Close Encounters of the 4-Wheeler Kind
 

Remember when you first started going solo in your big rig and a 4-wheeler almost gave you a heart attack by doing something mentally dull? :shock:

What are some of your memories of stupid 4-wheeler tricks?

Or, how did a 4-wheeler make your heart thump a bit quicker today?

- - -

Somebody's Grandma nearly did me in today. She was merging onto the Interstate (I-43 just north of the new interchange construction in Milwaukee) and just...kept...going...the...same...speed...which.. .was...slow. I was in the right lane and began slowing down well before a potential ugly incident, but I kept expecting her to speed up. She didn't. And no turn signal.

After a while, I was able to get around her and she was looking straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to traffic around her. I think she managed to get her vehicle up to 40MPH by the time I passed her.

Be on the lookout for slow-moving grannies (as well as grandpas!) :)

You know that nice little yellow diamond sign you see waving in the back window of a 4-wheeler? The one they NEED to put on the DASH? CAUTION - BABY ON BOARD

L. A. Freeway that's 4 lanes wide. I'm in the second lane from the right, and a Honda Prelude comes over from the far left lane to get the exit... But gets cut off by a car passing on my right... The Honda hits the brakes right in front of me, lets the car by and gasses on it onto the exit. Little yellow sign waving like mad... Two infant seats in the back seat and both occupied...

When I got to a truck stop, I looked to see if she wiped any of the dirt off my bumper with hers.... A fresh little streak about 6 inches long, near the bottom middle... But, she made the exit and I'll bet she had no idea we touched. I had barely gotten my foot on the brake and it was over.

Coming across the Ohio turnpike one afternoon in a horrible rainstorm. I was only doing 50-55mph because of it.

As I approached an entrance ramp, I saw a pickup coming on. I couldn't change lanes, so I just kept going the same speed. So did he. Not once did he look over (my wife was in the passenger seat looking at him), no blinkers, no accelerating - nothing. He just kept merging.

I finally had to stand on the brakes to miss him. As he got on the interstate in front of me, he flipped me off for not letting him over sooner.

Idiots...

You have no idea how many times I've thought...
Logbook is current and I have hours to run...
He's the one that's crossing the line...

Then I chicken out. :shock:

Stupid 4 wheeler tricks are expected.
Trucks scare the crap out of me sometimes.

That really gets me too Wind. It's a wonder you don't need an IQ test before pro-creating with some of these fools.

Mal, I'm the same way with the cars all the time, I hold my ground and speed at the ramps if they are coming on slow. If it's a truck I do my best to get on by or drop off and leave a hole if I can't get over. Car flips me off, who cares right? I just laugh and shake my head.

I had an SUV nearly merge over into my trailer one day. Had a pilot car in front and rear and as I passed the SUV with the truck they started drifting over. Pilot behind me got on the CB and started giving me the play by play when he saw it drifting. I had another that started to chop me off so I gave a quick burst on the horn and she pulled away then tried to force the issue again so I gave another quick tug on the horn and she again pulled back away from me. She proceeded to then flip me off out her window and hit the brakes to get behind me. :roll:

AM I RIGHT???
 

There is one thing that we all can relate to with 4-WHEELERS.
SITUATION:
You're driving in your lane and suddenly with no signal or anything a 4-WHEELER cuts you off.
Next, after they cut you off they wave to you for letting them cut you off. In their mind, "that was nice of that truck driver to let me over." In our minds, "Idiot, you just cut me off and brake checked me."

I learned to drive (a car) on the L.A. Freeway.... but that was 35 years ago! This is to be expected at ALL times! It is the law out there that everyone in the far left lane MUST cross traffic to get off the NEXT exit.... and everyone getting ON in the granny lane MUST move to the far left lane so they can speed up before crossing back over to get off the NEXT exit! :lol:

You basically have TWO choices..... either TAILGATE the vehicle in front of you so as NOT to leave space for this (and that IS the purpose of that space, ya know..) OR.... stay well back and just watch the circus! Always keep one eye on each side mirror at the same time! They will come from BOTH sides and usually want the same "space" at the same time!

