I hate Truckers because............

[A HERETIC I AM]

In response to another thread, i thought it might be interesting to see how you folks truly feel about the people that actually make this country operate on a day-to-day basis.
PS. Anyone who votes for number 8 better hope there is a railroad siding behind their local grocery store.

[JAbuchan08]

1. I don't hate them

large trucks simply scare me

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Don't be skeerd! We wont hurt ya!

n/t

[Ikonoklast]

4. Ask around to see if someone that you may know

knows a driver or maybe a relative of theirs drives for a living. See if you could at least climb up into the drivers' seat. If you know someone that is an O/O like me, ask to go along on a short haul. Most people are amazed when they see the road from my side of the windshield.

[JAbuchan08]

17. I understand they have a pretty good view from up their

it just makes me really nervous to drive beside them. Its less about them than me. I'm afraid I'll over-compensate and drive under their wheels or something.

[Ikonoklast]

21. Just remember this

if you can see the drivers face in his mirrors, he can see you. If you can't, you are in a blind spot and pacing a truck like that is dangerous. The people that drive for a living want to be safe, too; I never met one that didn't want to get home to his family safe and sound.

[Pool Hall Ace]

28. Years ago, I was toodling around in my little Chevette

and a truck changed lanes practically on top of me! It was terrifying at first, but then I realized I was in his blind spot.

My husband's uncle is a trucker, and if he is in the left lane when a truck in the right lane wants to pass, he flashes his lights at the trucker to let him know it's safe. :hi:

[dhinojosa]

3. Truckers are cool......

Nothing like an All-American trucker providing for their family by delivering crappy Chinese products to ours.

:sarcasm:

On Edit: Need to make it clear that the above smart-ass statement is :sarcasm:

[Ikonoklast]

9. I sincerely hope that was sarcasm

Like to eat? How about drive? Everything that you own, the wood and brick and cement and shingles for the house you live in, the food you eat, the gas and the car that you drive, the clothes on your back, the medical supplies that keep you healthy, literally every single thing that you touch was brought to you by a truck.

[dhinojosa]

10. Oh yeah, totally sarcasm..

Sorry for not putting the :sarcasm: logo, I'll put it up now. I just had a Homer Simpson moment. I know everything we live on is mostly by truck.

[Kenneth ken]

11. why should that be sarcasm?

truckers don't typically pick and choose what they carry; it isn't their fault that so much of the stuff they carry is imported from China or others places outside the US.

[dhinojosa]

13. Well it was totally sarcasm I'll admit.....

I just did that to get rise from people. I think most trucks though transport food, medicine, and necessities. But there are many that also do transport cheap crap from China like "Support Our Troops" stickers.

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. THANK YOU IKONOKLAST AND WELCOME TO DU!!!!!!!

It is true that with the exception of the air you breath, EVERYTHING you use (In some cases, even the water you drink) was at some point or another, moved by truck INCLUDING the coal that fires the power plant that makes your electricity.

EVERYTHING.

If every truck driver in the nation took just 2 days off at the same time it would be chaos. Pure and simple.

[Ikonoklast]

25. Thanks, Heretic

Glad to be here. I wish we had more blue-collar posters on DU, labor seems to under-represented.

[Der Blaue Engel]

5. Since I've been sleeping with a trucker

for a few years now, I'm a big fan. }( No hating here.

[madmom]

6. what I hate most is...

we have a radio ad from a local trucking company asking us to "share the road, cuz these big guys can't stop on a dime", so now I'm wondering if they can't stop on a dime why the hell do they always tailgate?

[chaska]

15. The bigger issue is people pulling in front of them, cutting them off....

It's very dangerous. I saw a truck just the other day run into a car that cut in front him. He simply couldn't stop in time. Luckily no one was hurt. I'm not really sure the driver even saw the guy at first. If you think about it those drivers likely can't see anything for 20 feet ahead because of the front part of the truck sticking out.

I see near disasters of a similar nature all the time.

Sometimes trucks will get right on your bumper when there is a hill ahead, knowing that the elevation will slow them down once they are actually on the hill. Trucks speed up before the hill to keep from losing too much speed.

