Do you ever think how hard it is for 18-wheelers on the freeway?

Question

People usually never let them change lanes or merge. I feel pretty bad for them. Their vehicle is 5x as long as ours....not as easy to slip into traffic with a big rig...

Answer 1

Yeah but they go faster than the cars on the road sometimes.  The benefit with a truck like that is no one gives you a hard time.  Just the other day I was on the freeway on my way to work and a truck was trying to get on I had to put my foot to the floor so he could get on the freeway without totaling me or somebody else.  And I couldn't slow down he was merging from 1-696 to 1-94.  And for anyone who doesn't know don't stay on the side of a truck for to long like right in the middle of the trailers length it won't end pretty.

Answer 2

Some of the Drivers are professional drivers that drive very well.  I also have a CDL A license,  although I don't do it for a living.  

A lot of the drivers are wreckless and cut people off and even run people off the roads.  I have been cut off, ran off the road and have seen some really crazy things done by wreckless truck drivers.   This is why you see so many truck accidents and jack knifings, rolloevers, etc.

I give credit to the ones that are safe professional drivers.  The others need to lose their license.   Professional drivers are suppose to drive professionally and set an example of road safety.

Answer 3

Why don't they just drive a friggin oil tanker on there

Answer 4

NO

Answer 5

Yup, I know exactly how hard it is because I drive an 18 wheeler for a living that is also governed (65-68mph, depending on fuel economy), so I get to be in a Catch-22 situation  (darned if I do, darned if I don't).  I have to keep to the right lane or 2nd from right in some cases to stay out of traffic because in most states, my top speed is too slow for even the speed limit.  

Most people, especially in larger cities or durning traffic jams, don't realize why I have a space cushion between my vehicle & the vehicle in front of me.  They jump in & take it.  That space I leave is not for the 4 wheelers to move up just a space or over a lane.  It is to keep myself from having to hit my brakes too hard or if the vehicle in front of me develops problems that disable it, I can move over a lane without getting caught behind them.

If most drivers would stop & think before moving over a lane or jumping on the freeway below traffic speed, life would be much less stressful for all.

Answer 6

Too many "four wheelers"  (cars and light trucks)  pay little attention to the hazards of 18-wheelers.

Commercial trucks and their cargo can weigh up to 40 tons, but they cannot stop or turn on a dime.  There is simply too much momentum at 55 mph to be able to stop inside 200 feet.

Car and light truck drivers who tailgate trucks, or pass dangerously on the right side, or pull sharply in front of them without signaling or leaving a wide safety margin are only asking for trouble.  Sooner, rather than later, one of these careless passenger car drivers will be in a truck accident and it won't be a pleasant sight.

Answer 7

yes i do as i am a commercial bus  drivers license holder so i always give them plenty of room

Answer 8

I have no sympathy for truck drivers. Around here, they merge and change lanes whether traffic lets them in or not. And always on the uphill sections when they're doing 40 in a 75.

Answer 9

I have learned what they go through since I purchased a motorhome, but I have found signaling and patience are the key.

Also, other drivers appreciate a "thank you" wave too.