It is not their fault if they cut you off. YOU are supposed to know the rules! :lol:

NO, then you use your head and act like the professional you are. ( even though it hurts)

So wait Fredog, even though holding your ground is perfectly legal we are supposed to be nice(professional) and let them in when they are trying to drive into our fuel tank because they are too stupid to speed on up and go? Are you trying to insinuate that if a car merges right over into the side of you, not cutting across your bumper but into the side of you from the steer tire back your weren't being professional enough? If they are trying to cut across your bumper then it's a different story but not when they are driving into the side of you.

If you get in front of me then you stand a better chance of me letting you over vs sitting at my door. Sitting at my door doesn't tell me a thing about what you are attempting to do. That's not being unprofessional, I'm holding what I got and letting them make the decision, speed up or drop in behind me.

Even if I don't win my bid for President this election, if I get a percentage of the votes, I will do my level best to have a program instituted that WILL make the hiways safer. And you can bet that C.R.A.S.H. and P.A.T.T will NOT be my biggest admirers. I'm almost willing to bet that THEY will be the biggest contributors to the various municipalities "GENERAL FUND".

I am saying that avoiding a wreck regardless of the circumstances is being professional

had a guy cut me off and then put on the brakes so he can make the exit.
im still amazed that i didnt run him over.
my dad told me when i first started driving, you have to drive your truck and their cars too to avoid an accident.

The point is, a professional driver should never be in a position where a car is "at their door". You should have seen the situation coming and either changed lanes, slowed down or sped up.

There is no valid argument against being a professional, courteous driver. REGARDLESS of the other person's capabilities. That other person likely has a family and you swapping paint with them is neither good for them or your DAC.

How many years you been driving, Colin? If you put a monkey in a cage with 3 possible ways to escape, it will find a 4th that you did not know about. Give a 4-wheeler 3 possible ways to get into an accident and die, and he/she will find a 4th that you did not know existed. They keep INVENTING ways to cause accidents, and I almost think they stay awake nights trying think of new ways to do it. No matter how well prepared you think you are, someone will ALWAYS find a way to "BLINDSIDE" you. It is NOT humanly possible to be able to anticipate EVERY move a 4-wheeler will make.

I drove for 9 years. Local, regional, OTR.

My point was that if you are not within close range of a car, it becomes much more difficult to become 'involved' with that car.

Create space. Look ahead. Leave a way out.

^ Any of that sound familiar to anyone?

I-24 NB into Nashville had a 4 wheeler come to a complete stop in the granny lane to let someone merge onto the highway. Had a trainee with me who was not driving at the time thank god. For some reason I sensed it coming and merged left.

If you were to ask 100 people who has the right of way merging I ll bet 90 percent couldnt tell ya.

In city traffic i will back out of the throttle 5 mph for a car and if they dont take advantage of it tough.

For my fellow drivers(professional) I will always move over if I can.

Windwalker said:


I didn't know until he responded exactly how many years Colin has been driving.... but, I KNEW it was more than ME! Maybe not as many as "Wind," but close! He has taken alot of guff for his political bent.... as have I.... but, I have seen FEW on here who questioned his experience as a trucker! And he is RIGHT on THIS one!

Relating to the points that I have highlighted....

We ALL sit atop two very flammable fuel tanks! In nearly EVERY trucker crash I read about, and SEE.... the cab has been engulfed in flames due to their proximity and vulnerability. MANY never make it out alive! Do YOU want to roll the dice on that one because you are STUBBORN?

A "merging" vehicle that IS abeam of my tanks, tells ME alot! It tells me that they may be stupid, careless, on the phone or whatever.... but, it tells me that THEY are not in a position that INDICATES that they will speed up and get in front of me, NOR that they are inclined to get behind me! So.... as a PROFESSIONAL driver, concerned for my OWN safety as well as others', I have the responsibility to resolve the situation SAFELY.... whatever that takes!

Colin is correct. A "professional" driver would seldom let himself get into this situation. He would have SEEN it coming, and adjusted his speed or lane postion accordingly! He might not LIKE it.... but, that is part of his JOB, and his TRAINING!

