Psycho truck driver, or am I a bad driver?

paulevans76

paulevans76

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
York, SC
Help me out here, perhaps I unknowingly did something wrong.

This past weekend, I was driving back from up in the mountains pulling a small trailer loaded with a set of axles. I was in no hurry and I was just going to hang in the slow lane. I ended up behind an 18 wheeler that most other people passed. He was pretty much doing the speed limit. I wasn't riding his ass, not even close enough to really be considered 'drafting', but I couldn't see his mirrors at all times. But really if there was more traffic around I probably would have needed to be even closer.

So once or twice he seemed to slow down and speed back up, which in retrospect was probably him trying to get me to pass. I just didn't feel like changing lanes, I'm just cruising, no hurry, no worries.

Then when there weren't many other drivers in view, he literally locked his brakes up on me which really pissed me off, considering if my cargo got loose, it would be extremely dangerous.

I have never wanted more badly to fly around him and bring his ass to a complete stop on an uphill, but I assume he probably has a dash cam and that would be my ass. Plus again, I don't want to endanger my load, myself, other drivers.

I hung back and let him have his pissy party, and eventually I went around him on an uphill grade and he was hanging out his window cussing me out like I slapped his wife or something.

So, what the heck did I do here? Did I violate some sort of trucker etiquette?
 
paulevans76 said:
Help me out here, perhaps I unknowingly did something wrong.

This past weekend, I was driving back from up in the mountains pulling a small trailer loaded with a set of axles. I was in no hurry and I was just going to hang in the slow lane. I ended up behind an 18 wheeler that most other people passed. He was pretty much doing the speed limit. I wasn't riding his ass, not even close enough to really be considered 'drafting', but I couldn't see his mirrors at all times. But really if there was more traffic around I probably would have needed to be even closer.

So once or twice he seemed to slow down and speed back up, which in retrospect was probably him trying to get me to pass. I just didn't feel like changing lanes, I'm just cruising, no hurry, no worries.

Then when there weren't many other drivers in view, he literally locked his brakes up on me which really pissed me off, considering if my cargo got loose, it would be extremely dangerous.

I have never wanted more badly to fly around him and bring his ass to a complete stop on an uphill, but I assume he probably has a dash cam and that would be my ass. Plus again, I don't want to endanger my load, myself, other drivers.

I hung back and let him have his pissy party, and eventually I went around him on an uphill grade and he was hanging out his window cussing me out like I slapped his wife or something.

So, what the heck did I do here? Did I violate some sort of trucker etiquette?
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Around here most of truckers on the highways are running 10/15 mph or more if there's not a lot of traffic, and dump trucks even faster when they're empty. I see cars and pickups running 80/90 and more on US-1 from Sanford to Cary all the time. I try to not get behind big rigs and dump trucks so they don't sling rocks on my windshield but it happens a lot. Most of the time the trucks are 100/200+ yrds from me.
 
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Maybe he just didn't feel you were giving him enough distance when there was plenty of room to go around and ahead of him? The guy could just be paranoid, plenty of assholes with licenses who think they're always in the right and everyone else is a lost cause/sentient liability.

On the clock with AAA(Hino roll back) I intentionally drive like I'm afraid of every other vehicle on the road and try to always have space on all four sides. The less vehicles around me when I'm loaded or unloaded the better. I make sure I'm passable on the highway, it would come to my attention if im in the middle lane with space either side of me and one person just cruising behind me but not something to get upset about or loose my cool over.

He could've easily accelerated and changed lanes right?, no reason to brake check you at highway speeds, its not worth the outcome when someone doesn't anticipate it and evade. When he slowed down twice I would've increased my following distance is all.
 
Idk. Most truck drivers out there are just dicks. I can say this honestly, since I have two in my family. I say this because both of them are fully aware that most truck drivers are lil johns. One has been a truck driver since he could drive, and he's near retirement age now...just for reference.

IMHO that rig makes them think they own the road. Unless you were following extremely close, I don't see that you did anything wrong. The only thing about "seeing the mirrors" is just what you said - if you can't see his mirrors, he can't see you. But that's not his problem, now is it? Not unless he's going for a lane change and didn't see you. Half the time, those bastards jerk the wheel to the next lane THEN signal. Or perhaps that's the ones up here in yanks-ville, idk.
 
I'm thinking if you couldn't see his rear view mirrors, then he couldn't see you and it made him nervous knowing you were back there. I think you were probably following him too closely for his comfort.
 
He thought you were drafting to save fuel, and he got jealous because he couldn't do that.
 
He could prolly see the trailer but not the tow rig and assumed you were much closer than you were.

MY FIL is a retired trucker and owned multiple other rigs and had drivers. If he worked for a big company, in today's climate if you rearend him he is fired. ...Well maybe that has changed the last 12 months with the driver shortage but the last 10 years its been accident=fired regardless of fault. FIL being a small company didnt subscribe and hired several let go by big outfits for their truck being rear ended etc.


