Peek-a-boo Drivers

[K9]

This is increasingly irritating and dangerous. Old time truck drivers continue to discuss this as one of the reasons they want to get out of the field.

• Ok ... we live in an alienated society.
  But human beings are social animals.

Americans spend Billions of dollars each year, traveling around the world looking for people who will love us ... yet we often refuse to talk with the neighbor who lives right next door.

So what happens when you get these people ... who NEED social interactions in cars and TRUCKS ... who have either zero social skills or worst, a Personality Disorder or two?

Answer: Here comes the peek-a-boo driver ... edging up to peek into your mirror ... hanging just behind your shoulder ... waiting for some kind of response to their childish behavior.

It's getting worse.

I'm a flatbed driver. We can't take turns with the same speeds that van drivers can ... so I don't really like van drivers hugging my mirror when I'm coming down a hill with lots of curves ... but I realize that a lot of drivers are so bored that they need some kind of adventure in their life.

But the biggest irritant is after I've just left a truck stop ... and I've tried to talk to divers at the fuel line or inside ... and all I get is, "Hmmph" or some attempt at macho behavior.

Five miles up the road ... what do you get? That same damn bozo creeping up to look at another human being in the saftey of his or her cab. Somebody give me a freaking taser.

And it's worse when I'm driving Heavy Haul. I've got becons (flashing yellow lights) going on top of the cab and two at the rear of the load. I've spent a fair amount of time mounting HUGE yellow and black banners in front of and rear of the truck ... "OVERSIZE LOAD" ... and I've got red flags at every corner of the truck and trailer. (six ususally.)

WHAT MORE DOES A YA-BOB NEED TO REALIZE THEY NEED TO DRIVE PAST THIS TRUCK??

Things are happening on the shoulder of the road ... I have no where to go because mr. lonely has to linger and look at my headache rack, dream about my chains ... and puzzle over my load ... then assess me in the rear view mirror.

WHAT? Are we kids now? What happened to the mature driver. Is everybody ADD or something ... "can't get good attention so they get negative attention???

Look at all these truck accidents. Why can't drivers just maturely realize that the windshield of their truck is not a television screen and just drive up the darn road?

[ben45750]

I just read this post twice. I still don't know what point your trying to make?

[matcat]

Sounds like someone hasn't had any hometime lately

[MartenDrvrCA]

Sounds like someone hasn't had any hometime lately

[MartenDrvrCA]

I just read this post twice. I still don't know what point your trying to make?

X2

[Malaki86]

I'm guessing he's talking about people who ride behind you and then move over a bit so they can see what's going on in front of you - and possibly see why you're going slow.

I'm only guessing though.

[2]

I know exactly what you are talking about...

Just the other day, a JB Hunt driver catches up to me quick, then hangs out on the left rear corner of the trailer.

My left blinker is going, so I tell him to pass or back off.

He is so thrilled that I spoke to him, he wants to converse while I'm trying to move to make an exit to the left.

Yeah, I know exactly what you are saying.

FWIW, it seems a lot of box haulers are a bit envious of platformers.
They love to look in total amazement, and will readily admit to being too afraid, to try to get such a job.

[K9]

Thanks "2".

Sorry I didn't make my post more clear ... but I'm glad you spoke up 2.

I never thought about van drivers being so curious about flatbeds.

Perhaps some are puzzled ... but playing pepping tom games on the road is not a rational way of satisfying one's curiosity.

There may be some van drivers curious about Heavy Haul and flatbeders, but many of us (myself certainly included) are in awe of the alley docking skills van/refer drivers have. (We RARELY bump a dock.)

I guess respect is a huge part of safety as well as human consideration.

Come on ... you mean we're the only two drivers who experience people hanging out either in their rear view mirrors and looking up to see "wat da truck driver looks like" or driving in our blind spots?

You guys know there are tons of drivers who get bored and try to get a rise out of another driver. This is one part of that childish behavior I think.

And when I pull heavy ... it just gets insane sometimes. All I'm venting about ... all I'm asking ... is for grown men and women to entertain the thought that the irritating behavior they're enjoying might cost us both our lives.

[jiptwoo]

I think you and the other scateboarder think mighty highly of yourselves, because you just seem to be another driver to me. As for your cargo, well thats just what your hauling, nothing more important or precious than produce. So while I used to jump coast to coast in 3 days you probably think your putting on a show like E.L.O. Don't take it so hard and have a good day. Really it sounds like your talking about 4 wheelers to me, and for the one talking about jb hunt; that is mighty old, like 25 yrs. old try something else, please.

[MartenDrvrCA]

I think you and the other scateboarder think mighty highly of yourselves, because you just seem to be another driver to me. As for your cargo, well thats just what your hauling, nothing more important or precious than produce. So while I used to jump coast to coast in 3 days you probably think your putting on a show like E.L.O. Don't take it so hard and have a good day. Really it sounds like your talking about 4 wheelers to me, and for the one talking about jb hunt; that is mighty old, like 25 yrs. old try something else, please.

x2

[2]

I think you and the other scateboarder think mighty highly of yourselves, because you just seem to be another driver to me. As for your cargo, well thats just what your hauling, nothing more important or precious than produce. So while I used to jump coast to coast in 3 days you probably think your putting on a show like E.L.O. Don't take it so hard and have a good day.
Really it sounds like your talking about 4 wheelers to me,

and for the one talking about jb hunt; that is mighty old, like 25 yrs. old try something else, please.

You would be mistaken, of course.
This JB Hunt incident happened last week.
And, it is not just JB Hunt drivers and 4-wheelers.

Either your meds are taking their toll, or you have a reading comprehension problem.
Are you BidD's cousin?

[jiptwoo]

Meds, yes you definitely have it wrong, it's talking about jb that is old news, you don't get any points for jumping on jb anymore. Even 25 years ago they had reason to, but it was still lame. Before that it was big R who was in the barrel, nevermind I have to go; be safe. I do like that when one does not agree with the other than they are on drugs, don't count me in on that