Pay more yes. That's not going to happen. the bean counters are in charge and will not allow more pay. That's why they hire new drivers, lower pay outlays. And the dollars counters don't spend a second in the trucks and don't care.But that's modern business.
As for split speed limits, they are a disaster for all, the largest split states have about 50% more collisions where cars drive into the rear of 10 MPH slower moving traffic. The other thing that happens is,the trucks get lined up nose to tail, behind the slowest truck going 47mph and can't get into the passing lane to get around it.Because the passing lane is the ONLY lane the cars have to travel. If you don't believe that,travel I-271 and I-71 south of Cleveland. Enough noise from an old truck driver,who doesn't miss it a bit Phil

 

I think what it comes down to is just commen sense. If everybody would use a little while driving it would solve a lot of problems, things like planning your trip in advace so you don't have to cut across 9 lanes of traffic to make your exit, or drive only as fast as conditions allow instead of speeding your way to work in which you're already late for, or finding a gas/service station that has a large enough lot to pull your boat and camper into, or using the right vehicle for the right job, or watching the road instead of the keypad on your cell phone or watching the road instead of reading a book (yes, I have actually passed people on the highway doing this, before passing them I seriously thought they were drunk) and of course you have the TV watchers. I think you all get the point. Driving has become to easy and convienent, actually what I meant is it's to much of a hassle because it takes time to do and people think they should be doing a hundred other thing instead of just driving. I often times eat out of my vehical and make phone calls but if it inturupts my driving ability I either wait untill I reach my destination or pull off of the road. Just my 2 cent rave this morning.

 

last summer i saw a dodge dakota layin on its side on a highway coming out of the nearest town, Apparently he or she thought they could pull a dry fertilizer spreader (which states not to be pulled more than 25 mph due to the drive train on the spreader) the on or two tons of fertilizer was scattered all over the road and it look as if the spreader was totaled. this was in a 45mph zone on a curve. While i have overloaded my f150 many times with a cattle trailer or a load of hay i had sense enough to slow down and keep about three times the normal distance between me and the car in front of me. And thats why i love fords cause that pore old truck still starts every morning after years of use as a farm truck.

 

Eventually? This is already happening. A woman around me is being charged with manslaughter based on information taken from her vehicles "black box". The lawyers are fighting it of course and the outcome could be important to all of us driving newer vehicles that record speed, throttle position, brake position, seatbelt usage, etc.

No telling what this information could be used for. Law enforcement, voiding warranties, vehicle tracking (think of the Onstar commercials), etc.

 

Big Brother IS watching..be assured! Don't get me started because I start sounding like Dale Gribble on "King of the Hill"

I think where the manufacturers get people is by screaming tow ratings and leave out the little things like GVWR, GCWR & GAWR. You'll exceed those before you exceed the 9500# tow capacity on the Nissan (or F150 or whatever). Over at RV.net, there are folks that are saying that the payload on the Nissan ridiculously low; the empty truck takes up most of the GVWR. Most people have no idea what those other ratings mean. I don't see how some people make it to be as old as they are!!

Jim

 

I have been working with a Legends Racing Team here in Charlotte and I know that we run hard on the track but off its a totally different story. Especially since the is used for other teams associated with us. There is no point trying to get somewhere faster if it means that you run a higher risk of wrecking before you even make it to the track. Especially when racings is already expensive to begin with.

 

People do not have any idea how much time they are costing themselves and everyone else by what they think is saving them time driving.

Several posts up someone said they thought everyone knew what it was like to drive a big rig. I disagree, how can someone that has never been in anything bigger than a VW have any idea what 40 tons drives like. Even the people in the big fifth wheel travel trailer rigs have no idea. They do not have to be 1500 miles away tomorrow. Spend a week in a long haul truck and lots of your perceptions of driving will be different. Most of the drivers are only trying to make impossible to meet schedules work. That same driver that was running 80 in the snow storm probably put the meat in the grocery store for you to eat. I know, I spent 13 years doing it every day of the year. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, ice, fog, floods, blizzards, volcanos, tornados, forest fires, hurricanes, riots do not make any difference, I've been through all of them. You have to go and the schedule is the same as it was on the sunny and 70 degree day. In 1980 I had 40 hours to get from Denver Colorado to Boston Mass. which is 2000 miles away and I ran solo. Peoople in Boston had steak for lunch on Thursday that was walking into a slaughter house in Denver Monday evening. If I wanted to sleep any at all I had to run kinda fast. Yes I have driven 90 MPH on an icey road so slick you could not walk on it. I had no accidents in 13 years running well over 6000 miles a week.
You talk about the truck endangering you, most likely if the truck runs over you it was because some non professional did something stupid to get things out of control in the first place.

