Driving habits of rural folk

[Sigarms]

I value the trucking industry. Highly value them. I am very attuned to truck traffic anywhere near me on the highway. I adjust my driving to minimize impact on theirs.

Yes, try driving up I-77 from NC into Virginia on the side a mountain, you become very attuned to truck traffic.

However, sometimes the issue isn't a car driver being attuned to truck traffic and the issue becomes the truck itself...

That said, accidents happen and you could be killed walking across the street.

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[Sigarms]

Have to tell you, for the 2 years preceding my retirement, I was the safety and compliance officer for the company I retired from and they has 105 drivers on the payroll and no tattle tails in the trucks at all. Boy am I glad I'm out of that arena. The biggest tattle tails were the drivers themselves ratting on each other....lol

I would think it would be pretty simple as far as good drivers for a large trucking company. How many accidents (or "close calls") have the drivers have?

Thing is, only one accident could cost you millions in or out of court.

 

[JethroB]

I would think it would be pretty simple as far as good drivers for a large trucking company. How many accidents (or "close calls") have the drivers have?

Thing is, only one accident could cost you millions in or out of court.

Yeah, the cameras went into our 40 or so big trucks following a $10 million settlement, the limit of our liability policy. Awful fatal accident. Immediately increased it to $20 million liability.

I used to wonder why a big truck would be tapping their brakes in long open stretches or downhill with no Troopers around. Then I learned about the speed warning alarm in some cabs. Ours gave the driver 8 seconds to get back under the set max speed before it tattled on him via cell technology. The monitoring system is tied into the ECM of the truck.

 

[Oaktree]

My brother drives for Wal Marche, and his truck will "tattle" on him if he exceeds the speed limit for more than a moment. The truck is governed, too. I think he said it won't exceed 65 mph if it falls off a cliff. But his attitude is that the company pays him to drive their truck, and he'll drive it the way they want him to. I believe he also had to agree to surrender his phone if he's ever in a wreck.

My BIL drove for them for close to 20 years before he retired, and that was his attitude as well. They paid (and treated) him well, and he had no problems doing things their way. They had zero tolerance for bad drivers. As I recall a moving violation even when off duty could result in termination depending on what it was.

I'm sure most truck drivers are professionals, but there are just enough yahoos to give everyone a bad rep.

 

[LouNY]

Speaking of driving habits,
lets take this a different direction.
Just got my renewal billing for my automobile insurance,
so I started calling around for quotes will likely be changing companies again did it about 5 years ago for several $100 yr difference,
getting the same differences again.

Now for the question has anyone used Right track or a similar program were you plug in a monitor that records
your driving style and sends the information to the Insurance company.
I'm hearing a 10% discount just for agreeing to use the monitor for 90 days and then possibly more of a discount after.

 

[lman]

My brother drives for Wal Marche, and his truck will "tattle" on him if he exceeds the speed limit for more than a moment. The truck is governed, too. I think he said it won't exceed 65 mph if it falls off a cliff. But his attitude is that the company pays him to drive their truck, and he'll drive it the way they want him to. I believe he also had to agree to surrender his phone if he's ever in a wreck.

Since the conversation has switched from rural drivers to trucks, one of my pet peeves is big trucks drag racing up the hills. Here in my part of TN I-40 is a major E-W route for the trucking industry, and it's also hilly. There have been plenty of times when a driver has pulled into the left lane ahead of me to pass another truck, causing me to brake and follow him at 50 mph while he passes another truck doing 47 mph. I actually understand it, trucks run at different weights and have different gearing, but it's still DARN annoying to be stuck behind a truck for a mile climbing a hill.

I agree about the drag racers. Around here cars do the same thing. Of course there's always the idiot that is not using cruise control and speeds up when somebody is attempting to pass him which causes the drag races. I've attempted to pass a vehicle with cars behind me. As I pulled up beside him, he proceeded to speed up. I sped up so i could get over to allow the cars behind me to pass The idiot decided that I shouldn't pass him and he continued to speed up. Since I was a Police Officer at that time, I contacted our dispatcher and he was stopped a short time later, possessing controlled substances to boot.

 

[MossRoad]

There's just something special about motoring along the highway, having someone pass you like you're parked, then seeing them pulled over by the police several miles down the road. Always makes my day brighter.

 

[Ford850]

There's just something special about motoring along the highway, having someone pass you like you're parked, then seeing them pulled over by the police several miles down the road. Always makes my day brighter.

I usually give a friendly toot on the horn and a wave as I pass them by.
I had a guy riding my arse for miles on a divided highway one time. He finally swung out violently into the left lane and hammered it to blow by me. I'm not sure what his problem was since he could go around me at any time, but he chose to get upset. So anyway, just as he was swinging back into the right lane ahead of me, POOF! Big cloud of smoke from his engine and a spray of oil like it was raining. Other than my truck catching a lot of that oil mist, it was a pleasure to see him coast to a stop, pulling to the side as I zipped by. I definitely waved to him.

 

[daugen]

There's just something special about motoring along the highway, having someone pass you like you're parked, then seeing them pulled over by the police several miles down the road. Always makes my day brighter.

there's a whole series of videos on YouTube about this, they call them karma...

and we all have been passed in some crazy manner just to meet the passer at the next light. I just wave

 

[PILOON]

Here is the Maine law on passing on the right. Most states probably have similar statutes.




The bit about bicyclists took me by surprise. If you talk to a cyclist, they are supposed to be treated just like any other vehicle.

But pay no taxes (other than retail purchase), demand perfect asphalt (narrow tires) obey no rules of the road (stops, turns etc)
Yep, you got my goat!

"A person operating a bicycle or roller skis may pass a vehicle on the right at the bicyclist's or roller skier's own risk."

Yeah but if your passenger opens the door you get a heavy fine and demerit points here (Quebec),and that's often not avoidable with their speed and driving habits. Often simply come out of nowhere.