Do you give transport trucks extra room in winter conditions?

Yes, I do. I don’t need winter conditions as a reason to give them extra room. I always give them extra room.

@jonsblond thank you we appreciate it.

http://youtu.be/w9lmCpIzhFo
Yeah, sure I do

same as @jonsblond I give them extra room any time

Winter conditions or not, I always do. I’m old enough to still flash my lights when there’s enough room to enter my lane (which some of the younger drivers don’t know) and to flash in appreciation when a semi let’s me in.

I give all other vehicles extra room in winter conditions.

To say I “give them extra room” isn’t really an accurate description of my thought process. It’s more like, “I need to stay the fuck away from that beast”.

I give them as much room as they give me.

I am cognizant of the dynamics of truck movement in winter conditions. I wish the truck drivers were too. Or at least watched where they are going.

Good point, @zenvelo. There have been too many semis that try to use the parkways to skirt traffic issues (well-marked with No Commercial Traffic signs) that then get stuck under the overpasses, or ones with “If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you” signs that drive me out of my lane/off the road as I’m looking at their face, in their side mirror, and honking. My car is red, I am visible.
I know that semi drivers have to deal with car-driving assholes, but we have to deal with truck-driving assholes as well. And they are LOTS bigger than we are.

@SQUEEKY2 Know who DW is? Or his advice?

In my experience, it isn’t ME that gives them extra room, it is the trucks that take i without regard for the cars next to them.

I give trucks extra room period. I was in stop and go traffic yesterday and needed to change lanes, but went ahead and risked missing my turn to not change lanes in front of a truck that I thought might have a hard time stopping if I went in front of him. When my husband and I pull our trailer I am shocked how people will change lines in front of us like we are a regular car, sometimes when going downhill. Did they go to driving school? We don’t have the same stopping time.

In winter cinditions I give everyone more room. I always say it isn’t the driving that is the problem, it’s the stopping. You have to drive like you might not have brakes when you need them. I give large vehicles even more space. Motorcycles too, I give them a lot of space.

#Duel #Joy Ride #Breakdown #Large Marge

Yes.
Size matters.

Of course. I already don’t trust them worth a damn. Now put them on slippery conditions, and see how far away I try to stay.

@zenvelo That is insane ,and to blame his GPS?
To come through a parking lot then take a one lane paved walk way ,DING_DING-DING maybe I am in the wrong?
No I think I will keep going and if it gets worse I will just blame the GPS.

@dappled_leaves cbc radio did a thing a while back about truck crashes involving cars and they said according to the stats that 90% of the time it was the car drivers fault.
Not saying there are some very bad truck drivers out there,BUT I have seen way more bad car drivers than bad truck drivers.

@canidmajor And remember that they are bigger than you at all times,and unless the truck has convex mirrors (most do) there are blind spots as you come up along side them,as you say what the F, I am right here you idiot he/she might not see you. When over taking a big truck don’t hang out right beside them pass as quickly and safely as you can.
I bring this up because you wouldn’t believe how many brain dead car drivers hang right beside me for miles and miles on a freeway,like the hum of my tires is putting them in a trance or something.

@elbanditoroso sometimes car drivers just wont let you over ,we have to make an exit so with all blinkers going they are totally oblivious that the big truck needs to get over.
On my truck pulling 2 trailer I have 9 turn signals one on the front one in the middle and one the back end and people still don’t clue in.that is truck,and each trailer has 3 sometimes I think it aint enough.

I give big vehicles as much room as possible no matter what the weather is like. (Ditto for drivers on phones). Even in the best of weather a sudden gust of wind can send one of those babies swaying into my lane.

Maybe so, @SQUEEKY2, no one is disputing that some car drivers are clueless. My example was from me being in the right lane, and checking the semi driver’s mirror to make sure he can see me. Not a blind spot when I can see his face in the mirror. I get why he assumes that I’ll just get the fuck out of his way when he starts to come into my lane just like that, and he’s right, I will. Onto the shoulder, off the road altogether sometimes, but happily, never off the bridge. Yet.

Very true @Pachy especially if we are empty at the time I have seen the wind blow an empty rig right off the highway,thank god I was fully loaded at the time, but it was buffing me around as well.

And I am not disputing @canidmajor there are some really bad truck drivers out there as well.

I like truckin
I like truckin
I like truckin & I like to truck
On the road, you must be brave & tireless
On the road, you can listen to the wireless…

@ucme yeah,yeah I know it’s all thrills ,chills, and dames galore NOT!!!

@canidmajor you said you were in the RIGHT lane? and could see his face in the mirror, meaning he was in the left lane? and you passed him on the right?

Of course, the big question is, do you like Yorkie bars?

