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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / February 2006Close call with a dump truck
On the same damned IN 67 (2 lane divided), Mooresville area. I was in the right lane, doing 70 in 55. Not far behind, a brand new dump truck which I had just passed was going maybe 65 (the guy had been driving very aggresively weaving and tailgating other cars). Not far ahead of us, a semi enters the highway, but instead of turning into the right lane, goes directly for the left lane, diagonally blocking both lanes. That surprised the hell out of me. The moment I saw the semi entering the road, I moved to the left lane to let him merge, but then seeing how he was actually going for the left lane, I moved right again, to pass him on the right, and braked. The dump truck behind me had to use the shoulder to slow down and avoid slammig into my a.s. I wonder if I could have done anything better in this situation. IMO, the semi was at fault, and the dump truck was driving too fast for the conditions. > On the same damned IN 67 (2 lane divided), Mooresville area. I was in the right lane, > doing 70 in 55. Not far behind, a brand new dump truck which I had just passed was [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > I wonder if I could have done anything better in this situation. IMO, the semi was > at fault, and the dump truck was driving too fast for the conditions. ----- You will usually notice when a semi -needs- both lanes for his turn he will stay in the far lane when turning either direction. The rationale is: it clears one of the lanes in the least amount of time and you're using that lane anyway. If it's the L lane when turning R, you just let traffic clear and move R when it's "safe" to do so. That can take a while as no 4-wheeler posesses the spare 5 seconds to just let him get out of the way. As for the dump driver... he's likely being paid by the load or ton... and just another idiot without 5 seconds to spare. Watch out for 'em... ----- - gpsman > ----- > You will usually notice when a semi -needs- both lanes for his turn he > will stay in the far lane when turning either direction. That's a good point. I will keep this in mind. However, that highway has a very wide shoulder. The semi should have used it. > > ----- > > You will usually notice when a semi -needs- both lanes for his turn he > > will stay in the far lane when turning either direction. > > That's a good point. I will keep this in mind. However, that highway > has a very wide shoulder. The semi should have used it. ----- Semis are entitled to use the roadway and know it. Tires are expensive and most of the crap that will flat a tire is on the shoulder. About the only time a trucker is willing to risk that is for blocking the shoulder in a traffic jam so the MFFYs can't use it to muck up the situation... even more worserer. Personally, I liked to turn my rig into the R lane when turning right (vice-versa), make that big swing around and have my trailer end up dead center and going exactly straight at the finish of the turn. But that isn't always possible or, a lot of the time, practical and/or the safest method. Operating a truck consists of making an almost constant series of compromises. The average idiot drive one without the compromises, but it isn't very smart. That's why truck "driving" is often referred to as "operating". You drive a car, a truck is operated ala heavy equipment operation... because that's what it actually is. To those who know what the f.ck they're doing: operating a piece of large, heavy equipment, at high velocity, in traffic. Just watch out for trucks. A lot of 'em are doing the best they can with what little brains they got... and some aren't. It's not wise to differentiate between 'em. ----- - gpsman >> On the same damned IN 67 (2 lane divided), Mooresville area. I was in the right lane, >> doing 70 in 55. Not far behind, a brand new dump truck which I had just passed was [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >a while as no 4-wheeler posesses the spare 5 seconds to just let him >get out of the way. I understand that driving a truck takes different angles than a car, but some of these drivers are just f.cking nuts when it comes to making a right turn. I had to take a Chevy Cavalier over a median to avoid getting hit by a semi that decided to use the left lane to turn from a 2-right turn lanes to 2 lane road, on red. (In fairness, it was a Mexican truck in the US.) Several weeks ago I almost got hit by a flatbed truck who "missed his turn" and needed to U-turn ASAP, so he merged lanes where I was until I stopped dead in a 50mph zone. The apology was given by his supervisor, after talking to the driver about my complaint. The driver's immedaite response was to point to the sky with one finger. I'll hope he was praying for a safe merge in a strange manner rather than being a MFFY. I've seen drivers do what you described both safely and unsafely, and without having seen the specific incident can't really say who f.cked up. >As for the dump driver... he's likely being paid by the load or ton... >and just another idiot without 5 seconds to spare. Watch out for >'em... These types of drivers are the ones many of us complain about when we mention "truckers" BTW. It's not the intelligent long haul guys that understand if I flash my headlights while approaching in the L lane, it means I'm telling them go ahead and pass before me, I'm in no hurry and there's nobody else in sight. It's the short haul guys who have to pick up as many illegally parked cars as they can in a day, or the guys who get paid by how many cubic feet of sh.t they haul in a day. The biggest problem with "truckers" is the ones that have no idea what the f.ck they're doing. They're probably not the type to bother reading a newsgroup, since I think most must be illiterate the way they ignore EXIT ONLY and RIGHT LANE MUST TURN RIGHT signs. Dave >The moment I saw the semi entering the road, I moved to the left lane to let him >merge, but then seeing how he was actually going for the left lane, I moved right [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >I wonder if I could have done anything better in this situation. Never cut off a Trucker. They take forever to stop. >IMO, the semi was >at fault, and the dump truck was driving too fast for the conditions. The semi was not at fault for your decision to cut off the dump truck.  