Truck Stories

[other dog]

Old Bill sent me this story he posted the other day.

http://www.timegoesby.net/elderstorytellin...ers-then-a.html

It's all true, but there are other differences in then and now besides the trucks themselves. Drivers are different now than when I first started, not nearly as long ago as when Bill started driving. Drivers used to cut the headlights off to signal it was clear to come back over, now they do nothing or hit you with the high-beams and blind you, which is worse than the doing nothing.They used to even back it down it down a little to help you pass, now they "hammer down"if you try to pass, just like 4-wheelers do. If I pass another truck I always blink my marker lights to say "thank you". More often than not if someone passes me they'll have the right turn signal on before they're halfway by then cut back in before you even have a chance to give them the lights, and if you do give them the lights they don't respond. A lot of times if you move over on the interstate to let a truck off a ramp they won't even let you back over and they'll pass on the right, just like a 4-wheeler does. I passed a truck on the West Virginia turnpike one night then ran up behind another slow truck climbing a hill and there was a long line of cars in the left lane,so I couldn't get out to pass. The truck i'd passed before fell in behind them, but didn't offer to let me out. The next truck behind him did, and I thanked him, and the first truck. He got on the radio and told me "eff you,I don't owe you any favors,it's every man for himself". That pretty much sums up the whole attitude of today's truck driver. And a lot of times ,especially when you go by a truckstop, you'll hear drivers cussing each other and arguing on the CB radio. New drivers might not know what to do in a given situation, or ask a question about something, and instead of trying to help them other drivers will get on the radio and ridicule them for not knowing. We all had to start somewhere, right? And nobody started out knowing it all, just a lot of "truck drivers" do after their 2 weeks of training.

Just my rant for the day.

[NoClueJoe66]

Yeah the attitude of drivers has really went to crap. Every now and again you'll find some good drivers, very seldom though. I was goin down the interstate a few months back in the 2-ton "when the cb worked" just minding my business, then somon started bitchin abut me goin too slow. I simply replied "I got er on the governor", few miles later a Atlas Van Lines truck passed me, stayed in the hammer lane for a few minutes. I flashed my lights...nothing....I hollared "Come on over Atlas whenever you wan't" 5 seconds later...."GD driver I have mirrors". Started cussin' and rantin about something. I told him that back in the day drivers helped out each other like that.....surely didn't gripe about it.

[Freightrain]

Too many out there just look'n out for #1.........and that's all. Real shame, especially when you try to be nice and someone blows a gasket.

[theakerstwo]

I love that dude that tells you about him not wearing any panties. The trash that is on the

cb in unreal.I like to run with some good guys that have a sence of humor and respect each other but this bunch of guys that you see any more that is going to jump out and beat some scares me. There is some tough guys out there on the I never see them around the truck stops so i guess they dont get out of there truck. glenn

[other dog]

I love that dude that tells you about him not wearing any panties. The trash that is on the

cb in unreal.I like to run with some good guys that have a sence of humor and respect each other but this bunch of guys that you see any more that is going to jump out and beat some scares me. There is some tough guys out there on the I never see them around the truck stops so i guess they dont get out of there truck. glenn

Yeah, i've heard them CB Rambos, but like you say they're seldom actually seen. I heard a story some years ago about 2 drivers arguing on the Pa. turnpike-I have no idea if it's true or not, but I heard the same story several times-the one driver told the other one to pull over to fight. The driver didn't stop of course, but there just happened to be a Yellow Freight driver pulled over where the driver that wanted to fight had told the other driver to pull over, so the other driver pulled in and commenced to beating up on the Yellow Freight driver, who was out thumping his tires or something, and didn't even know what was going on.

[B43kid]

Old Bill sent me this story he posted the other day.

