Truck Drivers!

[katrina]

I agree that trucks are a necessary evil, but they sure do drive fast going through NJ. 4 wheeled vehicles go fast too. I try to stick with 5 miles over the posted speed limit if it's a road I'm familiar with. If not, then I stick with the speed limit. I can't afford a speeding ticket right now nor can I afford higher insurance. All I can say to truck drivers and other drivers on the road is SLOW DOWN!! If I'm doing 65 going down 287 and a big 16 wheeler passes me with a fully loaded truck then you're going to fast buddy. Slow down.

[Lakota]

Katrina: I agree that some trucks do go too fast, & also a lot of 4-wheelers go too fast. Problem is, if I'm reading you right, that you're more concerned with the fact that they are all going faster than you, than you are with the safety factor. You seem to fall into that group that decides if it's good for you, it's good for everybody. You leave the impression that if it were not for the possibility of getting a ticket & the raising of your insurance rates, you would raise your speed limit. I hope I read you wrong.

[amorfati87]

Truck drivers are the best friends you can have on the long car trips. They are in communication with each other and know where trouble spots are going to be. Always watch what they are doing, and try to do the same.

Also remember that they can't stop as fast as a car, and that they need lots of room to change lanes. AND, they have just as much right to the road as anyone else.

[Ontario_Canuck]

....and how many 4 wheelers cut truck drivers some slack and let them change lanes so they too can get around the slow pokes in the right lane.

Most 4 wheelers I see will ride in the left lane just up along side the truck and box the truck in, rather than getting into the right lane behind the truck or slow down a bit and flash your lights and let the truck move into the left lane to pass.

I see more 4 wheelers that drive along with no clue to what is going on around them. Just just drive along in the left lane...never pull over to the right lane....probably the same bunch that are at the front of the line on an advanced green light and sit there for 30 seconds before noticing the advance green...LOL

[wandrr79]

I can't think of any bad experiences, driving with truckers. I do a lot of traveling with a camper, and they have always been courteous and helpful. As others have said before, when on the Jersey Turnpike, I prefer to use the trucker lanes. I just wish they would ease up on the language on the CB, can't use it much when kids are in the car. I guess it's understandable since the have to deal with bad drivers all day.

[Bounder]

I have great respect for truck drivers. They have a lot of responsiblility in driving a vehicle that may weigh upwards of 80,000 lbs on the same roads with people operating 2500 lb. vehicles. But there are not so professional truck drivers as well a passenger car drivers. My family had a bad experience with one particular truck driver on I-95 northbound in Delaware. We were in the right center lane and a TT was in the right lane on my right side. The TT wanted to get into my lane but was unable to because I was in his way. He slowed, came around the rear of my vehicle (30' MH W/toad), passed me on the left, entered my lane in front of me and slammed on his brakes. I had to take immediate evasive action and could not see for the cloud of burning rubber. I had my wife, 9 yr old son and 3 yr old daughter in my vehicle. realize that this is not the norm for truck drivers and will not stereo type every one as being unprofessional.

[Lakota]

Just wondering how to respond to this. This kind of road rage from a TT is preatty rare, & inexcusable. It would seem likely something precipatated it. Questions: How long were you beside that truck? Did you catch up with the truck &, instead of just going along, slow down & stay beside it thus taking away his manuvering room, as many do. If this was so, you also were contributing to endangering your family. There are several scenerios possible here & I'm not trying to switch blame. You may have come up against a nut case here, but if I were you I would think about the few minutes prior to your incident. Maybe you could come up with your own answer. (lakota)

[Lakota]

We all have done things out there we shouldn't have, unintentionally & intentional & we always like to blame the other guy. All I was trying to say is, the kind of rage discribed here says something else happened back down the road. It is also inexcusable for anyone, much less a professional, to exibit that rage. This gets people killed, as you well know.

[Many Many Miles]

For what its worth (FWIW), with 30+ years and 1,000,000 miles+ in Long-Haul, and just about every other common motor vehicle type--including motor-cycle--on the road, I have a few comments:

- Large (16,000+) Truck drivers almost always are better, more concientious drivers than other non-professional (excluding police and fire) drivers.

- Many--both male and female--SUV drivers believe that their top-heavy SUV gives them a license to follow too closely and weave in and out of traffic, creating unneccesary danger to all around them. Thus, many SUV drivers--many with family aboard--are driving far beyond their ability.

- Poor motorcycle drivers/riders are usually quickly weeded out by acidents/injuries.

- Seasoned small car drivers are some of the best--they may know that their safety is paper thin, or like motorcycle riders get weeded out quickly if they practice unsafe driving habits.

- Pick-Up truck drivers tend to not drive as aggresively as SUV'ers. 4X4'ers tend toward aggresive driving, yet generally not as foolish as SUV'ers.

- Large size sedan drivers tend towards the middle of the road on safety.

- Young drivers driving old beat-up sub-compacts are generally weeded-out rather quickly by accidents.

Anything can happen--and it does.

[roadster]

It makes me laugh to see so many people defend truck drivers when other people blog about there experience's .Myself have driven to florida from n.j. and noticed while driving when out of nowhere all trucks switching into the right lane only to find a state tropper hiding in the bushes or pulling someone over,So hers's my issue if they were not doing anything wromg like speeding!!!!! why go to the right lane ????I say they were quilty in what they were priviously doing!!!!