Darn 18 wheeler!

[Nandy]

While this is not while boating/fishing it did happen while underway. I am taking my boat to work so I can leave for a little trip. There is this 2008 Camry in front of me and we are getting to this intersection with a traffic light on it. Well there is an 18 wheeler in the incoming traffic lane that needed to make a left turn and it was getting impatient and it was pulling bit by bit into our lane, then he decided he has enough space between the car in front of the Camry. He makes the turn!!! I am like shock, the Camry stops but I am pulling my 17 footer cobia, I don't stop in a dime. There it goes the tires screech but not stopping. I could see the lady in the Camry look in her mirror and hammer the gas, well, that saved the day cuz she move about 15 feet forward which left me with 5 feet between her and me when my Blazer stopped. The gravel in the road did not help me stopping either... My heart was going!!!

 

[JB]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

When do you install brakes on the trailer??

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

I bet there is a hole in the drivers seat of the Blazer now!

Glad nobody was hurt and no damage..

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

You met someone thats hard to find today.a defensive driver....Without saying it she saved you alot of grief and undeserved blame. I was stoped once and saw the car behind me coming too fast and a look of terror in the drivers face. I was lucky enough to jump forward about 15 feet before she slid to a stop not 4 feet off my rear. She had a cell phone to her ear the entire time. Just call me santa.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

JB, you better believe it pass my mind. It is not required by law but I see the need. My truck was able to "handle" the boat, no jack knife or even any push to any side, but it was darn scary cuz I know without the boat I would not have had that situation happened to me.

Gary, my butt was off the chair while I was stepping on that break!!! I have a grin in my face as I type this and it is funny now... Thanks for the chuckle!

Thefairlaneman, she did save the day, there is nothing else I can say. In retrospect, I should have been defensive as I could tell that 18 wheeler was going to do something stupid. My delay in reacting got me in trouble. I think I was too concentrated on the truck taking the turn than watching the vehicle in front of me.

I was the lucky guy today!

 

[LoweRider]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good! Glad it worked out well for you and that nobody was hurt and nothing got broken.

 

[kyle f]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

That is why I liek towing my 4000lb boat with an F-250 Diesel... it stops the trailer on a dime.

 

[Scorpion 210 LTD]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

Kyle,

That is because you likely have working brakes on your trailer and little to do with driving a diesel powered PU.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

Actually, the F250 does help stop faster, even if the trailer has brakes. The truck has better brakes than the F150 and the rear axle is heavier (its the same one that is used in the F350), so there is a bit more weight in the rear end of the truck to keep the rear tires planted.

As for the truck driver, sounds like he made a mistake, but I sure wish people would help drivers out by understanding what they are trying to do. If you see a TT rig or a large straight truck, trying to turn left or right and they are in the center of the road, there is a reason for that - they have to turn wide to keep the trailer or rear end from hitting the curb, sign posts, etc. The problem that they always face is that 4 wheelers constantly cut inside of them, giving them no chance to make the turn. What this driver was doing is exactly what you have to do - slowly creep in whatever direction you are trying to go, so that the 4 wheelers will give you a break and let you make the turn.

In these situations when I am in my van, I will routinely assume a blocking position for the truck driver by staying behind and to the side of him, in the lane that he/she needs to cut across. I do this safely by paying attention to what is behind me before I stop, and put my flashers on if the situation makes it advisable. People often honk their horns at me and get ticked off but I really don't care. I don't make sudden stops to do this, or do other dumb things, and the end result is that the truck can get out of everyone else's way and all can be on their way quickly.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

Ditto that Jay.
As an ex OTR, O/O, I too do that when I see the situation like that.
People today are in way to much of a hurry.
Never could figure that out.
It will still be there when you get there, if not, then it wasn't worth going in the first place.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

Look out for the "big wheels" they sure appreciate it when you have the foresight to give them the extra room they need at times.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

Spinner, the problem is that the average person has never driven a large truck in traffic and they simply don't have a clue. There are also way too many lawyers with ads about the "big ole, bad truck drivers." Those folks conveniently forget to mention that the vast majority of accidents involving big trucks and 4 wheelers, were actually caused by the 4 wheelers.

