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Why do people cut off semi trucks?

#21
Stinsok said:
Ah, good ol' Drivecam. We have them. I used to think that there was some kind of game going on to see how close you could get to my truck when darting into my lane. I've even had instances of douchebags on bikes do it. If there was a crash, it would of course be the evil truck's fault. With Drivecam, I say bring your stupid ass on over. While writing this a commercial for one of those "ambulance chaser" law firms was playing. "Have you been involved in a crash with a big truck?"
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I hated that thing when I first started but I've got to say it has made me a safer driver. And it is a double edged sword - great if you weren't at fault in an accident but if it was your fault? Oy!

I give out an informal award occasionally for the driver with the closest call who doesn't unlease a tirade of F-bombs.
 
#22
People cut off anything: semis, other cars and motorcycles. Just oblivious and rude. I try not to switch lanes until I can see the car I've passed in the middle of my mirror but others are not as nice.

I have noticed one thing that irritates me about semis though and it happens enough that I take note. I cruise about 5 - 10 miles over the speed limit on the interstate so I tend to roll with or slightly faster than other automobile traffic and pass quite a few semis. One thing that irritates me is to catch up to two semis, I'll be the only car in sight behind the trucks but as I get to the point when I'm a truck and trailer length behind the 2nd semi will cut me off and then proceed to tool along at a speed only slightly faster than the semi it is attempting to pass. Am I receiving their angst from being cut off earlier or do they not use their mirrors and see me?
 
#23
Illini10 said:
People cut off anything: semis, other cars and motorcycles. Just oblivious and rude. I try not to switch lanes until I can see the car I've passed in the middle of my mirror but others are not as nice.

I have noticed one thing that irritates me about semis though and it happens enough that I take note. I cruise about 5 - 10 miles over the speed limit on the interstate so I tend to roll with or slightly faster than other automobile traffic and pass quite a few semis. One thing that irritates me is to catch up to two semis, I'll be the only car in sight behind the trucks but as I get to the point when I'm a truck and trailer length behind the 2nd semi will cut me off and then proceed to tool along at a speed only slightly faster than the semi it is attempting to pass. Am I receiving their angst from being cut off earlier or do they not use their mirrors and see me?
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A lot of this has to do with hills. When they are trying to pass another truck they usually only have about 2-5 mph in reserve then they get on a hill and the lighter truck(Less freight) will speed up. The last thing a trucker wants to do is let off the gas on a hill so it just becomes a drag race to the top.
 
#25
The other side of this coin, I see semi trucks cut people off constantly. Semi in the right lane driving slow behind another semi truck. The rear semi truck merges left 10 feet in front of the suv in the left lane driving 20 miles per hour faster than semi 2. Suv slams on his brakes to avoid rear ending the semi and traffic jam ensues.
 
#26
Most people simply have no understanding of how dangerous an activity it is to drive a car.

Aggressive drivers out-number defensive drivers by at least 10 to 1.

And I love how our state police put out bulletins about how they are going to pursue aggressive drivers and tailgaters. They are the most aggressive tailgaiting drivers on the road. (and I have seen blatant tailgaiting occur right in front of a cruiser and they do nothing.)

Plus, if the speed limit is 65 but the cops let you do 75 easy (pretty much need to hit 80 or over to get pulled over up here) - then, rules mean nothing! Everything becomes a joke.

This is the price that Americans are willing to pay to drive aggressively: Over 100 dead on American highways - EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Imagine, 100 more won't make it home tonight, or ever.

Now, I actually have a question too: What are the drivers of Semi Tractor-Trailers thinking when then jam right up on the bumper of a sub compact at close to 80 mph?
 
#29
nortonrider said:
I have experienced this a lot (I drive a big truck) and got to wondering what prompts car drivers to cut off semi trucks?
Out of all of the stupid things I have seen people doing out on the highways, This is one of the most unsafe "practices" that I experience.
Trying to be objective, I came up with some of the possible reasons.

.Because of the size, people don't realize how fast a Big truck is actually moving. (perspective)

. Cars are somehow "getting back" at the truck for making them have to pass. (road rage)

. Drivers just don't understand how dangerous it is being around big trucks (ignorance)

I had it happen multiple times today going down a mountain pass on icy roads. A few had to pretty much jump a slush berm to change lanes in front of me.

Cutting off a Semi Truck is a good way to get yourself ran over, seriously not a good driving practice.
So..... the next time you are driving, just watch how often it happens, and you will be aware of doing it yourself.
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Having been involved in an accident with a Mack R600 Dump Truck and pony trailer ( it weighed a minimum of 80'000lbs.) when I was 20, I learned to give trucks a pretty wide berth.
In my case the accident was the truck drivers fault tho, he can down hill towards a signal and couldn't stop in time causing a chain reaction rear ender. The first car he hit was a Fiat Spyder which he rolled right over and pushed into the rest of us - he then crossed the center line and hit a Vega head on which bounced off of me.............Six cars destroyed and he's in the ditch on the left hand side of the road with a Fiat underneath him. The spent alot of time cutting that guy out and he had multiple injuries...........I ended up with a nasty cut in my eyebrow, bled like a stuck pig, got an ambulance ride, made the evening news and the paper.
33 years later I still give trucks a width berth.
 