http://www.timegoesby.net/elderstorytellin...ers-then-a.html

It's all true, but there are other differences in then and now besides the trucks themselves. Drivers are different now than when I first started, not nearly as long ago as when Bill started driving. Drivers used to cut the headlights off to signal it was clear to come back over, now they do nothing or hit you with the high-beams and blind you, which is worse than the doing nothing.They used to even back it down it down a little to help you pass, now they "hammer down"if you try to pass, just like 4-wheelers do. If I pass another truck I always blink my marker lights to say "thank you". More often than not if someone passes me they'll have the right turn signal on before they're halfway by then cut back in before you even have a chance to give them the lights, and if you do give them the lights they don't respond. A lot of times if you move over on the interstate to let a truck off a ramp they won't even let you back over and they'll pass on the right, just like a 4-wheeler does. I passed a truck on the West Virginia turnpike one night then ran up behind another slow truck climbing a hill and there was a long line of cars in the left lane,so I couldn't get out to pass. The truck i'd passed before fell in behind them, but didn't offer to let me out. The next truck behind him did, and I thanked him, and the first truck. He got on the radio and told me "eff you,I don't owe you any favors,it's every man for himself". That pretty much sums up the whole attitude of today's truck driver. And a lot of times ,especially when you go by a truckstop, you'll hear drivers cussing each other and arguing on the CB radio. New drivers might not know what to do in a given situation, or ask a question about something, and instead of trying to help them other drivers will get on the radio and ridicule them for not knowing. We all had to start somewhere, right? And nobody started out knowing it all, just a lot of "truck drivers" do after their 2 weeks of training.

Just my rant for the day.

Well Mate we see so much of this F... U.. attitude in open society now, here down-under we tend to have still kept pretty much to the "stick by your mates" ( even when you don't know him) philosophy, but as you (or was it Bill) said, there is a tendency for the four wheeler behaviour (Aussie English spelling !) to seep in out here on "Sesame Street" (Hume Hwy Melbourne to Sydney) but generally we have the pressures of not so good roads and plenty of respect for and between truckies so consideration is still around. Almost universally we give the high beam flash for clear to move back (to the left !!!--- we go on the LEFT lanes here) and often car drivers will too. Since the slickest things on our roads are the 500HP and above B-doubles, it is often the car that gets overtaken. "Thanks Mate" LRL blinker is almost obligatory here, makes everyone feel more part of the same community, as we all are. Maybe we are half a decade behind the U.S. so perhaps we will be saying what you said today in five years time. BTW my only rig has four wheels and it eats rice! CAN'T AFFORD A MACK !!!!!!!!! --YET !!

[twostickmutt]

when was the last time you saw a trailer off to the side broken down and another one stopped to help the guy out. used to be if someone was having trouble there'd be 2 or3 pulled over to help. but that was used to be!

[BulldogVision]

Back in the early '90s I was driving a Pete with a 365 Cummins(sorry I didn't know any better!!!!) in it across the desert out of Barstow CA. The turbo blew and set the air cleaners on fire and as I was pouring water into the air cleaners a Schneider team stopped and helped me wrench the air cleaners off so the truck wouldn't burn down. They used their fire extinguisher and really helped prevent a disaster. Those guys were a big help!!!! It changed my attitude for a good while about drivers helping each other.

I'm afraid though, that that is the exception rather than the norm now. I hear the cussing, stupidity, and other crap. Most times I don't even have my radio on. You really see it when you are trying to get any kind of info such as traffic conditions or directions.

I have been driving for 20 years now. I drive to get there safely, conserve as much fuel as possible and save my equipment. You can usually tell the newbies out there. they are caught up in the "supertrucker" mentality. They wonder why their boss is not giving them a raise when they are getting 4-5 MPG when if they slowed down to even the speed limit, the fuel cost and maintenance costs would help the bottom line!!!!! And of course, you can tell them nothing.......

[Speed]

When my best friend used to drive tanker out here between Salt Lake City and Reno,he used to say,"There's a lot of guys herding trucks up and down the road,but there's DAMNED FEW TRUCK DRIVERS anymore." For only being late twenties to early thirties,he sure had a lot of wisdom. Excellent driver,too;reliable,safe,took great care of his rigs,he had a real "old school" attitude towards driving truck. I guess it figures that a driver like that would quit driving to be a mechanic...

Speed

[PedroR]

the rates are so low now a days that these guys dont have the time to stop and help out anyone, thats why i never work by the load only by the hour

[demolitionman25]

I know what this is like as far as attitude I may be the new kid on the block but with being around the trucking and construction all my life and with pretty much all my family havong CDLs we see it alot more that people would rather tell to go f---off and pound sand then to help out or direct in the direction you need to go. with having my own business I get alot of supertruckers b-tch and complain when they get in behind my truck always complaining I am going slow but hey when I went from sucking 120 gallons a day down to only sucking 90 gallons I will take the slower route then but what I like the most is here in Central PA the faster trucks always seem to get nailed by DOT alot more

[Muladzh]

I stopped driving commercially because of the bad attitude on the road. When I started driving, every one was a buddy, of sorts, but now.. Things changed big time, to the worse.

[Double L]

I agree with Tom on this. I may be from the new breed of drivers but I'm old school, I flash my lights whether to let someone in or to thank them. That is the way I grew up in trucking.