I most FERVENTLY agree that there is NO VALID ARGUMENT against being a PROFESSIONAL! You can blame everyone else... the 4wheeler, the company, or the OTHER trucker.... all you WANT! But, it all comes down to YOU! Some of you don't "get it!" Being a professional means being BETTER trained, BETTER skilled, and of a BETTER temperament than the other drivers on the road! You are NOT "just like them." You are not trying to get home from work, and hopefully NOT on the cellphone trading stocks! YOU have a load to deliver from point A to B, and it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that it gets there safely... if NOT on time! LETTING someone drive into your fuel tanks because they are stupid only makes YOU MORE SO! :roll:

IF you survive it.... it WILL go down as a "preventable," and will probably cost you your CAREER! Is a few MPH WORTH it??? And BTW...... WHY are you so stupid as to BE in the right lane anyway in a city?? (This rarely happens on the open road.) UNLESS there is a sign telling you that you MUST be in the right lane ONLY.... Or UNLESS you are such a slow truck as to hamper the progress of faster trucks..... You SHOULD always be one lane to the LEFT of the "local" lane when going through a city! Have you EVER seen the signs that say... "through traffic merge LEFT?" What do you think that means? It means.... there is alot of friggin' traffic getting ON AND OFF for the next few miles, and YOU should avoid being IN THE WAY! :shock: :roll:

But SO MANY of you just get into the "elephant train" NOSE TO TAIL and "cruise" through major metropolitan areas and BITCH about the 4wheelers who are trying to get on with their lives! Lives that are TIED to the on and off ramps that service THEIR town! :roll:

No.... it is not "humanly possible" to anticipate every move a 4wheeler will make! If it WERE.... "I" would never have to slow down! (except for stupid TRUCKERS!) But, it IS within your power, AND a part of your training to TRY to do just that! You are not "out there" because of your LOOKS! You are out there to be a "professional!" Get OFF the cellphone and PAY ATTENTION to the traffic around you! That is your JOB! For 10 or 11 hours a day, you don't just DRIVE the truck.... you "navigate" rough waters!

I have a saying. IF you say "Woah, where did HE come from?" more than twice a day.... YOU are dangerous! You should LIVE in your mirrors! And you should THINK a mile down the road! If you are NOT paying attention, and driving in a manner that FACILITATES traffic, you are STEALING money from your company! They pay you for MORE than just driving the truck! I WOULD say that ANY fool can drive a truck..... but, some of you keep proving me wrong! :roll:

In my short 3 years of driving, I can honestly say that only ONE 4wheeler has caused me to "brake check," and HE did it out of spite because I was gently "nudging" him to get out of the fast lane! :shock: :lol:

I know.... I was WRONG!!! And I LEARNED from it! [NOW I just push them out of the way! :lol: ] But, I have NEVER had a problem with merging traffic!

Like many have said.... maybe I speed up, maybe I slow down, and maybe I move over! But, I NEVER let a vehicle close to my tanks without a clue as to their intentions! And I absolutely will NOT be so stubborn as to find out the hard way! :roll:

Those of you who DO.... may you R.I.P!!

So Hobo, how about the one that attempted to merge into the side of my trailer, was I being unprofessional because I was passing them and they decided to start drifting over? Neighbor who drove dumps locally was hit head-on on a 2 lane by a suicidal driver. He never had time to get the brakes because the guy swerved over at the last second. I guess he was being unprofessional, right? He didn't have a way out.

You cannot be professional 100% of the time and not be in a wreck. There are times when you have to be unprofessional in order to avoid a wreck. You say speed up, that's being unprofessional right there but it could avoid a wreck or get you charged if your in one as being aggressive in some states. Your supposed to hold what you have or slow down if you cannot change lanes. As what was exlained to me by the state examiner when I got my CDL, they are more agile than you, let them make the decision. That is coming from one of the toughest, by the book examiner's in the state of VA.

On 2nd thought, ya'll drive how you want to drive and I will do what works for me. Knock on wood, it has not gotten me in a wreck. I know what works for me to keep 4 wheelers from attempting to be stupid around me. We are all going to have our own thoughts on what is considered a professional move and what's not. Every situation is different in some way.

