Bloody tread marks from a blown tire! - Stories from a Truck Driver Part 2 (662 hits)
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Submitted by Da MagnificAnt Dyldo <lordofduct.at.gmail.com> (View user info) at 2005-10-17 03:42:18 EDT
To keep you interested in my series I have decided that tonight's post will be about blood and gore.
Part 1: http://www.ubersite.com/m/77121
I have noticed the majority of people I meet hate truck drivers. I have heard people say that they can not drive, they are lazy fat bastards and wreak havoc on our highways. Tabloids make truck drivers out to be the murderers of our roads after any accident occurs that a truck is part of.
Truck Drivers are professionals and must go to school or be trained for several months to become one of the elite. Of course there are exceptions; the Russian Mafia selling fake CDLs in South Florida, an unlicensed immigrant, a crank addicted driver. These are exceptions though, just as in any work place the unsavory slip through, but the majority of truck drivers are professionals.
A tractor trailer has blind spots. These are places on the sides, behind and in front of the truck where the driver can not see no matter what. Box cars have a sticker on the back of them displaying where these spots are for all of you "4 wheelers" to see. So many of you ignore this though and drive in them anyway. You will notice on the highway a trucker will sway and swerve a little bit every once in awhile and always before they change lanes. They are probably trying to maneuver around to check all of their blind spots; just in case.
One other big thing people forget is that a truck uses 'air brakes'. These brakes are extremely powerful and have the strength to stop 80,000 pounds of steel in a matter of seconds. Something your hydraulic and electric brakes on cars are incapable of doing. The difference between a Class A and a Class B license are these brakes alone. You must be trained to use them as they are dependant on air pressure. If the pressure drops to low... no more brakes. This means you now have 40 tons of deadly metal careening down the road right at unsuspecting innocent victims. After every brake use it takes a little while for the pressure to build back up. So in the future please stop brake checking us!
A review; remember these men trained for months to partake in this profession. You took a 30 minutes test.
Highway to Hell!
When I drove truck I was home for barely a day a week. The rest of the time was spent on the road. Spending every waking moment of the day on the road allows you to see an increased amount of the horrible things that occur here. On a delivery route from West Palm Beach to Miami and back I am guaranteed to see at least 3 accidents and possibly 1 fatality. '4 wheelers' are some of the worst drivers' I have ever seen. To illustrate to you what I mean I have put together a collection of accidents I have witnessed myself.
A girl I once knew was driving down the highway in her sedan in the farthest left lane. I was following not too far behind as I did not know how to get to our destination in Ft. Lauderdale. This girl has the deepest fear of tractor trailers and thinks that all truck drivers are out to kill her. A truck gets in front of me in the middle lane and speeds up past her. As he approaches her passenger side I can see her start veering to her left away from the truck. When ever a truck is near her she thinks that the air pressure will suck her underneath the trailer (which is a farce as the wind will actually push you away from the truck!). Before I knew it she had driven into the 'New Jersey barriers' separating the south bound lanes from the north bound lanes. I flew by her smashed up car with my jaw in my lap.
To bad she survived.
When coming through the metropolitan area between D.C. and NY City, I95 begins this spider path that is broken up all over the place. You can travel off over the Chesapeake Bay or continue on around and through Baltimore. You can travel on up through Philly or pay and take the New Jersey Turnpike. When taking the New Jersey Turnpike always stop off in Carnes Pointe for some fuel and for the strangest outings you will ever have, but this is for a later post.
Coming around a bend in Maryland I stare witness at an accident both disturbing and comical. I do not know the name of the type of road barrier, but it is the barrier that travels along the side of the road that is about 2 feet tall and wavy like a W on its side. At the ends of the barriers the shape flairs out to make a shape of a can opener. It is ironic it looks like a can opener as that is exactly what it had done to this car.
