Yeah, I saw that...I think.
I always get the same question. What is the craziest/wildest thing you have seen while driving? Where to start? Well, I'll give a few examples of what I have seen out here. This is things going on behind the wheel of a car, truck, or on a motorcycle.
For those of you that drive cars on the highway, let me give you an educational tip. I sit much higher than you and can see down in your car. Yes, the view is good most of the time, but, there are the times when what I see causes me to hit the brakes cause I want to be no where near you. I have seen it all, I think. I have seen it in the broad daylight in the middle of rush hour and in the middle of the night when no one else is on the highway but you and me.
It ranges from the mundane to the insane. OK, what we have all seen, big truck or not. She is putting on her makeup using the rearview mirror, or the mirror in the visor. He is using his electric razor headed into work or pick up his girlfriend that the wife does not know about he thinks. Yep, brushing teeth happens now. Talking on the cell phone, not just the bluetooth type. There is the fun ones that hold the phone to their left ear with their right hand because they have been talking so long with their left hand it is too tired to hold the phone and now must hold the steering wheel. Oh, and the dude on the motorcycle texting, are you stupid? There is eating the big mac and fries, that's ok, but please, do you have to cut up your food on a plate sitting on the seat next to you and drive with your knees?
Hey top of your class at Harvard Business School, do you really need to have the newspaper open and be typing on your laptop at 60 mph on the way to the office? Oh and the other one is so busy he has phone glued to his left shoulder, holding papers in his left hand on the steering wheel and right hand typing on the laptop.
Hey mom!! I know your desire to have that craft completed before the fair is important, but do you really need to be doing plastic canvas at 65 mph in the left lane on a Monday morning with your kid in the car with you? I know it is windy out and no one should see your hair like that, but roll the window up and you wouldn't have to keep looking in the mirror and brushing your hair.
Big city philanthropist on your way to the big event. I know there is not much time, but do you and your significant other really have to change clothes in Chicago rush hour? I know the car next to you cannot see you but I can. Just because you lay down in the backseat, undress, then put on your on your formal doesn't mean no one saw you. Oh and traffic is stop and go, when you stop use the doors to go between front and back, you look silly climbing over the seat in a tux.
Newlyweds, yes you, young and old. I can see that you really love each other, but, an orgasm can cause wrecks. Wait till you get to the hotel, it's easier to do it there. The drunk friends in the backseat makin whoopie, I saw you too. It is the middle of the night, but those high tech dash lights are pretty bright, I can see you have no clothes on.
Yep, I've seen it all!!! But wait, there's more!! No this is not an infomercial but you have got to hear this. I was traveling I-75 south of Knoxville, TN a while back and I saw, it, well I thought I did so I had to speed up and get a second look. It was an SUV, and as they approached I noticed the passenger reaching all the way across to the driver's side. When they got up next to me, the passenger was steering, the driver was playing a guitar. He was doing what?! Let me pull up there and look again, Yep! he was in fact playing the guitar while his wife steered from the passenger side.
Be careful out there folks. Remember, you do not know what the idiot in front of you is thinking or doing. While you are driving you need to be fully aware of your surroundings and be ready to react.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
A Lesson Driving Around Trucks
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!!
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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