Please also keep in mind that most of these guys are getting paid by the mile. Get out of the way and let them make a living.

How the heck do I know so much about truck stuff?

[madmom]

30. Sorry but I must disagree...

I drive to the east coast from the midwest, I drive on interstate mostly but sometimes must drive through small towns, it never fails that when I slow down to the speed limit in these towns trucks try to push me through, on interstates where the speed limit is 55 and I'm going 60-65 they try to push me to go faster. Granted not all truck drivers do this but in my experience most of them do.BTW I do not drive slow. So I would say both issues are about equal.

[A HERETIC I AM]

34. Madmom, on behalf of the millions of drivers out there that DON'T do that

let me apologize to you for your repeated experiences. One of the biggest contributing factors for drivers that feel they must drive as you relate is that, as another poster said, they are paid by the mile. That means (obviously) the faster you can go, the higher your rate of pay. Statistics don't bear that out (Studies show most long haul drivers really only average just over 60 MPH) but it is the perception in the mind of the driver that he has to get where he is going really fast in order to make a living.

I was a Teamster and i personally think that ALL truckers should be Union. What this would do is make sure that the rate of pay was guaranteed to be a decent wage and not based on how many miles a day you could get under your belt.

Most companies these days are paying experienced drivers a little better then 28 cents a mile. That means $280 for every thousand miles of driving. At 60 MPH that relates to an hourly wage of $16.80 but the problem with that math is that you cant always average 60 and many loads are under 1000 miles. A driver can only legally log an average of about 600 miles a day so the impulse to drive further and drive longer hours is high. The system is inherently flawed AGAINST safety but you don't see a groundswell of support for making sure that the folks out there driving 7 days a week, up to 10 hours a day can make a decent living and thereby removing the need to break the law in order to do so. I haven't mentioned the time many commercial drivers are required to wait at terminals and warehouses to load or unload. That waiting time is supposed to be logged as "On-duty, Not Driving" and cuts into the available hours for driving, but many drivers don't log it legally so that they have as many hours available to drive as they can get. This leads to the fatigue problem and it becomes a snowball sort of situation.

Again, the system is inherently flawed and attempts to properly fix it have failed for decades.

[A HERETIC I AM]

16. They don't always tailgate but the ones that do are assholes......

If you see a driver right on someones ass at highway speed that STAYS there then that driver is a fucking moron and i wont defend him for an instant. There are occasions however when for any number of reasons, i find myself closer to the car in front of me than i would like to be. If you saw my truck tailgating a car on the road i can guarantee you it wont be for long.
If there is heavy traffic that is moving slow, there is a difference. I usually always have a couple car lengths in front of me in slow traffic but this often attracts or invites cars to fill that space. Believe it or not, it is often safer for me to keep a close but careful distance in order to discourage the guy that wants to cut in front of me as long as i can see over the vehicles in front of me. (That is why i don't like vans in front of me. They block my view ahead) I am courteous when i see a turn signal wanting to change lanes toward me and i back off but more often than not, car drivers just simply fill the small buffer i have in front of me because i think they think since i have 18 tires on the road, i can stop quick enough for them.

[DS1]

7. I don't like the trucking companies that push/reward truckers

for making long trips in shorter times than safety would suggest.

That being said, I often find that it's not hard to work out an unsaid agreement with truckers. For example on the western portion of the Mass Pike it's very very hilly, and I like to just hit the cruise and travel. So I stay in the middle lane, the truckers go rocketing past me in the right lane on the down hills, and then I make up the distance going back up. Rinse, repeat.

[Floogeldy]

8. Droopy is gonna jump all over you!

B-)

[A HERETIC I AM]

24. LOL Floogeldy. I'm ready! But why is he going to jump all over me?

No matter, to quote our dipshit-in-chief, "Bring em' on"

[Aristus]

12. Other:

I don't mind truckers so much, but could they shave and wash their clothes once in a while? :shrug:

[Ikonoklast]

20. Dad used to say the same things about.......

.....college kids.

[Aristus]

26. HAH!

:rofl:

Some things never change..........

[foo_bar]

14. Other: I married one.

sorry, had to be done.

