It is literally a daily occurrence, someone will pass me then immediately move over in front of me and slow down because someone is tailgating them. They are so intent to get that 6,000 lb p/u off their backside that they put themselves in a far WORSE situation by putting my 61,800 lbs rig in the same SPOT. (I know what I weigh today 'cause I weighed my loaded rig before I left LA)!
I'm now somewhere just north of 2 million miles driving semi-professionally. I'd sure love to say they're all safe miles, but I can't. I've had five accidents in a semi. No injuries tho', so I'll let my minor fender benders go. #1, I had to back up on a city street, got out and looked behind me, nothing, turned around got back in the truck and moved back about 4', BUMP! Lady'd pulled directly behind my trailer, overcast, no shadow... she didn't know how to out her new stickshift in reverse. She admitted, she panicked, but still, my fault. #2, Sitting in traffic, a Honda Civic pulled up on my right side to merge, actually in front of me because I leave about 20' clear in front so I can see asphalt between me and the vehicle in front of me; vehicle in front of me moves, and I follow suit... Bump. Look front, right, left, nothing, try again. Bump again. Stand up... WHATZAT! See roof of car. He got ticket for illegal lane change. #3, rolling along the I-90 in MT near Deerlodge @ 65mph I saw what appearred to be a tailgate in the highway, no vehicle to my left (last time I checked) so a quick swerve into the left lane that nearly rolled me over, had just enough time to think, "did I miss that p/u," when, yep... Bump! College student coming home for Christmas hit a deer, destroying the front end of his Izuzu p/u,including his battery, no lights, dirt covered reflectors, stranded in the travel lane. (I only hit him a glancing blow near his left tailight with my trailer tires and safety bumper, but I demolished the entire left side of his truck and knocked it 75' off the side of the road)! #4, 8 days later, XMas nite @ midnite, driving from El Paso to Las Cruces I pass a slow moving sedan. I keep one eye on my right mirror so I can get back in the slow lane. Finally saw what I thought was him a ways back and turned on the blinker, looked forward, out right mirror and thru lower door glass, looks clear, so I slowly start to move right. Thump, thump, over the Bot's dots marking lanes, then all of a sudden iit sounds like I'm on the rumble strip on the right shoulder! Nope, it's Mr. Smoozin' with girlfriend who'd sped up and sat next to my steer tire getting his left passenger door chewd up by my lug nuts. He told the cops, "...yea I saw the turnsignal, but I'se talkin' to my girl and ignored it." Yep, clearly my fault, but the cop he just couldn't give us both a ticket on XMas nite. #5, Just this past Wed afternoon. Tried to drive from Portland to Redmond, OR on US26. Snowing heavily... finally decide I better turnaround and go I84 to US97 and actually get there. As I'm making my way down, (no chains) and going VERY slow as ice is starting to form under the snow, I see a sign that states, "State Law, slower vehicles must use turnouts to allow ffaster traffic to pass." Seems reasonable, viola, there's a turnout... oh gosh look at that line of traffic behind me. So I do the "right" thing and pull off. Car, truck, car, car, car, car, truck, car, car, car, car, car, car, car, car, all pass w/o incident... then... uh oh.... what's with this red car? Slidin' kinda sideways, heading for... gonna hit my fuel tank.... I ease off the brake and roll forward about 5' and yep, bump. His front bumper bounces off my drive tires, leavin' a lil' red paint. 'Cause: front wheel car, disc brakes and an inexperienced driver that when he started slidin' he just kept on applying MORE brake! Once those front tires stop rotating, all control is gone... gravity's in charge. I figure the kid learned a valuable lesson, at a very small price. Figured since he admitted going too fast, offered to pay for any damage, apologized 6 ways from Sunday, I didn't have any damage, calling the HP for a report would have more'n likely netted him a ticket and me burnin' any chance of finding a parking spot back at the truckstop!
Don't tailgate a semi... in fact, stay as far away from them as you possibly can. Don't ride beside them. If passing one... don't do it at ½-mph difference, do it like you mean it! Mentally yell out, "HA HA trucker, eat yer heart out, you can't accelerate like that!" If you can't see the driver's eyes in his mirrors, then chances are, you're in his blind spot. Now, what else can you do?