I had a good friend that died from injuries he recieved in an accident. A car cut him off and slammed on the brakes, from the drivers seat he could see the kids in the back seat of the car that cut him off. He took out the guard rail instead of the car because of the kids. He is dead because the kids have a stupid dad. It only took six hours to cut him out of what used to be a Peterbuilt.
And you think the cop has a dangerous job, that car that he did not even touch killed him just as dead as a .357 would have.
He is not my only friend that is not here because of non professionals either.

Now think about this small parting thought. Since he took the guard rail and saved 4 peoples lives, the Ohio State Police gave him a ticket for failure to maintain control of his vehicle. He had many witnesses that came to his defense with what happened. And the car never even stopped.

I feel better now.

 

Most of you are to young to have seen the cartoon movie with Goofy (Mickey Mouse Goofy). It shows him holding doors open for people and in general being a gentleman at all times. Except! When he gets behind the wheel of his car. He then becomes a discourteous, slob. The people described in this forum are the, discourteous, self important slobs who do not know the basic laws of the road or the common courtey of the road. Unfortunately they will always be with us. All we can do is watch out for them. As retired law Enforcement, I have seen plenty of the problems they cause.

 

Hey Dave, its a two way street. We could sit here and complain about all the slob "professional" drivers too. Like the ones who are driving a kensworth hay wagon, you know the ones weaving back and forth so bad you expect to see a farmer pulling a wagon full of bales on a pintle hook. Or the ones who are driving along with nothing in the hammer lane and stick you on every ramp. Or the ones who think using turn signals means the guy next to him is supposed to slam on the brakes and to let them out. I could also complain about the moron in his SUV drinking a beer in one hand and steering with a cigar in the other who played wishbone on a 2 lane highway... he split inbetween me and the car passing me. Both of us landed up half on the shoulder or he would have hit both of us. And complain about the idiot pulling his snowmobile trailer with so much firewood on it the tires look like low pofiles. A slob is a slob, no matter what they are driving or what they are doing. If someone gets a ticket for being stupid, so be it. Have i run bit heavy? Yes. But so has every truck driver under the sun.

 

Dave, I don't think anyone has any intentions of saying that large equipment operators are bad drivers but When you cann't see and cann't stop It's not worth killing yourself and others for that extra $. So you ran 90mph on roads you couldn't walk on: Do you feel tough or that your that good of a driver that you can control a 90k lb rig at 90mph on glare ice; I do believe that is pure and simple stupidity and no matter how good of driver you or any one else is this is not a idea, oh and by the way if you drive like that all the time your just plainly lucky you haven't killed your self or others. He!! your the guy I'm bitc^% about!!! I can garentee that if I was a car/truck you passed when running 90mph in terrible conditions I'd have the one of our fine ND HPS pulling you over, that is of course if I'm not completely blinded by snow dust as you pass me and if I'm able to saftley maintain control now that I cann't see because of your poor driving desicions, I would then proceede to have your plate/truck/Driver #. I don't think your impressing anybody in this forum by your post, you only look ignorant and it just gives more reasons why people die on the roads. I think those poeple in bosten can wait one more day for there steaks. OH, and by the way just so you dont' come back and tell me I have no clue, My brother in-law, father in-law and two uncles are all truck drivers and we've had this discussion many times!! Lastly I'd like to say if you were running that hard for that many days I'm sure your log book showed every thing didn't it??

On a side note my father-in law works for a freight company that is a Union company and has an excellent job and has never been forced to drive 6000 miles in four days on ****ty roads. The point is not all trucking companies force there drivers into bad situations.

 

I knew that I should have said something about the drivers you are talking about as soon as I hit send. And yes, just because someone is in a semi does not mean they are professionals. And by the same token not all non commercial drivers are morons trying to kill you.
When I used to drive I looked at a lot of vehicles driving down the road that were obviously overloaded well beyond the capabilities of the vehicle and / or the driver.
But that 75 Ford station wagon with the rear bumper dragging the ground did not have to go through the scales or a saftey check.

As an example.

 

Yep and the union truck drivers do not put fresh food on your table either. If you want to eat everything out of a can go for it.

Most of the people that put fresh vegtables and meat on your table are independant owner operators that do not buy fuel or tires by the truck load and get fleet insurance rates.
They make payments on their trucks and by fuel at truck stops and pay outrageous insurance rates as well as outrageous registeration and permit fees.

When all the independants go out of business wait till you see what you pay for a piece of steak, if you can even get one worth eating.

When you pass 4 million miles driving at any speed you want to without an accident I will listen to you.
Are you profesional enough to put your truck over the hill to avoid killing someone with your truck even though you will probably die?
When I retired from driving I could afford to pay myself .12 cents a mile and still meet operating expenses. That was 1984 and fuel was 1.12 a gallon. So at 80 MPH I was making 9.60 an hour with no benifits or health insurance. When the truck was not moving, I did not get paid a dime.

Everyone go down to the store and insist on paying 55 dollars a pound for the meat or produce you buy so those guys can slow down. They do not like taking the chances they take any more than you do. But economics force it upon them.