How about this?
 

Here's a scenario.... I am driving along in the right lane, Joe 4 wheeler wants to merge on. I cant move over and or speed up. I hold my ground and Joe 4-wheeler drives into my fuel tank. The witnesses all tell the cop what happened and Joe gets cited for the wreck. Joe 4-wheeler then calls Frank-ambulance chaser who calls Doctor Quackenstein, Doctor quack says that Joe will have pain the rest of his life. Frank then pulls my life-long driving history and finds that as a teenager I had 2 speeding tickets. also in 35 years of truck driving, I have had 2 speeding tickets. I have also been put out of service twice for equipment violations ( turn signal out and parking brake out of adjustment) I also have one out of service for log book not up to last change of duty. ( I forgot to go to driving when I left the plant) Now, Frank-ambulance chaser presents this to a jury. only he doesnt tell them this happened over a course of more than 30 years, He just tells them the violations and explains that I have a history of speeding and driving unsafe equipment, the jury that is made up of all 4-wheeler drivers who hate trucks takes about 10 minutes to award Joe a few million. My companies insurance pays off and raises the rates so high that my boss can no longer stay in business, no other company will touch me because it has been proven that I am an unsafe driver. BUT I STOOD MY GROUND AND SHOWED THAT 4 WHEELER WHO IS BOSS!!

the incidents and characters in this story are purely fictional

Very good point Fredog and Golfhobo,

In a governed truck hard to speed up so we only really have two options slow down or move over.

I lived and drove in Germany for 20 years and even though it goes against the ingrained habit i have that slow or commercial traffic must stay in the right lane except to pass I have found a solution that works for me here in the states.

Major Cities
If it is three lanes or more I just stay out of the right lane where you dont have to contend with the people merging. Now I watch my mirrors if it is cars behind me they can pass either right or left no problem for them (and it is legal here in the states) and most of them pass on the right anyway. If I see another truck that is faster I will move over right (since you are not always next to an on ramp) and clear the lane for them because even though they can pass legally on the right(left lane is restricted if I am in the middle) most professional drivers know that slower traffic must stay right if you are not running the speed limit(and will give you an ear full on the radio).
Now I have heard arguments that slow traffic must stay right but if you are holding the speed limit (legal)and the traffic behind you is passing left or right(speeding to do so)
you are legal by staying in the middle lane.

Never really had this problem in Germany, onramp is called acceleration lane (Beschlunigung spur) and believe me the Germans know how to use it .

Driving defensively is a great way to prevent accidents but some stuff is just plain unavoidable unless you stay home in bed.

What amazed me when I had to retest here for my CDL after moving back home to the states is the lack of emphasis on road rules, even most CDL schools only teach the fundamentals of operating a truck and barely touch road rules, had a trainee once that had no idea what the lines on the road meant other than that they marked the lanes, did not know solid lines you are not allowed to cross and how they regulated lane changes or passing.

Good thing it is purely fictional Fredog, because a defense lawyer would eat that up and get it tossed out of court in the first 5 minutes. 8)

Like changing lanes and wiping out the mini-van in the left lane that you didn't have time to see, in order to take evasive action and avoid the obvious accident with the moron on the right.

And you would be incorrect.

If Joe Dumbass is coming onto the interstate and merges into you, he will be given the ticket for "FAILURE TO YIELD", since he will have passed that big red or yellow triangle with the word "YIELD" on it, in order to do so. Hell, you don't even have to slow down.

Now granted, a professional driver isn't going to look for a reason to run Joe Dumbass off the road, but as a professional driver, you also better not be making rapid lane changes to avoid the moron. That's when you become the unprofessional inattentive steering wheel holder who will likely loose job, career, and everything else.

Interestingly enough, if you were to slow down to let Joe Dumbass on the interstate and ended up getting rear-ended by another vehicle, you would likely be charged with impeding traffic, get nailed with that preventable, and suffer all the fun that goes with it, even if the person that hit you shouldered the blame with a "following too closely."