Absolutely, if I can’t pass them I hang way back. One stretch of CA. Highway here, I-80 between the Bay area and Reno is horrible, major big rig route and sometimes when you are boxed in by these monsters in the rain the spray factor is so intense you can’t see anything. Serious anxiety for me, thankfully I rarely drive that way but I hate, hate, hate it!

I avoid all other vehicles in the winter and I give transport trucks extra room all the time. If one’s trying to turn, I don’t rush up to the intersection, I gun the car when passing (even on the 4-lane) so that I limit their options the shortest possible time, and I do what I can to help them make lane changes.

I simply cannot imagine having the responsibility for maneuvering something that big.

I leave room between myself and all vehicles all the time, not just in winter conditions. I do leave more room in winter conditions.

Of course! I give everyone extra room in winter conditions and I don’t allow anyone to push me into driving faster than I want. I may pull over once in a while to let the cars who are in a mad rush go on past me. I look forward to seeing half of them in the ditch as I’m moseying safely on down the road.

@ibstubro Remember mine has 2 trailers and is 83feet long from bumper to bumper.

Honestly, @SQUEEKY2, I’m the guy that stops 20 foot back from the white line at the intersection to let you in easily, on a red light.

@ibstubro and we truckers thank you for that.

As others have said, I give everyone extra room in the winter.

A side note – I drive a 30 mile stretch of Interstate 80 5 days a week. There are a LOT of trucks on this route. Every problem driver I have encountered has been in a passenger vehicle. Are there poorly skilled truck drivers out there? Of course there are – I could even tell you about the one who hit me years ago. Still, I have more trouble with other cars than anyone else. (Some of this is due to encountering more car drivers, therefore giving me more of a chance to encounter a bad car driver.)

@tedibear I agree. Truck drivers tend to be the better drivers on the road.

Maybe it’s because we drive alot more than the average person does, and in every type of condition.
In the just over twenty some years of trucking I have put on more than 2 million kilometres,and I am a line haul driver, some long haulers put in way more.

I’ve met some really naughty truckers in my life!

Oh they are definitely out there @Dutchess_III ,but would you define naughty a bit more for us?

Shit. Was coming back from KC after dropping my kids off at the airport. My 70 year old Mom was with me. It was about 10:00 at night, and she had her seat back pushed all the way back and was sleeping.

I came upon a semi pulling a triple load. I had never see that before. Anyway, I pulled into the left lane to start to pass——and he started throwing his load all over the road!! I was like, “WTF?!” So I pulled back into the right lane. He settled down. Pulled out to pass again…and he did it again! His trailers where whipping back and forth across both lanes like a giant snake! I pulled back to the right again, and again he settled down.

I thought, “That son of a bitch is doing it on purpose!” I decided to just stay behind him and do 10 mph less than I wanted to, until he, or I, exits.

….Then I saw headlights of another semi, one I had passed earlier, coming up behind me fast, even though I was doing 65. At that point, I got really scared. I thought they were going to try and trap me, and having my Mom with me, well, it put a whole new dimension on the situation. (Please see Men, can you try to imagine what it would be like to be constantly wary and afraid of men when you’re out in public?)

So I was really scared and when I get really scared (which is not very often) I do shit I would never do otherwise. A thousand things went through my head. I remembered my dad telling me semi drivers were among the best drivers, and to take my cue from them. I thought, he has to be exceptional for his company to trust him with three trailers (is that even legal?) And I thought, he has full control over his rig, even when he’s jinking it.

With all of that in mind, I tucked myself in close behind the naughty trucker, where he couldn’t see me, waited a minute, watching the other semi coming up behind me…..then I punched it and THREW my Grand Am into the passing lane and. I was along side of him in a heartbeat. If he started throwing his load around, we’d be dead!

He started to…then realized I was along side of him and, as I had counted on, he didn’t go through with it.

I passed him doing about 100 mph and accelerating. When I came along side the cab I laid on the horn and I know I had this crazed grimace of victory on my face. He laid on his horn, and he was laughing. Asshole. After I passed him I slowed down, but kept it at 90 to get away from him, praying I’d get pulled over!

Well, apparently he was on CB, because about 15 minutes later I came upon another truck pulling 3 trailers. As soon as he saw me he started jinking. I didn’t even hesitate. I punched it and passed him at about 110.

I did 90 mph all the way home. Never made a KC trip so fast! I got crazy paranoid with every truck I came up on. I was afraid they were all on CB tracking me.

And mom never woke up.

@SQUEEKY2, was that you? I KEEL YOU!!!!

Uh NO! But if you could you should have gotten the companies name off the door and reported it to the cops, or at least to his company.
The guy needs to be talked to, he gives us all a bad name.
And for the last 14 years all my trucking has been here in BC, before that I was in bc,alberta, and washington state,never hauled outside of those areas.

Ok, I not keel you then.