#30
My best mate drives his own truck, and bought one of those cameras - he has a best of video of idiot drivers, and some of the things on it are quite unbelievable. Mind you, other truck drivers don't fare too well according to him. As someone said earlier, drivers are just far too aggressive in general. I've never understood it- I just turn up the car stereo and enjoy the music. What's it matter if you get there 5 minutes later? Still, it does take a particular type of nutter to cut off a semi-trailer while driving a Toyota Corolla. The semi will drive over you like you were a speed bump. Good luck with that.
 
#31
My Dad was a long distance truck driver for about 30 years until he got MS due to being drafted to Vietnam and getting sprayed with agent orange there. Having grown up around semi trucks, I have an appreciation for what they do and make a conscious effort not to cut them off. Also, if they have to get over, I always flash my lights telling them they are clear to get over.

With that being said, what does anger me though is when they cut others off because they think they can because they are in a bigger vehicle. The freeway that goes through Sterling, where I live, has a lot of semi traffic because it is an interstate freeway. For normal vehicles, our speed limit is 75mph and people usually drive 80mph to 85mph on it since we are in the middle of nowhere. For semi's they have to drive 65mph though but they will always cut off people to get around another truck. We only have a 2 lane freeway in each direction so many times people have to slam on their brakes because they have been cut off by a semi truck driver. In turn, all it does is anger those drivers and many times, they will then pass that truck and slow way down to piss them off back because it will then take them forever to get back up to speed. So it is my guess, that is why we are seeing semi truck drivers get cut off or people doing stupid stuff. They look at them as simply a large vehicle going much slower and getting in their way.
 
#33
^ Or if everyone in any kind of vehicle just remembered their basic driver's ed. lessons, we wouldn't need any special lanes, special treatment, or to have this whole conversation.

It seems to me this thread isn't really about the special circumstance of semi drivers, it's just about poor drivers. It's as simple as keeping in mind how complex the road is when you're on it.
 
#35
several fleets are speed limited which might be causing some of the leisurely passing. We're good to 62. GPS will red flag anybody that exceeds that speed (down hill mostly)

when I was motoring around with my permit (pre ABS) I learned a great deal about what a truck will and won't do.

disc brakes and ABS is getting stopping distances down quite a bit and in a straight line too.

and thanks to CARB, trucks are becoming so unreliable that the congestion will be handled by design. And this tech is coming to your state too.
 
#36
dieselbass said:
several fleets are speed limited which might be causing some of the leisurely passing. We're good to 62. GPS will red flag anybody that exceeds that speed (down hill mostly)

when I was motoring around with my permit (pre ABS) I learned a great deal about what a truck will and won't do.

disc brakes and ABS is getting stopping distances down quite a bit and in a straight line too.

and thanks to CARB, trucks are becoming so unreliable that the congestion will be handled by design. And this tech is coming to your state too.
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Speed limiters are a problem here too with some trucks. It makes overtaking virtually impossible, and it doesn't allow for trucks to wind up some extra speed before long hills, so of course they're going at a snails pace at the top. Not a popular thing here, and a lot of truck drivers have found ways of disabling such systems, and many trucking companies have ditched them altogether. Can't say I blame them either - they're just impractical.
 
#37
Ok how about me? Why do trucks cut off school buses ??? Is my living breathing cargo more precious than their crap? No! Same with cars....I'm cut off so dam much my job drives me nuts

Lol omg let's not get into CARB....evil!!!

DriveCam is coming to my bus soon I don't mind them but I don't like black box on my windshield
 
#38
Buslady7803 said:
Ok how about me? Why do trucks cut off school buses ??? Is my living breathing cargo more precious than their crap? No! Same with cars....I'm cut off so dam much my job drives me nuts

Lol omg let's not get into CARB....evil!!!

DriveCam is coming to my bus soon I don't mind them but I don't like black box on my windshield
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Seriously! The law in my state says to maintain 100 feet behind a school bus. At all times. I stop 80 or so feet back, and guess what? The cars behind me pull around to get in front of me! And guess what else! These are the moms that just put their kids on the bus!

By far - the most aggressive drivers in my neighborhood are the mothers of young children. I mean, 40 mph on a cul de sac? Got two of those right across the street in their mercedes and lexus.
 
#39
dieselbass said:
several fleets are speed limited which might be causing some of the leisurely passing. We're good to 62. GPS will red flag anybody that exceeds that speed (down hill mostly)
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I'm not talking about leisurely passing, I'm talking about the truckers that drive slower than every one else in the left lane.

Truckers are not better than people in cars. Both categories have good drivers and both have bad drivers.
 
#40
Have you been to Oregon yet nortonrider? If not, look forward to some of the worst idiocy on any US roads.


nortonrider said:
Cutting off a Semi Truck is a good way to get yourself ran over, seriously not a good driving practice.
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Operative word here. For those of you that don't know, trucks don't just hit the back of cars and ruin the bumper. Trucks go up and over and crush everything inside. If you're passing a truck, pass quickly and get ahead before merging back. And don't hang out near the rear bumper, either, all you do back there is distract the driver and create a road hazard. If you want to pass, just pass. And if there are three lanes, take the lane farthest from the truck. There's no reason to be next to one.
 

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