blinker AND SOME MORON speeds up to try and cut me off. This happens DAILY. and I run 70 - 74 mph. When that happens they get to (as my trainer put it) take up their grievances with my trailer.

Give them some space and let it go. You can change your speed and they (for the most part) cant.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)