How Have the Other Truckers Dealt With Being Hijacked?

Question

A small gang waited for me to leave an Electronics wharehouse,in a stolen pick-up,followed me to a quiet area,flashing their lights at me,causing me to stop.I kept keys in pocket,& when they realized I dropped the load,trailer was empty,they put My Lights out! In recovery,not sure about driving again.

Answer 1

things like that can happen to anyone and just about anywere....get a grip and use your head.... stop for blue lights.... and your in a truck ... if you really had a problem you could drive over just about anything....not sure what made you stop again and then you really got out  both where like really dumb of you right... im thinking maybe you need to work at walmarts... i think driving a big truck is something maybe a real man might be doing

Answer 2

Sorry to hear about what happened to you, that must have been scary.

As a female truck driver who started out driving solo, I've always been very conscious of my safety.  One should never stop for anything other than blue lights from a police car....and even then, if you're in a secluded area on a back road, there is nothing wrong with slowing down, putting your flashers on and waiting until you find a lit, more traveled area where you can pull off to the side.  

In a case like yours, I would never have stopped.....I would have gotten my cell phone out and called the cops, and kept driving.  It's better to be wrong than dead.

The wasp/hornet spray is a good idea (never thought of that one).....I always carry a can of ether with me.  It's perfectly legal and while it's not a good idea to start a truck with ether, you can always make the claim that it's hard to get started in the cold and you use the ether to help you start your truck.  Sprayed in the face of an assailant, it causes respiratory distress and eye irritation.  

My husband also gave me the idea of keeping a big, long screwdriver in the door pocket.  Again, perfectly legal...and a nice weapon if you should need to use it.  

You might want to get a job somewhere where you won't be hauling expensive commodities, so the risk of trouble would be lower.  Even produce hauling would be less risky....you do occasionally have people try and steal stuff off your load, but it's not really something people would injure you over.  Or find someone you get along well with, and start team-driving.  If you don't know anyone with a CDL, most companies that hire teams will help match you up with someone.  

Another idea is to find a company that allows pets, and get yourself a dog.  Even a medium sized dog is a deterrent....you can leave the window down when you have to drop/hook and the sound of a dog barking may be enough to keep most people away.  I met one lady who spent a lot of money and bought one of those specially-trained "executive protection dogs", a German Shepherd.  This dog was very sociable and impeccably trained, but clearly devoted to his Mom and from what she said, definitely knew how to do his job as a guard dog.   Not the right solution for everyone, a dog takes a lot of work and is something many drivers just don't want to deal with.  But I know that even the presence of my little 20 lb dog has kept some people from wanting to have anything to do with me.  That can be a good thing :)

Good luck....and remember if you're not sure about driving, there's nothing that says you gotta come back out here....lots of other jobs out there, for sure :)  Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Answer 3

I drove for quite a few years. first off never stop in an isolated area if you can help it. As for self defense the laws are  very strict against weapons within drivers reach or even in a commercial vehicle. Your tire billy can be considered a weapon if the cop is a real a**hole. One handy item is a simple can of raid wasp and hornet spray it shoots 25 feet and causes instant temporary blindness and respiratory distress much like mace or pepper spray. Also you can tell the DOT (gestapo) you change trailers often and are allergic to bee stings. Good luck and remember if you look like or act like a victim you will be one.