SignatureWhat the heck, I'll play too. - Dave > >The moment I saw the semi entering the road, I moved to the left lane to let him > >merge, but then seeing how he was actually going for the left lane, I moved right [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > The semi was not at fault for your decision to cut off the dump truck. That's also the way I see it. Harry K >>The moment I saw the semi entering the road, I moved to the left lane to let him >>merge, but then seeing how he was actually going for the left lane, I moved right [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > The semi was not at fault for your decision to cut off the dump truck. I wasnt cutting him off before the semi appeared. >>>I wonder if I could have done anything better in this situation. >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >I wasnt cutting him off before the semi appeared. And you didn't have to cut him off afterwards, either. You could have stayed in your lane and slowed/stopped, or you could have dived onto the left shoulder. But you chose to cut back into the right lane, anticipating that the enteriing semi would clear the right lane and allow you to pass. When that didn't happen, you had left yourself vulnerable. You asked what you could have done better. Leaving yourself less vulnerable to a Trucker's (in)ability to stop. SignatureWhat the heck, I'll play too. - Dave I suppose you're right. The main thing we car guys need to remember about trucks is "Let the Wookie win." Smart or dumb, experienced or green, in good form or tired or wired or feeling the dispatcher's hot breath on the back of his neck, doing the right thing or screwing up (happens to the best of us...) it doesn't really matter in the moment. They all have one thing in common: enough momentum to make the undertaker use a lot of makeup to cover up the Peterbilt logo embossed in my back. Getting into that situation because of an attempt to show courtesy to a merging truck definitely would have been more than my minimum daily requirement of irony. As for how it might've been handled differently: that's a tough one. I like to think that, having changed to the left lane with big fast traffic coming up on the right, I'd have had the wit and the brakes to stay there and take my medicine. If you *do* change lanes again, back to the right with the careening dump truck a few seconds closer than before, it has to be done with the most vigorous acceleration. If traffic ahead doesn't allow that ("I moved right again, to pass him on the right, AND BRAKED" [emphasis mine]) you risk becoming the baloney in a dump-truck sandwich. And since he was going straight in his own lane and you were maneuvering, it could argue that the duty to see and avoid was on you at that point... I wonder why the truck ahead of you went for the left lane. I guess he was committed to the merge before he fully appreciated the dump truck driver's Human Cannonball act. Then he decided the best way to avoid participating in that was to keep going left, treating your speed and position as a free variable (if in fact he saw you at all). > IMO, the semi was at fault Sounds like there was enough fault for everybody to have a portion. (BTDT...) Fortunately Rule #1 of driving was obeyed ("Don't hit nothin'"); and luck, and the dump truck driver's willingness to take the shoulder, gave everybody a free pass on Rule #2 ("Don't let nobody hit you") so all you broke was the relatively less important Rule #3 ("Don't scare nobody.") Go thou and sin no more, at least not in that way. Cheers, --Joe >The main thing we car guys need to remember about trucks is "Let the >Wookie win." You can have your cake and eat it too. One of my favorite pastimes is when a trucker has decided to spend hours passing someone, only to speed up once he finally gets back over. I take my time passing him, ensuring that the line of cars behind me stays together. Not too slow, just slow enough to make sure no large gaps open. Then I get into his lane, using my turn signal, doing everything to ensure his small mind doesn't realize he is being f.cked with. Then I slowly decrease my speed, to the same speed he was using when he was passing. Should be no issue, right? Well inevitably they get pissed that they now have to slow down to the speed they reserve for when they are blocking the left lane. After a gap opens, and they get back in the left lane, I then accelerate, making sure to wave, and let them know how much I enjoyed their game. ************************* Dave > If you *do* change lanes again, back to the right with the careening > dump truck a few seconds closer than before, it has to be done with the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it could argue that the duty to see and avoid was on you at that > point... Good analysis. You're right. >> If you *do* change lanes again, back to the right with the careening >> dump truck a few seconds closer than before, it has to be done with the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Good analysis. You're right. Not trying to beat a dead horse, but insurance companies, in general, will f.ck you in the a.s for changing lanes shortly before an accident because of the insurance fraud that uses such tactics. Always something good to remember. Dave |
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