I have really been thinking about this for a few weeks. There are several things that I would like to address for those of you that just commute everyday in your cars or whatever mode of transportation you find yourself using. There have been several instances in the past few weeks that have made me really think that a lot of drivers really have no clue what is going on in the truck in front of them. This is in no way to be critical of anyone's driving skills, but rather some supplemental information that hopefully will allow you to be more patient when driving around large trucks.
The first item I want to cover is a slow truck on city streets. I am sure you have all gotten behind a big truck on city streets and wished he would just hurry up and get where he is going to, after all, you are so important that you must be first in line at starbucks for your morning coffee. There are a number of reasons this truck could be moving at what you consider a snails pace. First of all, if I make a wrong turn I cannot just swing into a fast food joint and turn around. It is important to also know that unless it is a local delivery truck running the same route everyday that it could be the first time that driver has been there. While GPS is somewhat accurate it is not always perfect. My normal practice is as soon as I am on the correct street I look for address numbers on buildings, mailboxes, etc. This will describe which side of the street the business is on and tell me how many blocks to go before I arrive. When on a two lane street this also means that I may need to swing into the oncoming lane in order to make a safe right turn. If on a two lane road and it appears that the entrances to businesses are narrow, I'll put on my 4-ways. If the business is on the right, I signal a right turn, if you are behind me beware! In swinging wide I may open up just enough room for you to squeeze in, DO NOT DO THIS, I'm doing it to make a safe right turn.
Secondly there is the issue of a heavy truck entering the interstate or entering the flow of traffic in town. You cannot always tell just by looking if a truck is heavy or overweight, but, there are times clues are provided. Most tractors have a steer axle and two drive axles. In the case of heavy haul the tractor may have a drop axle, or a third fixed drive axle. Also if the trailer has 3 or more axles then it is likely heavy. Unlike your car, which is built for speed, my truck is built for torque and power. In the past few weeks I have pulled several heavy or overweight loads. I have even had another truck driver get pissed at me because I did not enter a road fast enough. In this case I was at approximately 100,000 pounds. I go from 0 to 60 in just over a mile and a half. I have to make more shifts than normal, and even though my truck is designed to handle it, shifting too quickly and trying to be a speed demon can twist the driveshaft out of the truck. Please be patient when you see a truck pulling out slowly into a street or onto the interstate. Also if you live in an area where there are grades to be climbed, or in the case of the south, tall bridges, my truck will likely go from 60-35 rather quickly until I crest the bridge. On the downhill side I may be just as slow for safety sake. Just as hard as it is to get 100,000 pounds rolling, it is even harder to stop. The final factor can be a load permit. In the case of a permitted load that exceeds the normal weights, the state may require that the load only be driven at 55 mph or 10-15 mph below posted speed limits.
Third is the issue of on and off ramps. Everyone sees the yellow speed signs when coming to a ramp. Those signs are based on the safe speed for a car to get around the ramp on a dry road. For trucks a safe speed is 10-15 mph below the posted ramp speed. The other factor being that I need to be at that speed before entering the curve. There are several issues for driving ramps. For tankers it is the movement of the liquid in the tank, they must approach at speed that is safe for the load. For me in the case of pulling a generator is the fact that I have a very high center of gravity. For normal loads it is the factor of the load shifting in the turn. If a driver hits the curve too fast and then brakes hard, it can cause the load to shift and now the freight is driving the truck, and it doesn't end well.
I hope this has given you some insight to what you do not always see from the comfort of your car. In a truck we are subject to different laws, both those of the written kind and of those in the physics realm. Be patient with us please. We are bringing the diapers for your baby, the food for your family, the parts for your cars, the electricity after the storms, and the entertainment at the coliseum. Take care out there, be safe, and I'll see you on the other side!!
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