The Long Road Ahead

I get tickled when I stumble across those wet behind the ear truckdrivers who have not gained enough experience to breeze through the day without losing it. I remember being nervous and naive. I am not criticizing them, because I was a rookie too! A word of advice, take your time. You will learn the ropes if you don't let it stress you out...

This week I stumbled upon one such driver and I didn't have the heart to tell him he should quit while he is ahead.

Coming out of Milford Connecticut, I was berated and cursed for tailgating. Over the CB, I was told to back off or move over, just get the hell away from him. He did not appreciate cars tailgating him and could not understand why a Truck Driver would do it. It is dangerous. What if he had to slam on the breaks? What if he blew a tire? What if he had to swerve to avoid a deer? What would I do, being stuck up his ass? I was an inconsiderate bitch. He attempted to move left and let me pass on the right, but he noticed I was already moving left, preparing to merge with freeway traffic. So he slowed and literally waved me by with one finger furiously gesturing at me. His CB tirade lasted for a few minutes.

While making the pass, I noticed him braking and moving even further to the right.

Yes, I was only ten feet behind him. At a traffic light, doing 10 mph. Gaining momentum for the freeway entrance ramp, he had a heavy load and was slow to shift. I was nearly empty and skipping gears. He cursed me the entire length of the ramp for tailgating. To which I responded, " Should I have waited for the next green light? "

I haven't noticed any deer grazing on the entrance ramps and is it really swerving at 10mph? You cannot blow a tire at 10mph, you may have a flat but probably would not notice it at this point?! And as for slamming on the brakes, once again I ask, can you do this at 10 MPH?

I can't help but wonder how long he will last as a Trucker, because when have you ever been stopped at a red light and not had someone "tailgate" you when it turned green. There is no way to avoid it!! I will admit, he did look terrified as I passed him. But seriously, if driving makes you that nervous, maybe you should not choose it as a profession...... hmmmmm