Contact your Congrressman NOW. Help defeat the near unregulated flood of Mexican carriers throughout the U.S. It's bad enough that they're allowed in our border towns. Their "pilot" program only saw the elite Mexican carriers come over. Frankly, US inspectors don't catch our own trashy, poorly maintained trucks, adding to that number with those from a country so rife with corruption will only make our highways less and less safe.
God forbid you have an accident involving one... you better have great uninsured motorists' coverage, 'cause the driver will flee right back over the border and just try to sue the company...
Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is asking his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join him in opposing cross-border trucking with Mexico. He needs your help.
The Congressman needs you to call your Representative in the U.S. House TODAY!
Tell them to oppose cross-border trucking and sign the Hunter Mexican trucking letter!
In the next few days, the Obama Administration and the U.S. DOT plan to release the details of an agreement they have made with the government of Mexico on a new program to allow possibly thousands of Mexico-domiciled trucking companies and truck drivers to operate throughout the United States. From what we know, the agreement fails to address numerous safety, security and economic problems.
Congressman Hunter is asking his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to sign a letter to President Obama telling him to cancel his agreement with Mexico (below).
Every member of the House should sign this letter!
To contact your Representative, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, tell the operator that you want to speak with your Congressman and provide the operator with your home zip code.
You are also welcome to call OOIDA at (800) 444-5791. Association staff will be happy to help you get in touch with your elected officials.
PLEASE CALL!
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(From Congressman Hunter to all Members of the House of Representatives)
Dear Colleague:
Recently an announcement was made that the U.S. and Mexico have reached an agreement regarding cross border trucking. I have concerns over this agreement and hope you will join me in sending a letter to the Secretary of Transportation expressing opposition to this proposal.
Congress has been on record on four occasions, expressing concern and eventually terminating the cross-border trucking demonstration program put in place in 2007. While it is important to remove the unfair tariffs that Mexico has imposed on U.S. agriculture products, it should not come at the expense of the safety of our highways.
Please join me in urging Secretary LaHood to cancel plans for this program.
(Text of the letter)
The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast
Washington, D.C. 20590
Dear Secretary LaHood:
We are writing to express our concerns over the recently announced agreement between the U.S. and Mexico regarding cross border trucking. Based on the information we have received, we continue to have concerns that this proposed program could impact the safety of our roads and may create a security breach along our southern border.
Over the years, Congress has demonstrated its opposition to this ill-advised program. In 2007, votes were taken to require safety related restrictions to the pilot program and, in 2009, the pilot program was terminated by Congress. While we understand the need to work to remove the unfair tariffs that Mexico has imposed on U.S. agriculture products as a result, doing so should not come at the expense of the safety of our highways.
The earlier demonstration project showed serious gaps in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) ability to properly manage the program when they failed to assure that every Mexican truck was properly inspected at the border. This is critical from a safety perspective to ensure that the vehicle is being operated by a licensed driver and has completed a safety inspection. With the limited number of Mexican trucks that participated in this demonstration there is concern with the FMCSA’s ability to properly monitor a future demonstration project.
In addition, it is our understanding that Mexican motor carriers, similar to pending rules for U.S. truckers, will be required to have Electronic On Board Recorders (EOBRs) on their vehicles. An appalling difference, however, is that funds from the Highway Trust Fund will be used to pay for these devices for Mexican truckers. We feel this is an inappropriate use of the highway funds and an unreasonable expenditure for taxpayers.
More importantly with the recent rise in violence in Mexico and the changing tactics of the Mexican drug cartels, we are also concerned that moving forward with this cross border trucking program at this time is not in the best interests for security along our border. The El Paso Intelligence Center reports that commercial vehicles are widely-used by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Setting up a program that allows Mexican long-haul trucks to cross the border and move freely throughout the U.S. could increase this method of smuggling by the drug cartels and serve as a resource for their criminal activity.
Again, we do not believe that the Administration should move forward with this cross border trucking program. The current system of Mexican carriers operating within a defined commercial zone is working well for both safety and border security. We urge that the Administration cancel plans for this program.
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Tell your Representative that you insist that he or she sign Congressman Hunter’s letter!
PLEASE CALL TODAY!
Wow, the concussion from the pressure wave nearly blew me off my bike and my ear was ringing for the rest of the evening.
