Go driver go!!!!!!!

[tloonya]

My truck driver is extremely experienced guy, he has his CDL for 30 years now and we are blessed to have such worker.
However he is strong headed beyond beliavable.
Today coming from the market we were about to turn into the back of our shopping center.
Upcoming traffic consisted of about 8 cars. First car blinked for him to go. Like, go fellow big truck, make your turn!!!
Driver shook his head and showed him to go. We were like...whatever. There were lots of cars starting to collect behind our truck. So third car is blinking us - go, truck, go...
Driver shookes his head and tells us that he is not going because these morons don't know how to drive and he is sorry for the last car in the line (there were  about 10 by then)...
So...the 5th car is blinking inviting driver to turn, he is getting all steamed up and my husband couldn't hold it anymore and told him WTF! Driver went all defensive about how half of these people shouldn't be driving.
I said 'go, mtfkr, go!' and he told me that next time I'll be driving the truck!

Believe it or not but EVERY OTHER CAR was letting us go and he wouldn't!!!!!!!
He kept saying 'I wouldn't want to be in the last car, that driver maybe dissagree with everyone letting us pass'...and LAST CAR BLINKED US TO GO!!!!!!!!!!! and he still wouldn't!

Who is right?

[swamp]

Him.  Maybe the other traffic was such that he couldn't make the turn?

[Green Eyed Lady]

If I were in the truck with a driver with 30 years experience and who is a wonderful employee, I would probably keep my mouth shut and let him drive the way he has been driving for 30 years.  I'd have to weigh how much of my time would have been saved by turning earlier.  Like maybe what....60 seconds?  It's not worth it.  Pros and cons, looney.....pros and cons.

[hoops902]

He was right.  The other drivers are idiots who need to worry about driving according to the law (which in most places consists of not deciding to stop in the middle of the street for no reason).  Their job is to drive their cars as they are supposed to, not to play traffic cop.  Idiots get people killed when they start playing traffic cop like this.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

You do realize he needs a lot of space to turn that truck right?  He may have saved you a lawsuit by not not turning just because another car flashed its lights.  With 30 years experience he knows if he can make the turn or not.  He doesn't need you to be his backseat driver.

[sheilaincali]

The drivers were have working for us all have between 40 years and 5 years experience.  I would never presume to tell them how to drive a big ass truck that I couldn't drive myself.  So around here unless you are a CDL driver, you keep your mouth shut when it comes to driving issues. 
On the flip side they don't come into my office and tell me how to do payroll or anything that I do so I figure its fair.

[sheilaincali]

One of the drivers told me once that when I'm driving I have to worry about the car in front of me.  When they are driving they are worried about what the guy six cars in front of them is going to do.  May have very well been a completely valid reason as to why he didn't turn.

[tloonya]

Nov 22, 2013 14:20:40 GMT -5 swamp said:

Him.  Maybe the other traffic was such that he couldn't make the turn?

He couldn't - that's why cars were letting him go!!! This is what the whole post all about. When yu read it WHY did you think I said cars were blinking 'go, go'? Because we had clear way to turn? No! But about 6 people were so nice!!! but he bitched about them being stupid!

[justme]

I hate, hate, HATE when people decide to, as hoops said, play traffic cop. That's nice that someone flashed lights and said it was ok to go, but it doesn't mean a thing, especially if the oncoming traffic is more than one lane. My brother smashed into a car that was waived ok to turn in front of him...the guy got the ticket. Just because some idiot that is behind one car says it's ok, it's really stupid to ignore the laws of the road and common sense.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Just because people are nice doesn't mean it's smart to do what they suggest.  DH got T-boned because some dumbass waved a girl to go forward at a stop sign.  The girl didn't bother to check oncoming traffic and hit DH's truck.

Didn't blame the girl, she was only 18 she didn't have the experience.  DH would have loved to strangle the other lady though if she'd stuck around!

With 30 years experience he knows if he can make the turn or not.  The person in the car waving him on has no clue.

[hoops902]

Nov 22, 2013 14:42:23 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Nov 22, 2013 14:20:40 GMT -5 swamp said:

Him.  Maybe the other traffic was such that he couldn't make the turn?

He couldn't - that's why cars were letting him go!!! This is what the whole post all about. When yu read it WHY did you think I said cars were blinking 'go, go'? Because we had clear way to turn? No! But about 6 people were so nice!!! but he bitched about them being stupid!

They were being stupid.  It isn't their right to stop in the middle of the street because they have decided they want someone to make a turn.  They made it worse.  They should have kept driving like they are supposed to and they would have gotten past the truck much faster so that he could make a legal turn. 

I saw some guy almost die a few weeks ago because a car stopped to let him cross a busy street when he was standing on the median.  The car was stopped and waving him across, the guy went but there were cars coming in the right lane (4 lane road).  The guy got clipped by the cars in the right lane because he never should have been crossing there.  The moron waving him across decided to play traffic cop and nearly killed someone by being an idiot.

[tloonya]

Well...let's pretend I agree with you all...than we have a horrific scenario here!
Every other driver shouldn't be driving!!! Because I swear every other one was 'stupidly nice' as you suggested. What are we supposed to do NOW?

[hoops902]

Nov 22, 2013 14:50:41 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Well...let's pretend I agree with you all...than we have a horrific scenario here!
Every other driver shouldn't be driving!!! Because I swear every other one was 'stupidly nice' as you suggested. What are we supposed to do NOW?

Yeah, every other driving being an idiot sounds like about the right ratio.  What you're supposed to do is let the person who knows how to drive handle it instead of yelling at them to do something equally stupid. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Exactly what the truck driver did, wait until you can follow the rules of the road properly.  Sucks other people got stuck behind him but it beats them being stuck because there is now a major wreck involving a semi and 6 cars.