That YIELD sign is there for a reason. It means, according to the judge in a case I was involved in a while back (I was the hittee, not the hitter), "you stop your damn car and get your fat ass out of it and look, if you have to!! GUILTY AS CHARGED!!" And a Failure to Yield charge is also considered a major moving violation.

As a professional truck driver, if you can safely change lanes to allow someone to merge, then do so. But on today's crowded roads, that rarely happens. If I were a trucker, I'd much rather hazard the idiot trying to merge into me, than erraticly change lanes to avoid him and send a family of 5 head-on into oncoming traffic. As a 4-wheeler, I always make the assumption that whoever is in the right lane, be it a truck or another 4-wheeler, is going to stay there and I adjust my merging speed to do so safely.

If you are in an accident where someone failed to yield, as a driver, it would behoove you to ensure that officers were called to the scene and that an accident report was filled out. At that point, you have an air-tight case than no shyster lawer could break.

OK. I'm in my 4-wheeler going home from a day of professional driving. I'm coming off the interstate onto a spur north of Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. I put my turn signal on to indicate that I will be merging with traffic to the right of me.

Jack Dumbass (cousin to Joe Dumbass :lol: ) is in the lane I'm merging into. I realize he is not going to allow me in so I tap the brakes. I look over and he's staring straight ahead (like he's stoned or something. In all fairness to Jack, with all the rain we've gotten here, perhaps he's totally fried because he's got 4-feel of water and sewage in his basement, but I digress). Then his passenger must have pointed out that I'm trying to merge. Without warning he abruptly swerves (and I mean swerves) in the right lane adjacent to him. Fortunately there is no vehicle there. Unfortunately, the vehicle that was just about there slammed on the brakes to avoid rear-ending Jack Dumbass. I happened to look over at the other guy just after he slammed on his brakes. You would be accurate to say he was a wee-bit pissed.

Joe Dumbass then proceeded to veer back into his original lane (good thing I wasn't there!). I passed him (fairly quickly I might add) and proceeded on my merry way.

Safety is a 24/7/365 thing ain't it!

Twilight said:

Apparently, this is one of the differences between US, Twilight. As I suggested.... I almost LIVE in my mirrors! I ALWAYS know exactly what cars/trucks are around me. I know the COLOR and the MODEL as well as I can discern it. I know whether they are "hanging back" or "closing on my flank. I also take inventory of EVERY car merging into traffic. I am WAY ahead of this game EVERY time it is played out. I would NEVER have to make an "erratic" lane change at the LAST moment.... because I would have decided much earlier what my options were, and what would be the SAFE way to resolve the situation.

My point was, that a professional driver SHOULD be thinking way ahead of the game.... and not BE in a position to just let a moron drive into his tanks.


That is YOUR opinion. As you said.... you don't work in SAFETY. IF witnesses SAY that the lane to your left was open, or that you COULD have slowed down.... just because the "merger" was in the wrong, does NOT mean that you couldn't have prevented the accident. And, from everything I've read on this forum.... if there is ANY way you COULD have prevented the accident..... you will be charged (by your company) with a "preventable." Personally..... I have no experience in that!

Who gets the ticket has little to do with WHO could have prevented the accident. We agree completely on not making "rapid lane changes." Besides.... part of my point was that if you stand your ground, and he merges into your tanks..... you probably won't LIVE to worry about your job anyway!

I don't think so! There is no law that says you can't SLOW DOWN in your lane! (WHY do you think they post signs WARNING you of merging traffic from your right?) That is NOT impeding traffic. And yes, the idiot who was "elephant training" you will get a following too closely ticket IF he hits you!

Since, as you say, you are NOT a trucker..... then you don't sit atop 240 gallons of potential FIRE! We don't have the luxury of choosing ONE option or the OTHER. It is our JOB to avoid BOTH! And we DO thank those of you who "adjust your speed to be safe." If you'll re-read my post, Twilight.... you'll see that I am all about thinking AHEAD of every situation, and NOT being "caught" in one like this.