I was too scared to think of getting that info! I just wanted to get out of there.

@Dutchess_III but remember it in case of any future encounters with idiot truckers they need to be dealt with.
And as much info as you can get, colour,make,unit number,and so on,makes it ten times easier for the cops,or the company to deal with it.
I just wish cars and pickup trucks had the same type thing,maybe people would think before doing something really stupid.

There, for about a month there, Rick and I were calling the cops on other drivers every single weekend. One of them plowed into a parked truck before the cops had time to show up. It was insane.

What does that story have to do with being a woman, @Dutchess_III? I had some guy force me off the road in the middle-of-nowhere NY for miles and miles. To this day I have no idea why. Speeding up or slowing down didn’t phase him. He was literally trying to kill me. I’m guessing that it had nothing to do with me being a guy, however.

@ibstubro Was anyone driving?

Sorry, this site seems to be a haven for Duel jokes.

edit.

It had to do with me being a woman because they wouldn’t have done it to a guy. Would not have. They certainly didn’t expect me to have the balls to do what I did, either.

This was about just under twenty years ago just started pulling 2 trailers it was a 2 trailer tanker was in the Rogers pass bad winter night and we are doing fifteen miles an hour I was following 2 18 wheelers, Mrs Squeeky was with me ,and all of a sudden the 2 18’s whipped out and started passing these 3 small vehicles .
Over the radio one of the 18’s said tanker if you want around those idiots do it NOW!
said cool guys just keep me informed about on coming traffic, well the first 2 cars just backed right off and let me by, but the front guy a small mini van did NOT want me to go by started really putting his foot in it, so we were going fifteen MPH now all of a sudden this idiot was going 75mph on one hell of a icy highway with a super tanker right beside him,when the 18’s said better get in traffic is coming I put on my blinker giving notice to this idiot I am coming back over, telling the wife I will tell the boss I hit a snow bank if we hit this moron, he did get the hint and backed off,then never saw him again, so is that giving a transport more room in the winter?
What was that idiots problem? I will never forget that, I don’t think Mrs Squeeky will either.

^^^sorry about any run on sentences^^

@SQUEEKY2 I can’t even imagine driving a car through Rogers Pass on a “bad winter night” and being passed by transport trucks. Why would you try to do that?

The load had to get there, and those 3 small vehicles were driving very slow,the 2 18’s had no problem getting by them, but the mini van I guess got pissed off with the big trucks going by so decided to play games, I was committed to the pass when he started putting the speed on.

You wouldn’t believe at some of the road conditions I have had to drive on.

Plus following to slow of a driver can really screw the big truck up on making it up on coming hills,we need a bit of momentum to get up and over and going to slow we wont make it.
But car drivers are to dumb to realize that when dealing with transports.

^^ That is for icy highways, dry roads just mean a lot more shifting^^

Rogers Pass is one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in Canada. Add to that night driving in snowy conditions, and I’m sure that driver you were trying to pass was terrified that they would lose all visibility if you managed it. I don’t care whether your “load has to get there”. That is crazy. You are lucky people didn’t die.

Uh huh,then why did he let those two 18wheelers by , but then decided he didn’t want me by when I was right beside him?
If he had just kept his 15 mph nothing would have happened he was the one to step things up,the 2 other cars behind him had no problem letting us three trucks go by, just the idiot in the mini van all of a sudden didn’t want the third truck by,and I am the crazy one?
Spoken like a true car driver, always blame the trucker it would have been far worse to try and slow back down and get back behind the idiot, who without a doubt would have returned to his super slow 15mph, causing me no doubt to spin out on the next hill.
Look I don’t want to ever push anyone beyond their comfort level in those types of conditions, but stay doing your stupid slow speed and let those of us that can go faster in those conditions go, don’t just start going faster because you think people should be going the same speed as you.

The idiot mini van starts really speeding up when a super tanker is right beside him and it’s the truckers fault?
He would have maintained his visibility much better staying at 15mph not putting his foot in when the third yes third truck is right beside him.
The conditions that night twenty some years ago were bad but the truckers had no problem doing about 45mph NOT 15mph ,why did the idiot not speed up when I was behind him, if he had done that I never would have attempted the pass, NO he waited till I was right beside him then do it, and I am the crazy one?? SPOKEN like a true car driver (clueless) !

Some morons do that. I guess they view it as some sort of competition. I was riding with a girlfriend once on a 3 lane that was getting ready to turn into a 2 lane. A girl passed us on the left (which was the lane getting ready to end) and my girlfriend snarled, “Oh, you think you’re going to pass me?” and punched it. I started screaming, “Let her in! Let her in! Her lane is ending! What is she supposed to do? LET HER IN!!!!” My friend finally heard me through the fog of her rage at someone passing her, which I guess she took as some sort of insult, and backed off and let her in. It was a terrifying moment for me.
Some people are truly , truly idiotic.