The car was pierced in the front and the entire driver side peeled open like a sardine can. The driver took the road barrier in the chest; splitting him in half. The momentum pulled half his body and sprung it out of the car in into the oncoming lanes. It now lay in the break down lane of south bound traffic oozing blood across the tar. It all occurred so fast that cars still haven't had the time to slow down and rubber neck. They sped by at a steady 80 MPH. I was in the passenger seat and dove for my SLR camera, but failed to reach it in time. It was a moment to remember, the second dead body I have ever seen not at a funeral.
It was very disturbing, but I can't help but to be amazed by the irony.
While in Atlanta once I was coming around the 275 loop and getting back onto I-75 on the south side of the city. The merging lane was ending and I have had my blinker on for quite sometime. I could not get over due to this small Dodge Neon on my left side. I looked over to him and honked my horn to get his attention. When he looked up at me I motioned to him with my hands that I had to get over and then pointed ahead at the ending lane. He raised his hand and flipped me the bird. I was angry, so I just forced myself over. When I am bigger then you don't fuck with me!
The man's life must have flashed before his eyes because he was now very upset. He sped up ahead of me and got into my lane and hit his brakes. I in turn slammed mine and dropped down to a mere 35 MPH in a 70 MPH zone! I change lanes and begin to speed up. The little Dodge Neon proceeds to do this a second time. I again slam my brakes, change lanes and speed back up.
The man is determined to get under my skin. He now pulls ahead and changes back in my lane. I can already tell he is going to try this again. I think about changing lanes; then again no. I contemplate slowing down before he even hits his brakes; I decide not to. He slams his brakes and I have come to the decision I will continue driving on at the 70 MPH I am traveling at already. His rear end approaches at enormous speeds and in his rear view mirror I can see the look on his face as my monstrous front end comes every bit closer to his plastic go cart. He falters for the stick shift and dropping a gear he begins an attempt to speed back up and get out of the deadly path of my vehicle. It is not working.
TAP
A mere tap, my vehicle slightly touches the back end of his and his car goes careening off the road and into the grassy null in between both sides of the interstate. I know what you are thinking. Shame on me for putting a man in such a dangerous place, but do you know this man will never again place himself in that situation. His need to fuck with me and my vehicle put several other drivers on the road in a deadly place as now my brakes have lost most of their air pressure. On top of that an even more gruesome accident could have occurred; an accident I once witnessed before.
In Virginia I passed by an accident that can be considered an example of all the bad things cars do while driving in the vicinity of a tractor trailer. I will not have to tell the details of these errors made as you will probably be able to understand exactly what happened when you hear the consequences.
A tractor trailer had to slam his brakes due to a nuisance '4 wheeler' in front of him. A car following much to close behind the truck did not notice in time. With in seconds I watched as a station wagon was forced underneath the rear end of a box car and peeling off the top. The family inside was decapitated one by one and left lifeless in the car. Everything on the highway came to a dead stop as if nature decided to take a moment of silence for the deceased. We could here parts of the story the cops and other truck drivers were putting together over the CB and one line brought tears to my eyes.
"The baby is still alive"
Yet Another Reason I Dislike NY City - bonus #1
In New York Long Island is also referred to as "The Island". Anyone from Queens and Brooklyn also hate it when anyone calls those two borrows part of "The Island". On several occasions I have called customers to see if they are ready for delivery when coming through the area. Sometimes we deliver before heading up to New England or we do it when leaving New England. Customers become enraged if I happen to say anything similar to:
"We are coming out on the Island today and would like to know if you are ready to receive your vehicle?"
I am sorry all of you New Yorkers, but Queens and Brooklyn both are on a mass of land called an island. This island's name is Long Island!
User Reviews
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-10-18 00:15:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Yeah, it's always a thrill when you're trying to drop down to third-under, with a 4X4 @1700rpm
when some asshole in a volkswagen decides to cut in front of you and slam on his brakes.