Someone said that a merging vehicle abeam of his tanks told him NOTHING. I simply pointed out that it SHOULD! And that a professional TRUCK driver has the responsibility to be SMARTER and SAFER than the average 4wheeler! And just a LITTLE less "pig-headed!" :wink:

[quote="Golfhobo"]Who gets the ticket has little to do with WHO could have prevented the accident. We agree completely on not making "rapid lane changes." Besides.... part of my point was that if you stand your ground, and he merges into your tanks..... you probably won't LIVE to worry about your job anyway!

At the same time, at the point of impact, if all of your eighteen wheels are not WITHIN your lane markings, most like you will get the ticket, and the blame for the accident.

On I-65, a few years ago, a tanker was southbound, and a pickup was coming off the get-on ramp. That interchange has the "A" and "B" ramps, and the pickup had to go around a full 270 degrees to get onto the hiway. It was evident that half way around the ramp, the pickup was going into a power slide in order to get up enough speed to get ahead of the truck. Even though the tanker moved over nearly one full lane, the pickup still slammed into the steps and fuel tank. When the state trooper got there, he looked at the tracks, and was ready to give the tanker the ticket because he was not within his lane when the impact occurred. There were 4 of us that had seen the whole thing happen, including two 4-wheelers. All laid blame on the pickup.

If you think you are good enough to be able to prevent every possible accident that might happen to you, I'm afraid you are being far too over-confident. And, I don't care HOW PROFESSIONAL you are. Someone, someday, will find a way to get through your defenses. Not much different than getting caught on a railroad track.

Mr. Ford said:

Unless your drving compartment AND your twin tanks are located somewhere in the middle of your trailer...... I don't think my comments were addressing this! :roll:


Sorry to hear about your neighbor. 2 lanes ALWAYS make me a bit nervous for much this same reason! Not so much a suicidal driver, but an innattentive one... crossing the line! I USUALLY am covering my brake most of the time, and ALWAYS (at least) LOOKING for a way out! Perhaps your neighbor WASN'T!! Or, maybe he WAS.... and just had no way out on such short notice! This is certainly a special case that has LITTLE BEARING on my post! But.... thanks for making such an obscure point! :roll:

Say WHAT??? :shock: :lol:

Speeding up is NOT being "unprofessional!" It is entirely possible that you might NOT even be doing the speed limit, especially if in the right lane. Besides..... when I mentioned that..... I was MOSTLY referring to speeding up to allow another TRUCK to merge without having HIM to have to slow down!

You gonna SLOW DOWN for a merging truck weighing 80k lbs?? OR for a Granny who is scared to get out in front of you anyway?? When that "tough" VA examiner is sitting in MY SEAT.... atop 240 gallons of diesel..... I'll let HIM tell ME what I should do! He is giving you the SIMPLEST, most BASIC information he thinks your DUMB TRUCKER AZZ can understand!! :roll: And, apparently..... you're THANKING him for it! :wink:

I DO, however, agree about them being more "agile!" I'm usually yelling at them... "It's called an ACCELERATOR, Dummy! MAYASH on it!" :lol:

But, when they DON'T.... and I usually can tell when they WON'T..... "I" make the decisions for BOTH of us! A decision well planned out in advance, with no ERRATIC movements, and I can honestly say.... I've NEVER run ANYONE off onto the shoulder!

Of course.... I am RARELY in the granny lane in big cities!! AND, I guess it is worth mentioning, that my truck is fast enough that I am usually PACING, if not LEADING the flow of traffic. So MINIVANS full of Twilight's relatives are not "whizzing" all about me faster than I can COUNT them! :lol:

Vehicles around me tend to "respect" me more, because I am not such a "nuisance" to them. AND, I often signal my intentions well in advance, and even "encourage" them to either stay ahead of me, or behind me if possible! I "guard" my "way out" with "sentinel" committment! I don't talk on the phone all day, or eat while driving, or jam out to tunes! I am "on the job" for 10 or 11 hours a day! I "direct" more traffic in one day than most traffic cops do! In 3 years of driving, I have been "flipped off" exactly TWICE!! I have been "thanked" with flashing lights THOUSANDS of times!

This discussion points out two of MY biggest pet peeves. 1) governed trucks and disparate speed limits, and 2) this nonsense called the "no zone!" :twisted:

Of course, it is TOO much to ASK that MOST truck drivers could be TRUSTED to drive with the flow of traffic!! THAT would require an understanding of the concept of "professionalism" that Colin and I were referring to!

