Interstate Etiquette Needed for Truck Drivers

Your right, it is a danger. However I can't say I agree with the class. If the truck drivers have to do it so should we all. Just a few hours ago today I had some idiot (I'm sure teenager) tailgate me and then speed up and cut in front of me right before a light intersection (the light was red). Whoever was driving that explorer type truck was burning rubber (and gas) at a very fast rate with their driving.

The best way to a man's heart is really through his stomach, that way you don't have to deal with that pesky rib cage!
~Anomous

You're stereotypes of truckers are appalling. First, what seems to many as "tailgating" is really just how the elevated cabs of trucks allows truck drivers to drive. Not only is this height required for the size of load that cabs pull, but it allows truckers to see depth much better than one can in a car. Just like bus drivers can see better and are often accused of "tailgating."

Also, all trucks don't have "How's my driving?" stickers because of people like you. How many times have you ever called to say, "You're drivers are very courteous and toughtful drivers, thanks for putting that sticker on your truck?" My guess is that you answered that question with a resounding none. If companies put these stickers on trucks, they are stuck with a full-time complaint line that requires someone to answer the phone, another full-time expense to the company. They will also have to put in place a discipline system that is based solely on complaints by motorists in bad moods, this will also do little good for anyone. If you really fell the need to complain, write down the truck's plate number and any information available on the cab and write a letter. This complaint will be taken much more seriously and may even be valued.

Last I knew, a suburban was not a small vehicle. You should have seen the guy last night. I think that if a trucker had a number on their truck, they would be more obligated to drive better so that they don't get a bad review.

More Obligated? Do you seriously believe that? What is the company supposed to do if you call and complain. The caller isn't an amployee they know they can trust, what if the person on the other end of that line is a teenager messing around, do you really think putting the financial well-being of truck drivers and their families relies on angry motorists with cell phones? Once again, if you want a complaint to be taken seriously, put it in writing.

I still think that's stupid. They should at least have weigh stations open at night just to make truckers take a break. There were a few of those drivers all together going all over the road, cutting people off, and being rude all together. They were either very sleep deprived or very drunk. I still don't think that any drivers who are cutting people off should be allowed to drive at all hours. They should at least be checked out once in a while.

I didn't like this blog very much :(
I love truck drivers. If it wasn't for them, this country wouldn't run smoothly like it does in transportation.
We need to turn things around-yes, there are the occasional bad ones, but for the most part-they are not bad at all. They work long, LONG hours, away from home, away from their families, their houses, everything. They get to know their truck, and that is about it. Most of them don't make a ton of money, yet they keep doing what they do so that they can support their family.

I totally agree with you red. Truck driver is a profession so often looked down upon, but so extremly needed. Should they be looked down upon any more than you're local UPS guy, both have the same job of driving packages around and delivering them, just with different ranges.

Swim, were the only bad drivers you encountered on this trip driving 18-wheelers. I think you are under the dilusion that anyone in a vehicle smaller than a suburban is a perfect driver. Also, as far as the long hours go, my mom used to keep track of driving logs for truckers, and yes, many drivers used to keep two logs, one that said they were driving perfectly and stopping when they should and another that said how they really drove. Now, because of various federal regualtions, this is no longer so easy to do. Many trucks now even come equipped with devices like On-Star or GPS that keep track of logs for the drivers digitally and can show companies when drivers aren't stopping at night to rest.

I hope you're right because my dad and I didn't think that we were going to maek it home safely. And when we hit oen of the major cities, there was a truck driver who was driving a big gas truck and was asleep at the wheel, swerving all over. I still think they should at least be required to take a break at least.

I agree that all of the things that happened are dangerous, and those certain people driving should have been more respectful. But I dont agree with the classes, that's wrong. My boyfriend's father drives a truck for a living. And that profession as a whole is so stressful and so hard on a family. It may not seem that way because all they do is drive a truck, but really, truck drivers are constantly on the road, and are hardly home. They drive long hours so its tiring. If they get tired, they are told to pull off, because they have a bed in the sleeper that they can rest on. I dont understand why truckers are looked down upon, I mean a person in a small car with road rage is just as much a danger as a person in a large truck.

I was just making a suggestion as to a way to keep people safer from truck drivers that have road rage. I respect the profession, but not the drivers that chose to drink then drive dangerously on the interstate afterwards, putting everyone they encounter including themself at risk. A person in a small car that gets run into by another small car on the interstate might survive whereas a person in a small car who gets hit by a huge semi truck doesn't have a very likely chance of surviving because it is so much bigger. I know that drivers are under a lot of stress, but anyone that is seriously too tired or drunk and is cutting people off and swerving all over the road should not be driving, whether it is a semi or a car. Maybe police should patrol the interstate more or something, but trucks that are swerving all over along with cars are a danger to everyone driving. Besides, their driving all over the place due to lack of sleep or a trip to the bar might cause someone else to not make it home to see their family. Again, I respect their profession and believe that it is important and the class was a suggestion, but seriously...if drivers are so tired or drunk that they are all over the road, they shouldn't be allowed to drive and someone should at least intervene.

I was just really nervous on the interstate that night. There was an occasional car swerving, but dad and I were more concerned about the truck drivers swerving than the cars.