18 wheeler

Hey, this is Pops and I’m not on the porch today. Due to some heat and humidity I have decided to do some of my blogging inside the house in what I call the blog room. Today’s thought is about traveling on the freeways among the 18 wheelers. I just got back from a trip to Shreveport Louisiana, you know to gamble. And once again I was just amazed at all the 18 wheelers on the road. Most the time when I’m on the road it is in fair weather and the only issue I have with all the 18 wheelers is that one slow truck will try to pass another slow truck and it pretty much stacks up a long line of vehicles behind them. That usually means the people that drive like rabbits are cutting inside and outside the lanes to try to get ahead of the other cars stuck behind the trucks. I’m also amazed about how much the 18 wheelers change lanes like the driver in a sports car. I’m not sure if the 18 wheelers are responsible for all the pieces of tire that are laying around the freeway or off the edges. But. the pieces look like they come off re-treaded truck tires. I do believe that most of those truck drivers are good professional. But there must be a glutton on for the 18 wheel companies. It seems to me like there are more trucks on the road than ever.
One of the issues I do have is the lack of control of the water that shoots out from the 18 wheelers when the driving on the wet roads. Unfortunately, every now and then I must pass one of those slow driving 18 wheelers and in doing so I am almost blinded by all of the mist and water pushed out by the tires of the truck. I’ve noticed that many of the trucks and trailers have some sort of streamlining done to their units to help with air drag. Surely there something they can do around those tires to keep them from shooting out a small hurricane while driving in the rain.
While crossing state lines I will see some inspection stations along the way. But it seemed to me like most the time they are closed. And on those days and times 18 wheelers must somehow get a notification so they can get on the road and get through those areas without being stopped. It is my thought that the state, not the federal government, should work on some sort of program that would increase the inspection of vehicles and the drivers. I am aware that the companies push the drivers as far as they can and the drivers will try any process to achieve their goals of getting the product from one point to another. The problem that I have is that one of those sleepy overworked drivers almost ran me off the pavement again on Interstate 20. And there’s one thing I will guarantee you, the big 18-wheeler will always win the lane. I’m not going to argue with a big truck because I know I will lose in my little truck.
The other thing I noticed about many of the 18 wheelers is that they will follow way too closely to get you out of way. I don’t know about you but at least once every trip I notice an 18-wheeler move over from the slow lane to the passing lane with all of about 10 feet between the front bumper and my back bumper. I can imagine her trying to draft off to my small truck. But I think that they’re just probably trying to maintain a speed. The problem with that is the air drag from the vehicle pushes my truck unsafely. Or maybe I’m behind the truck that makes a quick line change and while moving from one lane to another any debris that happens to be laying in that area is shot up towards my vehicle. I particularly do not enjoy following one of the timber trucks carrying cut trees to the mill. There is always debris falling from those trucks and I must believe that they are the least paid truck drivers around as they are the worst driving truck drivers around. If I were to give you advice it would be to pull over to the side of the road and wait for a while if you’re behind a series of gravel trucks. It always seems like if I get in one of those situations, here come the little pebbles shooting up through the air and hitting my truck.
My thought is that each state needs to better regulate the trucking industry and is drivers. And it doesn’t seem to me like any agency addresses the issue of weight on the roads and the bridges. I’ve seen bridges that say they will only carry a certain max load and continually large dump trucks or 18 wheelers go over that bridge without a second thought. In a later blog will talk about the infrastructure locally statewide and federally. With this blog is about the unchallenged use of over loaded heavy 18 wheelers, their driving habits and the lack of law enforcement or inspections on the vehicles.
I know we need them to carry the products from the port to the stores to the little towns. But it is not uncommon to see the cause of an accident was the result of the action of an 18-wheeler as the vehicles around them get involved in an accident and the 18-wheeler is gone on down the road seemingly unaware of their bad driving habits. I would also like to mention where the speed limit sign says cars a certain speed trucks a different speed limit for trucks, I don’t think anybody obeys those laws.
I also think that the owners of the company should be held responsible for the action of their drivers especially if it appears that most of that company’s policies encourage drivers to push the limits of the vehicle and laws. Other companies are held responsible for their policies and procedures why are trucking companies not held responsible?
I know we need the 18 wheelers to help commerce, but I also know that state governments could work to make driving safer by holding the trucking companies and their drivers responsible for their actions. I must’ve seen a dozen billboards advertising lawyers who will handle accidents involved in trucks. They are doing that so they can make money. I wish to state governments would put some resources into making 18-wheeler industry and more responsible.

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