Windwalker said:

First, Wind..... I think my point WAS that WE will probably get the blame regardless! But, I don't know if I believe this stuff about all the wheels being in one lane! Let's say you stopped dead at the point of impact, and the trooper could see that your FRONT wheels were moving to the left! HOW could that get you a ticket.... when YOU were moving over to let him in? Besides..... please remember there is a difference (at times) between what a trooper decides and CITES.... and what is found to be fact in a court of law! I don't "find" that the truck was MOVING into the lane in contention, and I don't "find" that he was making an improper lane change! I DO "find" that the merging pickup failed to yield to traffic already IN that lane! Like someone mentioned earlier..... there are TWO types of attorneys! I like DEFENSE attorneys! :lol:

Your point is "noted," Wind. Yes, I am VERY "confident." But, I'm not a fool! Someday, what you say MIGHT happen! I am not stupid enough to believe I can outsmart ALL 300 million Americans! But, I will NEVER give up TRYING to be "professional" enough to LIMIT my chances! That is my JOB! And I WORK at it every day!

BTW.... early in my short career, I DID get STUCK on some tracks in Oakland, CA..... and, of course, immediately heard that dreaded train horn! :shock: (A situation, as it would be, cause by a 4wheeler cutting off my wide turn!)

With more "calm" than I had EVER experienced before..... I applied my professional training, and quickly extracted myself with NO damage. I think I lost a year or two off my LIFE, though! :lol:

I understand your 4 monkey theory..... but, that makes YOU a "fatalist." As an optimist.... I'm hoping that that 4th monkey will kill himself in a one car accident BEFORE he gets around to ME! :lol:

I am not saying, Wind, that I am "so good" that I can prevent EVERY possible accident that MIGHT happen to me. I am saying that I work HARD every day and ALL day to prevent them! That is part of my job! I'm not going to let some 4wheeler "merge" into my volatile fuel tanks and then WONDER how it happened?!?! :roll:

It's like how the Conservative HAWKS claim that the Terrorists only have to be lucky ONCE and "WE" have to be lucky (or prepared) EVERY time! I drive PREPARED!! Vigilant.... ON THE JOB..... ALL day..... EVERY day!

And, I am trying to convey the importance of that to the newbies that might read this! I have seen HUNDREDS of "burned out" cabs in my few short years..... and lost a distant relative to one! I DON'T intend to go out that way.... and I don't want others to, either!

tell that to McDonalds

Four wheelers do stupid things around me every day. This is a fact of life that I have come to accept. It's up to us as the professionals to watch for these things, and be prepared for them to happen. Because they WILL happen.

Only once have I ever actually been ready to turn my wheels, and wreck to save a life, though. That was this past winter. There was nearly a foot of snow on I69, and I'd been going 35mph the whole night. A little black Nissan decided to pass while doing 55-60. Well, the driver lost control in mid pass, just in front of my tandems. If that wasn't bad enough, the direction of his drift was going to put him under my trailer. Just as I was getting ready to turn the wheels, he must have hit a rut, or dry spot, becuase the car shot out across the center ditch, and over onto the Eastbound side. I think I chainsmoked for about an hour after that to calm my nerves.

Thinking about it afterwards, I was at a loss. Sure, miscalculations, 'accidents' whatever you want to call them, do happen. But it's not like it hadn't been snowstorming all day/night long. I'd counted 20 someodd ditched vehicles over the course of 24 miles. That four wheeler driver HAD to have known that conditions were bad. And yet....

Sometimes there's just no understanding the logic of a fourwheeler driver.

All I'm saying is: "TO ERROR IS HUMAN. TO FORGIVE IS NOT WRITTEN INTO THE LAW OF AVERAGES". And, when a woman pulled out if front of me in CO, and I arranged for her to get a ride in a "FLIGHT FOR LIFE" chopper (it landed on the highway, but in the opposite lanes), one of the statements the cops made more than once was that ALL MY TIRE TRACKS WERE WITHIN MY LANE UNTIL THE POINT OF IMPACT. They DO look at that, and it IS a factor.

