Cars Vs. Trucks: Can't We All Just Get Along?

[Cableguy]

Friday August 3, 2007
CityNews.ca Staff
A car cuts a truck off on a busy highway and it topples over. The result - a main artery that's closed down for hours, inconveniencing everyone.
A driver fails to get out of the way as a truck tries to make a wide turn. The result - the driver is pinned between the big rig and the curb, taking out lanes and delaying everyone as police race to the scene.
A truck tailgates a nervous driver who tries to get away from his giant pursuer. The result - an accident that was literally waiting to happen.
Anyone who's been on our highways the past few weeks is aware of the havoc that comes when trucks and cars go to war on the major thoroughfares, one of the big challenges for the OPP this holiday weekend. It's a lot like the battle of the sexes - neither side understands the other and both believe someone else is responsible. Drivers complain the trucks are too slow and think they 'own the road'. Truckers counter that motorists fail to realize their huge machines don't respond like small cars and can't adjust as quickly in an emergency. What can you do to mend this rift? Here are some suggestions on how to properly share the way with the knights of the road - without getting into a jousting match.
For Drivers
The Bigger They Are, The Longer They Stop
It takes trucks a lot longer to stop because of their size, so if you slam on your brakes, they'll also hit theirs. The difference - your vehicle will come to a sudden halt, while theirs won't. They need extra notice from you if you plan to turn, slow down or stop.
It's All Downhill From Here
You're stopped behind a truck on an incline, with both of you sitting with the brakes on. The truck weighs a lot more than your car and because of its size - and the laws of gravity - it may rollback farther than you'd except when the driver releases his brake. Stay farther back if you find yourself in this scenario.
Seeing Is Believing
There are more blind spots on a truck than a car. Just because you can see him doesn't mean he can see you. Stay at least a car length between you and the truck and shift slightly over to the left to ensure the driver can see you in his rear view mirror. The rule of thumb: if you can't see the driver in the mirrors, he can't see you.
Pass Or Fail
Pass them as fast as you can and don't stay alongside a big rig for too long. And if you plan to overtake him, be careful that you don't cut in too quickly and without enough notice.
It's Your "Turn"
Some long trucks need extra space to make a right turn. But their bulk may require them to edge out into another lane to keep from hitting the curb. If you're in that lane, one of them could hit you or squeeze you between the rig and curb, creating a host of potentially dangerous problems. Give the big guys some extra space if they're leaving the road.
It's The Law
On multi-lane highways, trucks that are longer than 6.5 metres are prohibited from using the far left lane. They're restricted to the middle lane to pass slower vehicles.
Source: MTO
For Truckers
Too Close For Comfort
Nothing bugs drivers more than an in-a-hurry trucker who's right on their bumper. Those big rigs look even bigger in a rear view mirror and when they're right behind a small vehicle, they can be intimidating and lead to errors that cause accidents.
The Need For Speed
Everyone's in a hurry, but truckers are judged by how fast they get their product from one place to another. Drivers hate it when the big riggers go too fast for the conditions, and their vehicles can easily roll over if a driver takes a corner or a curve too fast, creating day-long backlogs. That's what police think happened last month, when a rig carrying liquid sugar took a tumble on the 401 near Keele.

Gone With The Wind
Trucks can create huge air gusts that can literally make a driver feel like his car is going to be blown off the road. They should leave extra space and be aware of the phenomenon before they try to pass a smaller vehicle.
Set A Good Example
This is less a rule of the road than a rile of the road. The Ontario Trucking Association notes that motorists only remember the bad truckers who cause problems, and that rollovers are almost always seen by the public as being the fault of the big rig driver. Setting a good example can help negate that stereotype and result in better cooperation between both sides.

[JeffW]

I think that everyone needs to take aleast one trip in a big rig, i rode in them for most of my early years and you learn a great deal of respect, everything that you own was delivered on one of these things in one way or another (parts, ect.) do you think you could drive a 15ft vehicle with 52' behind you like you drive you're car? If you want to pass a truck speed up dont sit be ehind putting along in the blind zone, If you get pulled over (which is unlikely) most troopers would understand. Some people need to learn some courtesy.

[Steve]

I've taken some rides in the big rigs, it's great to get all the vision of the road, but you just simply can't stop quickly at all.

I think that truck drivers need to keep their speed down, be courteous and not tailgate. ALSO, car drivers need to know that they should never cutoff a big rig, they'll cause an accident or worse, get hit!

[black jack]

I used to drive a dump truck and i tell you people do the stupidest things from the blue hairs that have tunnel vision and all the people with cell phones glued to there ears. But I will say this though we've got all these Cubans who drive dump trucks here that give truck drivers a bad name. They drive like maniacs and on top of that they all have the same drivers licence all from Miami. Now you add the drivers from waste management bad part about them is they've got that big billboard with the company name on the side and they still drive bad. So try to find give and take here, hmm. It just seems that people sometimes just dont care .

[84fiero123]

I drove the big rigs for a while during a lay off from GM. Try fitting one of those threw the Back Bay in Boston during rush hour when no one will let you in.

Trucks don’t stop like cars, don’t turn like cars, (if I had a dime for every time someone would cut me off making a right hand turn I could buy a new big rig).

Never cut in front of a big rig when passing until you can see him in your rear view mirror not your side mirrors.

Never get in the right lane at a stop light when a rig is turning right from the left lane, unless you want to get squished.

Flash your headlights off and on when a rig passes you and is clear past you, it is the signal to them that they are clear of you and can pull in front safely. Remember they are so long they have a hard time telling when they are clear of you.

[Skarch]

My grandfather taught me about the lights thing, and how to say thank you the same way when they let you over, etc... He drove a grain truck during the dust bowl in west texas.

I don't mind truckers, and I try to give them a break any time I can, but there are two things that I can't stand

1.) Anything about rock haulers, most especially the sign that says stay back 150 ft that cant be read from more than 20 ft away.

2.) Trucks that camp in the left lane. here in Texas, they are required to go 5MPH slower than cars on the highway, so I can't fathom why they would think its ok to sit in the left lane with the right open.. Of course, this goes for 70% of the cars out there too!

[ChevyLover]

Different states have different laws for trucks, their speed, the lanes they can be in, the weigh stations, etc.

Some are more favorable for truckers than others and you have to know the laws of the state that you're in while you're driving through it.