Mr. Ford said:
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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?
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:
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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.
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:
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You cannot be professional 100% of the time and not be in a wreck.
Say WHAT??? :shock: :lol:
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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.
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!
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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.
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!