You stomp the pedal, you pull the Red-button, and, the lever on the steering wheel, then you
duck down in the tractor because YOU KNOW....the fucking load is going to come crashing thru
the back of the fucking cab at any moment besides the fucking cloud that envelopes the tractor
from the fucking 18 flat-spotted tires!
Shoulda just ran over the GDMFAH!
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-10-17 18:43:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jack_Burton (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:31:16 (#)
Ranking: 2
Have you seen my truck? I left it in some alley in the middle of a gang fight and now I can't find it.
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This just made my day.
Submitted by RydinJ (user info) at 2005-10-17 14:56:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
My dad also drives and same things happen with him. I took a route with him from Augusta GA back up to Ohio once, an awsome trip, and I got to see all those type of things along with the random lot lizard trash, and the females that put on shows for the drivers on the freeway, uberfun times.
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2005-10-17 08:46:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
"We got us a convoy, good buddy!" = Stupid people in large groups.
Submitted by lordofduct (user info) at 2005-10-17 05:38:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
oh, and I'd +3 this just for the following...
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Submitted by Jack_Burton (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:31:16 (#)
Ranking: 2
Have you seen my truck? I left it in some alley in the middle of a gang fight and now I can't find it.
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Comedy gold!
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Isn't that "Big Trouble in Little China" quote? I think it is... thank you for assisting me in getting closer to a +2 in the BTLC rating score!
Submitted by GaidinCanuck (user info) at 2005-10-17 05:24:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent story. My father's a truck driver too, and some of the stories he tells are very similar. I don't think it (the 18 vs 4 wheelers dispute) has anything to do with one driver or another. It's just the fact that the two vehicles just shouldn't be sharing the same roads. They're just not compatible. Although, since that's not a viable option, then the point to keep in mind is like you hinted at... Trucks are bigger than you, and if you're in a 4 wheeler, you'll probably lose.
oh, and I'd +3 this just for the following...
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Submitted by Jack_Burton (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:31:16 (#)
Ranking: 2
Have you seen my truck? I left it in some alley in the middle of a gang fight and now I can't find it.
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Comedy gold!
Submitted by DooZa (user info) at 2005-10-17 05:22:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Truckie respect.
Without trucks, the nation stops.
Submitted by lordofduct (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:44:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Keep in mind that it is not always him looking in the mirrors. The thing is that swaying does not make him a bad driver. A car will sway back and forth on the road quite a bit also. This happens due to the shape of the road, poor driving skills, wind direction and other things. The difference with a truck is they are much larger and it is more noticeable. On top of that it weighs 80,000 pounds. That is a massive amount of steel to be controlling.
Have any of you driven a small car, a town car and possibly a pick up loaded with stuff. You will notice that the town car is a bit more difficult to keep strait then the compact car, but the compact car turns much faster (so bad drivers will sway a lot in compact cars). Also you will notice a loaded pick up truck is even harder to drive due to the amount of weight in it. The differences are slight though, you have to pay attention to notice them. Now if you take that and make exceptions for the weight and size differences you will see what I mean.
pick up loaded: ~4,000 lbs and 10-12 feet long
tractor trailer fully loaded: 80,000 lbs and 75 feet long
your talking 20X larger here!
Submitted by lordofduct (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:37:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by MrWillard (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:34:50 (#)
Ranking: 2
So what you're saying is that truck drivers sway back and forth on the road in order to check their blind spots, and not because they can't drive for shit?
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Yes and No. Few are bad drivers, other times it may be the wind pushing on the trailer, but a truck driver will slightly swerve his truck to check blind spots. Nothing major that sends him into other lanes, but he will slightly.
Submitted by MrWillard (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:34:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
So what you're saying is that truck drivers sway back and forth on the road in order to check their blind spots, and not because they can't drive for shit?
Submitted by Jack_Burton (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:31:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Have you seen my truck? I left it in some alley in the middle of a gang fight and now I can't find it.
Submitted by Shroom (user info) at 2005-10-17 04:01:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Made me hungry.