Sharing the Road with Trucks - Things Every Driver Should Know

Let me start by telling you something about myself.

I've been driving a commercial vehicle since 1976. I started with a school bus and worked my way up to a tractor with a 53-foot trailer. I've been driving for 35 years and I wish I had been told more about trucks when I started driving a car.

I sit up there in the cab of my truck and see things that make my hair stand on end.

People do things that are almost unbelievable.

It amazes me.

Idiots are fascinating.

How are they staying alive?

Why do they do the things they do?

Who are these people and where did they learn to drive?

People ask, "Why are there so many trucks on the road?" Even my own father asked me this one day and I was astonished.

I replied, "How do you think all of that stuff you buy gets to the store?"

Without trucks the world, as we know it would cease to exist.
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Trucks are big and people don't always think about how much they weigh.

Trust me, even empty they're heavy and common sense tells you that something that's heavy is going to take longer to stop.

Unfortunately, when it comes to driving, people don't always use common sense.

People put their brains on cruise control right along with the car.

They're listening to the radio or talking to a passenger or on the phone.

They're trying to get the kids to stop fighting or crying.

They're eating and drinking and sometimes even drunk.

Watching the road is way down there on their list of priorities.

They drive down the road as if they're all alone, the only car on the road, and trucks.....

.........What trucks?
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Trucks have several stopping issues that don't apply to cars.

First, they're heavy and worse yet, if they're empty they can take even longer to stop.

The suspension is made for weight so if they're empty and you stomp on the brake pedal, the trailer will just bounce and jump and take much longer to stop, or jack-knife and really screw up traffic.

Then there's the air-brake issue.

Cars have hydraulic brakes.

That means there is hydraulic fluid in the lines that go to the brakes and when you step on the brake pedal, the fluid is pushed through the brake lines and activates the brake.