Apr 24, 2011

Cranial Excavation...


or more simply, Removing Your Head From Your Arse !!


I am soooooo pissed off. I do not intend to let this post become a long drawn out diatribe bashing new truck drivers. In fact, it is not always the newer drivers who pull stupid stunts. I do have a low opinion of how the new comers are being trained and while some of that could be blamed on poor educational courses, the fact of the matter is... It boils down to common sense.

Today, I was cruising up I-65 when I noticed a company truck sitting on the shoulder of the road about a half mile ahead. The driver in front of me also noticed, and as any courteous professional would do, we both signaled to merge into the left lane to give the stranded driver as much room as possible. With the high flow of traffic, we were having quite a time getting over to the left.

I noticed the blinker begin to light up on the "disabled" truck and thought...surely, he is going to wait. But NOOOOOOO!! The bastard pulled straight out into the right lane of the interstate at about 10mph. Here is what happened next..

It scared a fourwheeler who then drove into the grassy median, luckily without having an accident. The truck in front of me was trying to get left quickly, but with the one car already in the grass, several others hit the brakes leaving him no room as he was already merging. He tried to pull back to the right to avoid hitting innocent motorists and started to slide. After quick thinking on his part, he regained traction and was able to merge left. As for me, I have some very flat spots on my tires due to coming to a rather quick stop and ended up driving on the shoulder for a little bit to avoid the slow truck in the right lane...

Meanwhile, this freaking idiot is oblivious to the near mayhem he almost created. Who I am kidding, it was mayhem!! I am just thankful everybody was able to react in a way that not one person was injured or one vehicle damaged.

And for the record... I had some very unpleasant things to say to this steering wheel holder and all of Indiana had the pleasure of hearing it. Would you be surprised that the driver never acknowledged what he had done. He even went so far as to hide his face when I passed him.

This is the second time I have had my life flash before my eyes because of some stupid freaking truck driver.. Oh, and the worst part... The shoulder he was parked on was between the ramps for an exit!! He could have easily pulled off the exit and parked on that shoulder, therefore allowing himself room to build momentum for reentry.

I just don't understand why some people are so disconnected. You are driving 80,000lbs of mobile destruction.. and yet your only concern is your missed exit, how late you are, where the next McDonalds is or checking out the babes in the cars beside you.

Your lack of common sense infuriates me!!


7 comments:

Bethany said...

LOL You sound like me! Tell 'em what you think! I always figure when they hide behind the door post they know they f'd up and are guilty!

Backbone said...

It's happened to me too, Terry, and I was just as pissed and vocal and grabbing gears as you were. Sometimes that crap behavior leads to dead drivers. The recent "accidents" (they're not accidents at all)in Wyoming and Indiana come to mind. Never a shortage of idiots out there.
C'mon, you an tell us who it was.
Glad you weren't hurt.

Terry said...

Either that or they screw up all the time and have become to immune to getting yelled.. Ugh, so frustrating Bethany!!

Backbone, you are so right. There is never a shortage of idiots but the scary part is just how many are driving 18 wheelers.. Pick any large company with minimal recruiting standards and you have an accident waiting to happen... My 2 experiences were with Knight and JB Hunt, enough said!

Dale said...

A lot of these people out here today haven't got the common sense of a rock. They flunked common courtesy 101, and for some reason have it in their mind that they are the only ones out here that matter. The I'm bigger than they are mentality is running so rampant in their little minds they have no room for anything else. Never figure on the other guy doing the right thing. 90% of the time you will figure incorrectly.

http://thisistrucking.com

Todays Walk said...

You okay? We haven't heard from you since the tornados hit! 5/15/11

Mat said...

I think it is more a human trait than a training fault... we get it over here in Australia. It appears to be a weakness among the day cab drivers. I guess they're too focused on getting home every day.

Terry said...

Yes, I am doing well. Family missed most of the storms and I have been busy.... Thank you sooo much for asking :)