How well do you understand transport trucks?

You just told us all about them. ;-)

I think I sort of understand how they drive, but I have never driven one, and I am sure there are many things about them I don’t know, and things I don’t even know that I don’t know.

The largest truck I have driven in a moving van, which I have done a few times, and have accidentally hit (slightly) a building and a parked car with them.

I know they require training and special commercial drivers’ licenses to operate in the USA.

I know their drivers also spend many many hours driving them, and see a lot of dangerous driving, so they tend to be skilled and cautious drivers. Though there can be exceptions, as I’ve noticed some of them in rare cases making some bad decisions.

I did know the basic things you mentioned. I also know the things found on some traffic signs and labels on trucks about how they have some large blind spots, and that if I can’t see their mirrors, the driver can’t see me. And that I should, for those reasons and perhaps others, not follow too close to them, be too close in front of them while moving, and that when changing lanes in front of them, even if going faster than them at the moment, I should leave a very healthy distance in front of them before changing into their lanes.

I know enough about physics and collisions, and have seen enough accident videos to appreciate how much chaos and damage can happen if they hit something.

I know some things you have posted about the abuses some trucking companies inflict upon their employees, and their preference for cutting expenses over keeping and taking care of the best drivers.

I also know some things about the remarkable computer routines that calculate how to ship the mind-bending amount of stuff that gets transported to where and when, and the crazy amount of data being used to do that.

I know they have transponders and are often required to stop at weigh stations where their positions and times and weights are recorded in an effort to assess fees and prevent theft.

I know the drivers often sleep in their trucks, sometimes while on the road, and sometimes sit out bad weather that way.

I know they lose tires while driving fairly regularly, but that’s generally considered safe enough and normal.

I know they have powerful but noisy compression brakes that they’re not allowed to use in some inhabited places, so they probably have harder times slowing down without them.

I know they slow down a lot going up large hills/mountains, and that they need to check their brakes going down hill.

I know there are runaway truck ramps to give them a chance to mitigate if/when their brakes fail on a down slope on some mountain highways, which involve gravel that they sink into and need to be towed out of.

I know they have different speed limits and lane use restrictions in some places, different roads they are supposed to use, bridge weight limits to pay attention to, and rules about stopping at train crossings even when there’s no apparent train.

I know there are different types of cargo that affect their performance, rules, and what sort of dangers they pose if they wreck.

I know on highways they have a task to follow their itinerary efficiently, and that they can manage different speeds, especially on slopes, which means it’s important to them to overtake slower trucks, and since that takes openings and a lot of time, it’s good to be considerate and do what makes sense to try to let them do so.

I know they’re pretty darn useful on mountain highways in terrible weather especially at night, to follow them at a good distance but enough to use them as a beacon to see the road ahead beyond what visibility would otherwise allow.

And yes, if it weren’t for the trucks, lots of North American modern society would grind to a halt, starve, go all Mad Max, etc., faster than most people think. It’s clear from how the stores run out of stuff when even notably irregular weather slows down the trucks.

Probably other things…

I understand them probably better than most. I have a CDL. I don’t drive them, but having a CDL was mandatory for test driving said trucks after repair.

Are there any transport trucks that don’t run on diesel?

What’s the fastest you’ve ever driven your 30-wheeler?

Have you ever thought about rigging your rig with an external speaker system, so that you could “advise” other drivers about their driving errors? ;-)

Not really a question of understanding. More a question of respecting.

Truck drivers have a job to do, just like I do. I get that. There are good truckers who follow the rules and their are bad truckers who are dangerous. Just like doctors or lawyers.

The noteworthy things about a truck (18-wheeler) – especially a loaded one – are these:

- The driver – even the best one in the world – can lose control, and because of the truck’s size and shape, people, cars, and other trucks can be crushed with the driver not knowing.

- A truck carrying 80,000 lbs. of anything is on the face of it, potentially dangerous. A truck carrying hazardous goods is even more dangerous.

@Brian1946 There are no big transport trucks that carry 80,000 lbs. that run on anything but Diesel fuel. Gasoline engines that might be large enough and powerful enough would get lousy fuel mileage and would wear out in under 70,000 miles. Diesel engines that are operated properly can get 300,000 miles between in-frame or complete overhauls.
It would be easy to equip a truck with an external speaker under the hood (called a “PA,” cops use them) and attach them to the CB radio.

I respect their space because I understand how they need to maneuver in traffic.

Thanks for the answer guys, just amazing how clueless the general public seems to be about them,like dangerously cutting us off, getting mad when we have to use their lane as well when cornering in cities,like taking to long to pass another transport truck.
those are just a few.

My ex drove a tractor trailer, so I understand the wide berth they need for turning and that they cannot stop on a dime, so I don’t ever pull out in front of one without adequate space.