I'm not saying they DON'T, Wind. But, I'm not sure exactly what your point is, OR that you totally understood THEIRS.

IF..... in your case..... your skid marks showed that you were changing lanes INTO the lane she was turning into, I could possibly see you being at fault for an improper.... or, at least, UNSAFE lane change. However, if you were skidding into the lane AWAY from her, and NO VEHICLE on your left was involved..... I don't see where any law was broken! There is NO LAW (that I'm aware of) that says we can't make an "evasive" lane change to try to AVOID the accident, whether one results or not! (Unless, we involve ourselves in an accident with someone in the lane we were changing TO in an effort to avoid the collision.)

Another "POSSIBLE" explanation for his statement would be that IF your tandem "tracks" were not "in your lane," it MIGHT indicate that you locked up your brakes due to "driving TOO fast for conditions."

Other than that.... I am at a loss to explain the troopers "blanket" statement.

I'm SURE that someday a car will pull out in front of me. But NOT without me "noticing" them, and considering that they MIGHT! I ALWAYS cover my brakes when in towns or at crossroad intersections where this MIGHT happen. I try to stay in a gear, and at a speed, that will allow me the BEST braking response possible in these situations. AND.... I might add, I make a CONSCIOUS decision whether to be driving with the jakes ON or OFF in such situations, because if I NEED to stop quickly.... the jakes HELP!

I don't know how to make this any more clear. I am CONSTANTLY watching every vehicle around me.... AND considering the WORST they might do! NO ONE passes me, cuts me off, pulls out in front of me, or STOPS in front of me without the THOUGHT that they MIGHT being constantly ON MY MIND. This gives me at least 3/4's of a second quicker response time IF SUCH A THING happens. That is my JOB!

Will it work EVERY time? I don't know. It HAS SO FAR! If it ever fails me, there will probably be only one of TWO reasons..... either I was traveling TOO FAST for even my OWN responses, OR.... I slipped up and was NOT paying attention.

Either way..... "I" am at fault because "I" could possibly have PREVENTED it! I will take my lumps because I will have DESERVED them. Accidents DO happen in our business.... but, there is a REASON why companies have the tags Preventable and Non-Preventable! We are required to try to PREVENT accidents EVEN when they are not our "fault."

BTW.... I am SORRY that you were involved in a "flight for life" accident! I KNOW this must weigh heavily on you. And I am NOT questioning your actions. I wasn't THERE! NONE of us wants to be involved in something like that! All I can say is that, for ME, avoiding something like that is probably 70-80% of my job! the OTHER 20-30% occurs when I am NOT DRIVING!

I have a 'relatively' FAST truck. I DRIVE fast! I will not apologize for this. I want to be OUT IN FRONT, where the "air (and the road) is clean! So, I MUST be constantly vigilant, and MONITOR my own actions and situation.... AS WELL as that of ALL others! I generally get to ride WITH the "flow" of traffic, and try to "MERGE" myself into it as well as possible. I have NO PROBLEM getting out of the way for faster trucks or 4wheelers, and often have to HELP them understand that I need them OUT OF MY WAY! I do NOT make them "guess" at what I want to do.... and I try not to hold them up! And I NEVER pull over in front of a faster vehicle because I can't afford to "lift" for a few seconds to let them by!

I SUPPOSE you (or Twilight) might say that I am driving "on the edge," but I see an "advantage" to that! I believe one of the biggest contributors to truck accidents is the SLOW speeds of most trucks, and the AMBIVALENCE that produces in MOST drivers! I see TOO MANY drivers out there who are all but "asleep at the wheel!" :roll:

I'm sure "I" would find it hard to stay as "focused" as I am if my truck was an "elephant!" But, that wouldn't relieve me of that RESPONSIBILITY! I won't say (because I'd get FRIED,) that every day on the road is like a NASCAR race to me..... but, I WILL say that I never get on the road without that type of FOCUS! I don't "draft" other vehicles.... but, I don't want to "lift" if I don't have to! And by keeping my head in the game, and thinking a mile or more AHEAD of me, I RARELY have to! :wink: