Give a Truck a Break

Trucks have a very difficult time moving around. Especially in a big city. Just look at some of the obstacles they have to deal with on a daily basis

First of all, they are huge! Those drivers have to always make sure they have enough room. It's like trying to drag a building down the street. They really need a lot of room. And a lot of people don't get it. They get too close, or they get in front of a truck and then stop, not realizing that a truck can not stop as quickly as they can.

Secondly, they need two or three lanes when they turn, because the streets were not designed for them. All over America, in every city and even in every small town, the downtown area, or the main street area, is especially difficult for trucks, because the streets were not designed for the size of todays trucks. In the days when these streets were built, we didn't have fifty-three foot trailers and huge condos on tractors pulling double and triple trailers. Anytime you see that the buildings around you are at least one hundred years old, then these streets were originally built back in the horse and buggy days. And that is usually the case, other than on the Interstate Highway system.

Plus, they are slow. Especially when loaded. Sometimes a truck can take over a mile to get up to speed. Making one stop, is not only dangerous because it can smash you flat as a pancake, literally. It is also rude, because one second of your time is equal to five minutes of his. So please, if you are going to turn anyway, get behind a truck and turn, don't pass it and then turn. 

And the drivers have to always watch out for low trees, wires, viaducts, overpasses and anything else that might hit the top of the truck. 

They can't move their head fast enough to keep checking everything they have to keep checking as they are driving. They have to watch about ten to twenty gauges and about four to six mirrors (and they still can't see everything).

This is what a truck driver might be thinking; "Ok, green light, ease off the clutch, give it some gas, watch your rpm's and shift gears. I better switch off the jake brake. Wow I am wide, am I in my lane? (Check both main mirrors to see the white lines). Wow am I tall. Those trees are hanging over the road. (Look up to see if there is anything low or hanging.) Oh, I have to shift gears again. Watch your rpm's and shift. What color is the next traffic light, maybe I wont have to stop? Oh, I have to shift gears again. Watch rpm's, and shift. How's my air pressure? I have to get in the left lane some time in the next two blocks, I better start looking for a chance to get over. Woe. That car just cut in front of me within twenty feet of my bumper, if he would have stopped right then, I would have killed him for sure. Oh, I have to shift again, rpm's at fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, and shift". And that is just the first fifty feet!

And on top of all that, nobody wants to let the truck get in front of them.

When a big truck gets to a big city, he is totally out of his element. Cars are doing circles around him. It takes him a long time to switch lanes because he needs so much room that no matter what, he has to cut someone off. And only because nobody will give him a break.

The life of a car is lived faster than the life of a truck. They take off faster, they stop quicker, they turn faster and they die sooner. The trucks life looks like slow motion compared to the cars. A car can switch lanes in one second. A truck takes about ten seconds. A car can turn a corner in four seconds. A truck takes about twelve seconds. When a car needs fifty feet to stop, a truck needs over one hundred feet.

That is the same reason that bugs die on windshields. They just don't comprehend the speed because their life is seen at a different speed. They just don't get it. And that's why they get killed. And cars who do circles around trucks are risking their life too. Whenever you try to drive faster than the flow of traffic, you are living life too fast for conditions. And you are bound to be found splattered on a windsheild some day.

If you must pass, do it cautiously. And not too quickly. Give the driver time to look at six mirrors and fifteen gauges, while handling a steering wheel, three pedals and a shift lever, while trying to drag a building down the road, and then he will notice you.

So please, give a truck a break out there. Share the road. 

Ken Skaggs
C2000

1. Understand Traffic Waves
2. Prevent Traffic Jams
3. Stay Calm
4. Do The Math
5. Be Predictable
6. Time Traffic Lights
7. Expect the Expected
8. Compensate for the Ignorant
9. Teach Others
10. Make Sure an Accident is Never Your Fault
Read more

Here are some satisfied customers-
*Old Dominion Freight Line
*Plastic Express
*Dart Container Corp.
*Van-Pak Trucking
*GD Eastlick Trucking Inc.
*Alex Express
*Kenny Smith Trucking
*and many more.