If you had passed me under the circumstances you describe, it probably would have scared me too! But I would have maintained speed even if I had the urge to hit the brakes to allow you to get back in to your lane. I learned that from my dad. All decisions are up to the person passing. I maintain speed.

People can be so fecking DUMB that it’s mind boggling.

@Dutchess_III Thank you.

I give everyone extra room in all conditions.

You should too.

@SQUEEKY2 I very much try to.

I was traveling to Kansas City by way of 4 lane during poor winter weather once, @SQUEEKY2. Driving under the speed limit, but making decent time. I always believe in being “the lone wolf”, in that I do my best to stay away from other vehicles at all possible times. A cop got up ahead of us and forcibly slowed all traffic to 30 MPH. We ended up with traffic backed up bumper-to-bumper for, literally, miles. On snow and ice. Why did he do that??

It was before I had a cell phone or I would have 911ed him.

If you were on a 4 lane, why didn’t people pass him?

@Dutchess_III – Because no one will pass a cop. If the weather was bad, I would venture to guess that the person who did try it would have gotten an instant ticket.

I don’t see how a ticket could hold up. There are no laws on the book about driving a specific speed in specific weather.

I don’t know the specific names of traffic infractions, but I think that reckless endangerment could be one of them. This is a definition that I found. Passing a cop in bad weather could, IMHO, be considered as that.

@SQUEEKY2 What are your thoughts on this? Does the cop have the power to call it “Reckless endangerment” if you pass one going 5 mph faster than him or her? I mean, it’s his opinion in this case. Not something obvious.

If it was safe to pass the cop, obviously there would be no ticket. I’ve passed police cars at the speed limit before – not often, because of course they seldom travel below the speed limit. Why on earth would that be wrong?

@dappled_leaves – The only reason I brought it up was because @ibstubro said the weather was bad. In normal conditions at the speed limit, I doubt there would be a problem.

We were discussing @ibstubro‘s comment “I was traveling to Kansas City by way of 4 lane during poor winter weather once, @SQUEEKY2. Driving under the speed limit, but making decent time. I always believe in being “the lone wolf”, in that I do my best to stay away from other vehicles at all possible times. A cop got up ahead of us and forcibly slowed all traffic to 30 MPH. We ended up with traffic backed up bumper-to-bumper for, literally, miles. On snow and ice. Why did he do that??”

As was I. Unless you were addressing @dappled_leaves, in which case – to quote Emily Litella – “never mind.”

And he didn’t “cause” people to wind up bumper to bumper. That was an individual choice by each person.

I agree with @tedibear that passing the cop could conceivably earn you a ticket. If a cop wants to give you a ticket, they can. Did you know that the yellow speed limit signs—like on entrance/exit ramps are just—suggested speeds? Technically unenforceable? But if a cop wants to ticket you, there’s always “Driving too fast for conditions.”

@tedibear “The only reason I brought it up was because @ibstubro said the weather was bad. In normal conditions at the speed limit, I doubt there would be a problem.”

I realize that, but his incredulity at the lowered speed seems to indicate that there was no hazard. <shrug>

Snow and ice was on the road, @dappled_leaves. That was the hazard.

@Dutchess_III Yeah, I get that. The thing is, he can’t have it both ways. Either the cop was deliberately trying to keep people from driving unsafely (in which case, there should be no complaints) or the cop was driving too slowly for no reason (in which case, people should simply have passed him).

In other words, I don’t see why @ibstubro is complaining about the cop’s behaviour.

You can be charged with going to fast for road conditions, even if it is under the posted limit.

I have passed a cop before though,but conditions were summer time, this cop for some reason was driving 10kph under the posted limit , you should have seen the line up behind him,I just pulled out and passed never did a thing.

I felt like the cop assumed he was forcing people to drive more safely by lowering their speed, extremely, @dappled_leaves. In reality he was creating a hazard where someone could come over a hill doing a reasonable speed (say 45–50) rear-end the last car, and create a multi-car pile-up. If I remember correctly, both lanes were full behind the cop, indicating that the cop had signaled that car in the passing lane was not to pass. Flashed his lights, or given a hand signal.

@ibstubro: If the cop was in his car and gave a hand signal, what guarantee is there that the other driver(s) saw that?

@jca Yeah, I’m not sure what such a signal would look like. If it was dark and snowing hard, how can anyone see what the cop is doing?

@jca
The driver saw it?

Where did dark enter it, @dappled_leaves?
Palm out the window of the cop car? Stop?

@ibstubro: I mean there is no guarantee that whatever signal the cop gave, it was seen by other drivers. Hand signals are not as apparent as blinking car lights or a light bar or whatever. I don’t know, I wasn’t there, just speculating.