I don't claim to be a truck driver with years of experience but I did have a CDL for a couple of years. I drove a 40,000 pound ten wheeler with a 7 speed (5 x 2 speed RE) and a variety of F Series, diesel Fords, including an F550 with a 6 speed and a big gooseneck. Between arguing with work crews, who never wanted to be bothered to load my trucks properly (I drove all flatbed, with a few exceptions), and dealing with road issues, I quickly learned that truck driving can be a very difficult job!

So, my thought for all is to treat truck drivers nicely ... after all, the car you may be sitting in, as well as the britches on your backside, came in one!

 

[Nandy]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

I understand about the 18 wheelers needing more space and all, but he is making a left turn in an intersection with incoming traffic.

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

I understand about the 18 wheelers needing more space and all, but he is making a left turn in an intersection with incoming traffic.

Yeah, a lot of those idiots think that since they're bigger, they have the right of way.

The rules of the road still apply. You still gotta yeild when making a left turn...

You think truckers are bad now, just wait 'till the No-need-for-Mexicans-to-have-a-driver-license-or-visa-to-truck-in-America plan that Bush pushed through last year, gets under full swing.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

You think truckers are bad now, just wait 'till the No-need-for-Mexicans-to-have-a-driver-license-or-visa-to-truck-in-America plan that Bush pushed through last year, gets under full swing.

They are supposed to have a driver license from Mexico I supposed... If the traffic laws are the same there as here and their test for truckers is the same then all I see is that the DOT will loose some money here. Besides, if a truck driver screws up the trucking company insurance is the one that pays.

In the other had, when I moved to NC I had to take a test to validate my license. I think that goes for everyone... Why give this "advantage" to just one sector of the driving community? Are we running out of truck drivers?

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

I'm not saying that this particular driver didn't make a mistake, but the business about slowly creeping in the direction that he wanted to go, is pretty much what you have to do.

All I can tell you is that, until you go out and drive one of these trucks for awhile, you really don't see how rude people are to truck drivers. I think Spinner would agree with me that the percentage of times that the driver behaves badly v. the 4 wheeler doing something rude or stupid, isn't even close. The 4 wheelers win the "moron contest" by a huge margin.

Just sayin, you know?

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

They are supposed to have a driver license from Mexico I supposed... If the traffic laws are the same there as here and their test for truckers is the same then all I see is that the DOT will loose some money here. Besides, if a truck driver screws up the trucking company insurance is the one that pays.

In the other had, when I moved to NC I had to take a test to validate my license. I think that goes for everyone... Why give this "advantage" to just one sector of the driving community? Are we running out of truck drivers?

SUPPOSED to... Yeah. Mexico does not have a reliable or verifiable licensing system.

If you're only thinking of damage caused by these trucks in monetary terms, then yes, it's the insurance companies who "pay" (assuming they actually HAVE insurance).

But the people burying their loved ones don't tend to see it as being quite so cut and dry... They get to "pay" a lot more than a for-profit insurance system...

I agree that 4-wheel vehicles tend to make more mistakes, but there are also more of them on the roads. I'll bet the idiot-to-vehicle ratio is pretty much the same across the board...

That said, 18-wheelers have a LOT more responsibility, and are SUPPOSED to have more advanced driving skills than your average driver.

What might have been a fender-bender between a couple of 4-wheelers, can very quickly become a fatal situation, when an 18-wheeler goes up against a 4-wheeler.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

SUPPOSED to... Yeah. Mexico does not have a reliable or verifiable licensing system.

I have no knowledge of Mexico licensing system so I wont touch that one.

If you're only thinking of damage caused by these trucks in monetary terms, then yes, it's the insurance companies who "pay" (assuming they actually HAVE insurance).

But the people burying their loved ones don't tend to see it as being quite so cut and dry... They get to "pay" a lot more than a for-profit insurance system...

I agree, but I believe that no license or training will stop that. It is up to the driver to follow them and sometimes that is not done, regardless of the driver origin.

 

[BMOLCHANY]

Re: Darn 18 wheeler!

So I do not think that you answered the question. When are you putting brakes on the trailer? If it was me it would be as soon as I was doing the laundry and cleaning the fecal matter out of my pants.