NEWBY wrote: I totally disagree with the negative posts about truck drivers........ My statements above are not IMHO they are fact.......
More and more, 'fact' is a state of mind.
Take Care
2000 Ford Excursion V10 (SOLD) 2005 Exc. 6.0L PSD, 2wd, 3.73LS, Air Lifts with Load Controller II, towing '00 31SKS Holiday Rambler Alumascape with a '01 Hensley.
Most of the truckers on the road are professionals and are courteous. How many 4 wheelers or rv's do you see actually giving them a break on the road? At on ramps, up a grade or when you blow a tire and are on the side of the highway and they move over to give you some room?!
It only takes one or a small handful for give any group of people a bad rap. Take all of the rv-ers on the highway, now add in the few who can't control their 40 + foot pusher with a toad in tow. Thinking it's "just like driving a big car"? They get on the freeway , in traffic with maybe some bad weather added to the mix and they can't seem to stay with traffic, or in their own lane.
I always try to be as courteous as a driver as I can, but there is times when I forget and drive like a fool. It happens to every one.
I do know that I would not want any one coming to my place of employment and harassing me, or trying to make my job even harder than it is / can be. I am sure none of you would like a group of people , all with different opinions, coming to YOUR place of work and trying to distract, or tell you how you should be doing your job (in their opinion).
The truckers place of employment IS THE ROADS we all travel. They are confined to strict regulations, extreme taxes, license fees, oh, and they get to spend weeks on end away from their families in a cab of a truck!
If more people were a little more courteous of others maybe life would be a little more enjoyable, for all of us.
Don't even get me going about how dangerous it is to be on a motor cycle and share the road with you, while I want to just enjoy a ride with my wife, and you cut me off.
Have a good day, and remember, it starts with you.
Happy trails.....where ever they lead to...
1992 30 ft. Dutchman Classic 2 br (rear bunks) 7500 lbs. "wet"
2003 F-250 2wd Super Duty / Super Cab 6.0 diesel (All Black)
I must just be lucky. I am just back from south TX (a 2000 mile trip)without seeing a wreck. I did see a few bad trucker as well as a few bad Rvers. Most in both groups did OK in spite the big pot holes in some of the roads.
2001 Golden Falcon 35RLTS
1997 Ford 350 Power Stroke D/W
A very interesting thread about big trucks passing. The replies are accurate in that most big trucks are governed at about 65 to 68. When we pass another truck we prefer to do it when there are large gaps in traffic as we realize that it can be time consuming. Both my wife and I drive semis for a living in addition to being rvers (we have a 5th wheel rv). Trust me, we hate to be sitting out in the "hammer lane" trying to get around another big truck when the speed is closly matched and it seems to take forever. As it has been mentioned, we are on tight schedules and our trying to keep appt. times, etc.
Sometimes it appears that we find a little gap in traffic and we grap it and change lanes to pass. Why, if I had a nickel for everytime that I have put on my signal to change into the hammer lane to pass and the "4 wheeler" behind in the left lane will speed up so I can't get over, I could retire. By the same token I have seen many "4 wheelers" hold back and flash me over so that I can change lanes.
Whenever a travel trailer, 5th wheel rv or motorhome passes me I will always flash them over when it is safe but, very few rv's flash me over.
Most of us professional truck drivers are safe and professional and we are just trying to make an honest living, when we are constantly looking out for the cars weaving in and out of traffic, people driving while eating and talking on a cell phone. Watching people coming down the entrance ramp and not having a clue how to merge, the merging vehicle does not have the right of way, traffic in the lane of traffic does, yet they can't get it. Or my biggest pet peeve is people passing us on the right or riding for miles on our right, they are in our blind spot and they are an accident waiting to happen and I have seen what happens when a semi and a 4 wheeler are in an accident (thankfully in my years of driving semi I have never had an accident) and the 4 wheeler will not win.
Lets all be safe out there and try to work together. I have been behind big trucks when driving my car or pickup, I know we start out slow and we seem to take forever to pass, but we keep the freight moving in all kinds of weather. I would invite anyone to ride in my jump seat on a cold night when the roads are slippery and the suv's are passing us and then skidding out right in front of us and we are very prone to jackknifing on ice, I am sure you would then see just how stress provoking the job can be.
I know that many folks out there seem to hate big trucks for many reasons, but if we all parked for a week, you would find nothing but
empty shelves at the stores. Like most occupations, we are an important part of the national commerce.
Considering the current fuel prices we are all facing, the solders dying overseas or being injured, etc. I think we have more important issues to face than worrying about going slow for a couple of minutes to allow a semi to pass another semi.
......when my time becomes so important that being behind a truck, or six, causes me grief....I'll fly my important butt to where it needs to be. Trucking is a hard, dangerous, necessary job. Most of our goods arrive by truck, much of it while we sleep.
I see car after car swerve in front of cautious truckers trying to leave a safe stopping distance in front of them, then hit the brakes. Cars so close to the trailer that it's impossible to see them. The list of stupid driver tricks is long and ugly. More power to the truckers..........
Mandrake
he ain't heavy..........he's my brother....
houhjc wrote: the more hammer they put to the floor, the more gold they are running thru their injectors....i expect to start seeing 10 mile passes, like most cars do on I 45.
Don't know that. When I towed the trailer south, I had my cruise control set at 60 mph, what was actually 62. I remember passing about 4 semis on 400 miles trip, lot passed me. The truck speed limit is 55.
Pessimist sees dark tunnel, optimist sees a light at the end, realist sees lights of coming train.Engineer sees 3 idiots on the tracks.
MNRick wrote: The replies are accurate in that most big trucks are governed at about 65 to 68. When we pass another truck we prefer to do it when there are large ...........
Most of us professional truck drivers are safe and professional and we are just trying to make an honest living, when we are constantly looking out for the cars weaving in and out of traffic, people driving while eating and talking on a cell phone. ..........
"Most" is such a stretchable word. Few years ago we drove from CA to South Lake City to buy used, older Mercedes. On our way back I was driving Mercedes with my wife following me in BMW. A trucker started to follow her with about 10' distance on desert freeway. She didn't feel comfortable with semi on her tail and started passing me. The truck took after her. I lost them because I was afraid to push the old car past 100 mph. She pulled over about 10 miles later and waited for me.
Have a picture of them passing me that also shows my speedo at over 90 mph.
We have never had a problem with the truckers if they are going to slow we pass when we have a clear shot. Infact they don't bother us at all. Its the rest of the yahoo's on the road that are a problem. The truckers at least let you on the freeway. The rest of the cars try to block your entrance. Give the truckers a break they have to make a living also!
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