Those Dag Gum Truckers

So....you are driving down the road, stressed out because the kids were rowdy this morning, you spilled coffee on the only shirt you had ironed for work, and you forgot your cell phone at home and had to turn around and get it, making you extremely late for work.

Then you see it.....a big, ole, dirty 18 wheeler lumbering down the road, using the lane you need to get to work on time. He is driving next to another slow moving truck so there is no way around him. "He's doing that on purpose, just playing around up there, probably smoking cigs and talking on the CB to the guy next to him, laughing at me" you say to yourself.

So you tailgate this guy. "That will get him outta my way. He knows I am back here! He can't be that rude" A couple of miles down the road you are still behind this jerk. Now he is just being an A-hole, right?

Maybe, maybe not! As a truck driver with a lot of "4-wheeler" friends and family, I find that a lot of people just don't understand how a truck driver thinks OR the things we need to deal with while we are just "Cruising" down the road.

Things aren't all that peaceful up there in the cab of that truck. Did you know that if you are less than 100 feet or so behind us, WE CAN"T SEE YOU! The old saying if you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you is very true. In fact, sometimes when you can see our mirrors we still can't see you.

"OK" you say, "then why is he just sitting next to that truck. Why doesn't he just hit the gas and go around?"

Well, there are a couple of things going on that may keep this guy from passing.

1. Many companies govern their trucks top speed. The company I drive for sets our maximum at 63. That means that the only time I can go any faster is if I am going downhill.

2. The heavier a truck is, the longer it takes to accelerate. (example-compare me doing a hundred yard dash now, compared to when I was 16. I am heavier AND slower)

3. Most truck drivers look half a mile or so down the road and manage their "Space"accordingly. Most of us try to maintain a safe following distance so we don't have to slam on our brakes just in case someone is tailgating us.

So, if the truck is loaded heavier than the one he is trying to pass, and there is a slight incline, the heavier truck may end up slower than the one he is trying to pass,

OR, the truck has topped out his speed and the truck next to him is set at a similar speed and is too selfish to slow down just a tick,

OR, the driver IS an A-hole and you will be stuck there until traffic clears out.

No matter what the reason is, riding that guys tail is not gonna get you where you are going any faster, and it may end up costing you your life.

Now I am not saying all truck drivers are perfect. There are many of them out there who are rude and unsafe. I see them everyday. However, the majority of us are safe and courteous and not only want to see our families again, but we also want you to see yours.

So I am writing this blog to let you know what is going on up here behind the steering wheel of this truck. I just want all of us to get along on the roads of this great nation of ours. There is room enough, I promise.

So if you ever wondered why that truck turned on his turn signal a half mile before he changes lanes, or why he didn't signal at all, I will try and cover it.

If you have anything you wanted to know, just ask. I will try to answer it to the best of my ability, which ain't all that. I'm just saying......