[FloridaPat]

18. I like truck drivers. They bring in food and clothing, cars, lawn mowers.

Just about everything we need and use. The trains can't do it locally. Too many tracks have been removed over the decades.

[chaska]

23. OHH, u had to go there. I was all on the truckers side until u mentioned..

lawnmowers. GRRRRR!!!! I HATE LAWNMOWERS!

[Tripper11]

22. My borther is a trucker......

long hours, long miles, little time with his family. These guys are worked like crazy.
I drove his rig one time...well, I jumped in the drivers seat once were were up to speed out in New Mexico, along a stretch of road that was fairly straight and flat, but man...what an incredibly intimidating thing to look in your mirrors and see ALL that trailer behind you, the road far below you, and tight to both sides of the road....better them then me!

[A HERETIC I AM]

27. You got a glimpse that i think ALL car drivers should get.

If i could, i would take a different car driver with me on a regular basis just to show them the things that happen when you drive a large vehicle all the time. Imagine that same perception you mention while trying to get around in a city! Cars do some AMAZINGLY stupid things around me when i am going only 20 MPH! Trying to maneuver 70+ feet of vehicle that takes a shitload of space to turn and 25 yards or more to straighten out and you will understand. Your experience gave you an insight most people can't relate to. Good for you!

[Ikonoklast]

29. When I was a company driver

I was permitted in Ohio and Indiana for turnpike doubles, twin 48' trailers and a total vehicle length of 112'. Our safety record was exemplary, and we had some of the most experienced and safe drivers you could find. It was still a trip to look back twelve car lengths to see the back of your set.

[chaska]

31. Somebody should nominate this thread.

I don't know how and have to go in 5 min. but this is some much needed education for DU and drivers in general.

[A HERETIC I AM]

32. I'm REALLY curious about the person that voted number 8

Does someone actually think the railroads can replace trucks?

Not until you put a railroad siding behind every 7-11, grocery store, gas station and every other business in this country.

[Outrider]

33. I don't or dislike 99% of them

That other 1% that try to run me off the road cause there heads shoved up there ass or the ones that call my lic plate into the DUI hotline cause I strictly follow the speed limit in construction (Can't afford a $375 minimum ticket) can all take a long walk off of a tall building.

[Floogeldy]

35. Droopy: Check in!

B-)

[skygazer]

36. I love truckers

When I was 17, I hitchhiked all over the country. Most of my rides were with truckers. Without a single exception, they were complete gentlemen (I was a young girl traveling alone). They let me sleep in their sleeper cabs, bought me food and showers, made sure I had rides to my next destination and all of them encouraged me to go home. They were wonderful.

In many of my jobs since, I've worked with drivers who delivered to my place - I like them. Hard working, good people. :yourock:

[Droopy]

37. Without trucks we'd be back to the horse and wagon days

They are that important to maintaining our current way of life.

[Floogeldy]

38. What about the railroad and air freight?

B-)

[Droopy]

40. Trucks move 73% of the freight in this country

There isn't enough airplanes and trains to cover that. And besides, you still have to have trucks pick up and deliver the freight from the rail yard/airplane terminal/ship yard. A few factories have rail directly to them, but there's no way you can do that for every business in the country.

[Floogeldy]

42. I appreciate the answer . . .

. . . and the education.

Is that because trucks are less expensive?

B-)

[auntAgonist]

39. I drove OTR

for many years. Trucked all over Canada and the USA. When I first started out it was with my (then) husband. We eventually bought more trucks and drove alone. It's not an easy life, it's hard on relationships and health.
My hats off to truckers all over the continent.

Be safe out there and enjoy your weekend when you get to it.

:)

:hi:


and yes, me and my CB radio still yak with the truckers every day on my way to my job.

[Rhiannon12866]

41. Honestly, they scare me. I drive a regular car, and the 18-wheelers

Are pretty scary to me. When they pass me, the wind sucks me in and, if it's raining, I'm blinded.:-(

[BiggJawn]

43. Decent folk, even if they DO listen to Pfleghmball...

And pronouce "Clinton" "Klintoon"...