If you know better why don't you get your CDL?  Then you can drive the truck anyway you please.

[Green Eyed Lady]

Nov 22, 2013 14:50:41 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Well...let's pretend I agree with you all...than we have a horrific scenario here!
Every other driver shouldn't be driving!!! Because I swear every other one was 'stupidly nice' as you suggested. What are we supposed to do NOW?

Wait your turn...until the way is clear. 

I have to cross traffic to pull into my parking lot at work.  A whole bunch of times, some very well-meaning and considerate people have stopped and waved at me to go ahead and turn in front of them.  Unfortunately, those well-meaning people don't know what is coming behind them or in another lane.  I mouth "thank you" and waive them on.  I do appreciate the gesture as I'm sure you did.  I just don't want to take the chance of killing myself or someone else.

[tloonya]

Nov 22, 2013 14:53:19 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Exactly what the truck driver did, wait until you can follow the rules of the road properly.  Sucks other people got stuck behind him but it beats them being stuck because there is now a major wreck involving a semi and 6 cars.

If you know better why don't you get your CDL?  Then you can drive the truck anyway you please.

Are there 'girlish' looking trucks available?

[Green Eyed Lady]

We could paint one pink for you.  And bedazzle it!

[NancysSummerSip]

Nov 22, 2013 15:25:00 GMT -5 Green Eyed Lady said:

We could paint one pink for you.  And bedazzle it!

We could paint your melons on the side. That ought to get you the right amount of attention. (..)

[sheilaincali]

while we are on the subject of trucks and traffic please indulge me with the following public service announcement.

Please dear lord for the love and all the is holy DO NOT PULL OUT IN FRONT OF TRUCKS!!!!!!!!  Do not quick cut in front of them so you don't have to get stuck behind them at a red light.  Trucks have a much longer stopping time than cars do.  Do not cut in front of a truck and then decide you need to stop or make a quick right turn.  They will hit you.  For my entire life my dad has owned companies that had a fleet of trucks- ready mix trucks, trucks, semis, block trucks, tanker trucks, water trucks, etc.  You name it he has probably owned one at some point or another.  Every year people would cut our trucks off and then slam on their breaks for some reason or other.  Let me tell you- on average you're going to mess up our grill a little bit, maybe scratch the paint but when that ready mix truck loaded down with 10 yards of concrete (weighing approx. 3,000 lbs per yard) slams into you it's going to ruin your day. 

Thank you for indulging me.  I see people cutting off trucks all the time and it's scary.  Our drivers come back to the office every day with stories of near misses.  Don't be that person. 

[Abby Normal]

Nov 22, 2013 14:42:23 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Nov 22, 2013 14:20:40 GMT -5 swamp said:

Him.  Maybe the other traffic was such that he couldn't make the turn?

He couldn't - that's why cars were letting him go!!! This is what the whole post all about. When yu read it WHY did you think I said cars were blinking 'go, go'? Because we had clear way to turn? No! But about 6 people were so nice!!! but he bitched about them being stupid!

Just because you think he has room to turn doesn't mean that HE felt he had room to turn.   I would default to his experience.  And perhaps cars 2-5 were not blinking at the truck to go, but at car #1 who was blocking traffic.

[cronewitch]

Nov 22, 2013 15:51:07 GMT -5 sheilaincali said:

while we are on the subject of trucks and traffic please indulge me with the following public service announcement.

Please dear lord for the love and all the is holy DO NOT PULL OUT IN FRONT OF TRUCKS!!!!!!!!  Do not quick cut in front of them so you don't have to get stuck behind them at a red light.  Trucks have a much longer stopping time than cars do.  Do not cut in front of a truck and then decide you need to stop or make a quick right turn.  They will hit you.  For my entire life my dad has owned companies that had a fleet of trucks- ready mix trucks, trucks, semis, block trucks, tanker trucks, water trucks, etc.  You name it he has probably owned one at some point or another.  Every year people would cut our trucks off and then slam on their breaks for some reason or other.  Let me tell you- on average you're going to mess up our grill a little bit, maybe scratch the paint but when that ready mix truck loaded down with 10 yards of concrete (weighing approx. 3,000 lbs per yard) slams into you it's going to ruin your day. 

Thank you for indulging me.  I see people cutting off trucks all the time and it's scary.  Our drivers come back to the office every day with stories of near misses.  Don't be that person. 

We have laws now to ticket the people who survive this. My dad drove and my ISO drove so I was ingrained with the idea of treating truck drivers nice. My dad taught us and even my mom taught the grandkids to treat truckers nice. Besides not getting in front of them and smashed to smithereens we always remember they are working and paid by the mile. If one has on turn signals I slow down so they can get in front of me and if they want to make a wide right turn I don't drive into the pocket on the right side. Once I saw a little car do that to a fuel truck trying to get in a gas station. The truck when around the corner since he couldn't turn in and the little car did it again. Watch what they are trying to do and stay out of the way. Never drive in the blind spot next to them either for more time than you really need. They might need to change lanes and no know you are there. ISO had to pull over once for sirens and lights and a little car became a little smaller.

[Regis]

Nov 22, 2013 14:45:38 GMT -5 justme said:

I hate, hate, HATE when people decide to, as hoops said, play traffic cop. That's nice that someone flashed lights and said it was ok to go, but it doesn't mean a thing, especially if the oncoming traffic is more than one lane. My brother smashed into a car that was waived ok to turn in front of him...the guy got the ticket. Just because some idiot that is behind one car says it's ok, it's really stupid to ignore the laws of the road and common sense.

As a transportation/traffic engineer, I hate when traffic cops play traffic cop by overriding the signals.  It's almost a sure sign that the intersection will work less effectively.