The other thing is, if youve never rode in a bigtruck...they arent this big indestructable beast they appear. The cabs are all thin ass fiberglass and it doesnt take much for a small simple big truck wreck to be fatal
 
Wait

If you couldn't see his mirrors, then you couldn't see around him.
How do you know he didn't slow down bc there was somebody that popped up in front of him? Or he locked it up bc something was in the road?
 
jeepinmatt said:
He thought you were drafting to save fuel, and he got jealous because he couldn't do that.
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drafting to save you fuel means drag on him, losing fuel. No jealousy needed :D
 
I can see the point that maybe he was nervous or annoyed thinking maybe I was drafting him, but homeboy was yelling at me like I was costing him money when I rolled by. I thought maybe there was some airflow thing I was disrupting by being back there that I didn't know about.

I always leave myself an out on all sides whenever I can, and I really was not riding very close. Probably 3-4 car lengths or so? Definitely not tailgating.

If I passed him just to make him feel better, he probably would have passed me on downhills from then on. I just didn't want to play that game on every hill.

RatLabGuy said:
Wait

If you couldn't see his mirrors, then you couldn't see around him.
How do you know he didn't slow down bc there was somebody that popped up in front of him? Or he locked it up bc something was in the road?
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I could see in the curves coming up. I wasn't that close. I was in a gx460 pulling a motorcycle trailer, pretty narrow combo. And there was nothing in on or around the road once I covered the same ground. And he yelled at me like a psycho when I passed him later.

Seriously I was farther away from him than most cars would be in most situations. I could have backed off farther, sure. I had the cruise set and I would cut it off when I'd start to get a little closer than I thought was safe.
 
RatLabGuy said:
drafting to save you fuel means drag on him, losing fuel. No jealousy needed :D
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1653507248080.png
you are reducing the negative pressure by creating a parallel flow path at the exterior and a stagnant zone with a laminar boundary, so it helps both parties ;)
 
shawn said:
That's close as fuck.

At 60mph, safe following distance with a trailer is 270ft (3 seconds).
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I'm sure your are right, but that's a bit impractical in most cases and uncommon practice. I don't see folks leaving a football field between each other when they are pulling a trailer, or 1 car length per 10mph in other cases, even though that would be safer. I could have chose to ease farther back in this case. But I don't think many folks who passed me on the road that day would have thought "wow that dude is close as fuck."
 
Jody Treadway said:
I drive our flatbeds pretty often. My take...I'd rather you be behind me than in front of me (no homo). You can't really brake check me from back there.
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Don't be a dick, and he won't brake check you :flipoff2:
 
I agree you were too close for comfort if you couldn’t see his mirrors. That means he couldn’t see you, probably could only see your trailer so in his mind you are tail gaiting and then he got pissed. I always try to give truckers and anyone towing a trailer more than normal room.
 
Ever read up on Reddit, r/amitheasshole?

80% of the time when they ask... yes, the OP is the asshole.:laughing:
 
RatLabGuy said:
Ever read up on Reddit, r/amitheasshole?

80% of the time when they ask... yes, the OP is the asshole.:laughing:
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Busted :flipoff2:

I assumed it would be a little of each. I doubt he could see my trailer, it was a 4'x9' motorcycle trailer. Anyway, dude obviously had more issues than me, but I'll ease back or go around from now on. Probably.
 
paulevans76 said:
I don't see folks leaving a football field between each other when they are pulling a trailer, or 1 car length per 10mph in other cases,
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1 length per 10 mph is not enough. You should be at least 2 seconds back *all* the time. Add one second for towing/heavy and one second for inclement weather. By your estimate, you were less than 1s behind him. That's too close.

Don't get me wrong, I may get closer to people than that, but I only do it when I have visibility around them and an escape route.

As for the subject of the thread ... "porque no los dos"?
 
Yea if I was rolling In the w9 I’d probably have been mad, but probably just been glad for you to go around
 
Points taken about safe following distances. But I stand by my assertion that this dude definitely had some other issues. Nobody gets that mad about someone being occasionally sort of close behind them. And he of course went on to ride others people's asses when he was able to catch up to traffic.

I would think you'd just get used to smaller or slower vehicles not trying to pass you, but I could see situations where I'd want someone to go around.

I drove my little samurai about 100 miles each way this weekend and had to spend some time on the highway in the right lane again. Its ok at 65 and the occasional 70+ on a downhill but I was going to be laying back. Paid attention to how far back I was and when I could see a trucks driver mirror. If I was hugging the right side line I'd have to be incredibly far back to see them. Really unless I was over to the left of the lane, I could be 300ft back and they wouldn't be able to see me.
 
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