I have a commercial driver's license, considerable experience in big rigs both on test tracks and on the road, and lots of opinionated trucker friends. Allow me to offer a few tips on how to avoid getting sacked by a big rig.
A Truck's Turn Signal Means "Make Room Quickly"
When you see a big rig's turn signal, press either the accelerator or brake pedal: Give that big boy room, now. The truck's turn signal might mean the lane ahead is blocked and the driver must move over.
One rainy winter night in Kentucky, a car spun out in front of my Freightliner. It came to rest in my lane. I double-checked my mirrors, engaged the turn signal, and started to switch lanes... just as a car darted out from behind the trailer and into the lane I HAD to have. "Sorry, Hoss, but I gotta have that real estate." I hope it worked out well for him, but hitting the stopped Mustang wouldn't have been good for anyone.
Let 'Em Work
Trucking is a hard way to make a living. So give a workin' man (or woman) a break. If you're caught in one of those 70-plus-mph traffic clots that plague rural interstates, relinquish the left lane when a trucker signals. Flash your headlights to announce your good manners.
Right Is Wrong
Avoid passing a truck on the right. There's almost always a good reason the trucker is in the left lane. The driver may be passing a much slower vehicle. Maybe there's an obstacle in road, or a cop has stopped a motorist on the right shoulder. You know that almost every state requires drivers to move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder, correct? Be grateful the trucker pulled into left lane: Maybe it prevented you from getting a ticket. (If a truck is cruising in the left lane it's probably because road-construction regulations require it.)
Right is wrong on surface streets too. Often a truck driver moves left?sometimes well to port?in order to make a tight right turn. If you blast up the right side after the driver has begun to swing right, he won't see you. In addition, overhanging trees, parked cars, and unexpected right-turn-only lanes make it smarter for a truck to drive in the center lane.
Mind the Gap
In slow-moving traffic, truckers leave a fair-size gap between themselves and the vehicle ahead. This space is not for you. The gap allows the trucker to continue rolling at a smooth pace and avoid slamming on the brakes when the vehicle ahead slows or stops.
You're Invisible
Even if you can see the truck's mirrors, that doesn't mean the driver has seen you. A trucker doesn't have blind spots?he has blind fields. The driver has to monitor eight or 10 mirrors, some shaking vigorously or clouded with road slime. If it's rainy, your headlights might not penetrate the spray to his eyes. More than once, a car became, shall we say, irritated when I moved my truck from the center to the right lane. I still don't know whether they were hanging in a blind spot or passing on the right, or I just overlooked them. Just remember this the next time you're hanging around a semi, especially in bad weather.
Stopping Might Not Be an Option
A big rig takes roughly three times farther to stop than a car. Once, an inattentive four-wheeler driver realized he was about to miss his exit. He yanked in front of my big rig, jammed on the brakes, and came very close to discovering whether there's life after death. If you pull in front of a truck, give it plenty of room and at least match the truck's pace.
You Really Want to Fight for This Hill?
Within the cabin of a modern car it's easy to feel isolated from nature and forget how much more energy it takes to move a heavy metal machine up a hill than down one. While your car can probably maintain about the same speed going up and down, an enormous semi can't. The truck can fly downhill but might not be able to do much more than 55 up a slope. So if you're holding a constant 65, don't get bent out of shape about passing a truck and then finding the same truck repassing you. If you see a rearview mirror full of truck grille, accelerate or move over. Give the truck one or two clear downhill runs and he'll probably drive off into the distance.
A Bad Place to Hang Out
Even if the left lane is clogged, it's a bad idea to hang out alongside a big rig. Truck tires fail with regularity: You're probably seen numerous "road gators," or truck-tire treads, that have separated from the carcass. You don't want to be alongside a truck when a road gator is born?the flailing 70-plus-pound steel-reinforced Weed Eater will tear apart anything it touches.
Trust me: Herding 40 tons down the road is difficult enough without cars around you creating surprise commercial-driver's tests. Be kind and cautious to truckers: I might be behind the wheel.
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