Almost head on

chuckm99 wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
I just wish that car/motorhome drivers had to go through the same training as commercial drivers. I work driving motorhomes for a dealer and had to get my commercial license. The training would be an eyeopener for the average driver. Slam the truckers all you want but I spent 30 years as a cop and saw car drivers doing dumber stuff than the truckers. Pull my toy hauler across the country and you'll see what I mean.

In my opinion, big trucks are dangerous. I am sure that the majority of trucks are driven by well-trained professional drivers, but many are driven by "Smokey and the Bandit" yahoo wannabees. Put a yahoo and a dangerous truck together and bad things happen. All those tons running down the highway looking for trouble.

Sorry for the rant. I was in the way of one of the yahoos several years ago and feel lucky to have survived. Was driving a car in the outside lane of I-95 near Springfield VA. A truck (large well known company) driver pulled into my lane, knocked my car off the road. Driver said he didn't even see my car..... Tore up the car, but I was ok. Shocked by how hard/far a truck can knock a car!

The fewer trucks we have on the road, the better we all will be, in my opinion.

Regards.

Chuck

great idea Chuck, remove the trucks from the highway because in your opinion they are dangerous. Heck of a lot more car accidents than truck accidents, remove all the cars too... Right.

After that, try to buy something at the grocery store, or Walmart or anywhere for that matter because all the shelves will be empty.

Got news for you. if you buy it, wear it or drive it, a truck brought it one way or another and that includes the RV you have. I suppose you assume the tooth fairy brings everything...right.... wrong.

So you got knocked off the road. Probably in his blind spot or pacing along beside him for a way.... Tell the truth here, not just your preception of what happened.

azdryheat wrote:
I just wish that car/motorhome drivers had to go through the same training as commercial drivers. I work driving motorhomes for a dealer and had to get my commercial license. The training would be an eyeopener for the average driver. Slam the truckers all you want but I spent 30 years as a cop and saw car drivers doing dumber stuff than the truckers. Pull my toy hauler across the country and you'll see what I mean.

In my opinion, big trucks are dangerous. I am sure that the majority of trucks are driven by well-trained professional drivers, but many are driven by "Smokey and the Bandit" yahoo wannabees. Put a yahoo and a dangerous truck together and bad things happen. All those tons running down the highway looking for trouble.

Sorry for the rant. I was in the way of one of the yahoos several years ago and feel lucky to have survived. Was driving a car in the outside lane of I-95 near Springfield VA. A truck (large well known company) driver pulled into my lane, knocked my car off the road. Driver said he didn't even see my car..... Tore up the car, but I was ok. Shocked by how hard/far a truck can knock a car!

The fewer trucks we have on the road, the better we all will be, in my opinion.

Regards.

Chuck

WOW. that Motor home is in surprisingly good condition after that. Looks like it could be "Lifted" back on the wheels, a new driver's side mirror and on down the road (I'm sure the damage is greater that that but that's how it looks) One Very well built house.

I agree, Training is good. even if it's just the AEON course taught at most FMCA gatherings.. As long as I have been driving, and as much experience and training as I have I Learned some new stuff when I took that course.

Though there is one sentence in the course I disagree with (proved it to the teacher too but I'm sure they did not change it) I won't say what it is.

azdryheat wrote:
I just wish that car/motorhome drivers had to go through the same training as commercial drivers.

From the article: The semi swerved into oncoming northbound traffic when the driver

I've been commuting roughtly 50 miles round trip every day for nearly 20 years. I've seen a lot of stuff too that just makes me shake my head. So please educate me, help me understand what in that training would have made this situation, on a 2 lane rd, any better? Seems to me the MH driver did the best anyone in that situation could do. What would you have done if a semi was coming head on in your lane?

Being a retired safety and compliance officer for a large private carrier, I've seen about everything and been to some nasty wrecks (fatal) too.

Problem with the commercial trucking industry is like everything else consumer driven, transportation companies don't want to pay (in wages) much to their drivers, so the good drivers have either retired or already have good paying jobs with the few transportation companies that actually pay an equitable wage.

The rest of the companies have to accept what they cam scrounge up and many of those 'drivers' should really not be on the road in the first place.

Having said that, there are a bunch of motorhome and general RV drivers that should not be operating a MH or a pull behind either.

There needs to be in place a Federally mandated across all states requirement(s) to be met for the operation of a RV trailer 5er or motorhome with strict licensing procedures and qualifying tests, much like commercial drivers must pass.

My 2 cents. like it or not. The female in the MH wreck was not wearing a seat belt. No belt and you get tossed around and injured. Stupid is stupid no matter how old the stupid person is. Age is no barrier for stupid.

There is probably an equal amount of MH drivers that give the rest of us a bad rap. While the DW is a good driver, not sure she should be able to drive a 45,000 lb, 62' rig with air brakes without a special license. Granted I've taught her the proper use of air brakes and she has never been a tailgater.

I just today saw a about 32' to 35' Montana destroyed in the ditch just East of Otis, OR on Hay 18. Searched the web didn't find a story to go with it. I will look again tomorrow.

azdryheat wrote:
I just wish that car/motorhome drivers had to go through the same training as commercial drivers. I work driving motorhomes for a dealer and had to get my commercial license. The training would be an eyeopener for the average driver. Slam the truckers all you want but I spent 30 years as a cop and saw car drivers doing dumber stuff than the truckers. Pull my toy hauler across the country and you'll see what I mean.

Not buying it in the least. We live near a major, overloaded truck route that is a four lane surface street, with huge traffic counts, cross streets, and lights. Hundreds of 18 wheelers an hour. Unfortunately, I'm on this road way too much, and have a lot of free time, while stuck in traffic, with nothing to do but watch the whole game. There are clearly professional truckers in the bunch, but a significant minority of the group are clowns. Clowns who tailgate so severely that they couldn't stop in time if their life depended on it. Clowns who are yakking on cell phones as they drive. Heck it's great to see a clueless clown with an autoshift rig. I've watched in awe as one clown went stoplight to stoplight, and autoshifted through eight gears with one hand on the GPS buttons, and another on a burger. That is some master's level clownsmanship right there. I was actually in the motorhome watching that show, I had two hands on the wheel as I stayed with him from light to light. Clowns who don't pay attention to basics, like the fact that they need to be heading straight,but are actually in a right turning lane. They only figure it out after running a half mile in the right turn lane, having passed eight signs, and ran over eight right turn arrows painted on the road. Next we all have to wait as traffic comes to a halt, as they attempt to merge left with 75' of big rig into a straight only lane. Clowns who block the box at intersections. Clowns who cause lots and lots of accidents, usually just minor ones that jamb up the road for an hour or two, but fatalities are pretty common too.

Nope, the whole "professional trucker" claim no longer is valid. Are the majority competent? sure. Is there a significant minority, of who knows 20,30,40% that are clowns? Absolutely. It only takes reading the annual report for one of the big carriers, and read language about how they have finally cut turnover to less that 100% a year, to understand that trucking companies go through butts in the seat like you and I go through paper towels, and a lot of those seats are filled by clowns.

My son got his degree in Safety Science. As he was coming to the end of his final year, he had a professor who had ties to the industry and was really pushing him hard to interview with some of the big names in trucking. I really pushed him hard to stay far away. He got a great job in another industry, but still deals with a small fleet of truck drivers as part of his duties. The other day, after another company accident, and another driver who was fired over a drug test, I asked him if he still thinks about his chance to go with a big national carrier. He just laughs, and says "I can't imagine what a special circle of He## that must be?"

I just wish that car/motorhome drivers had to go through the same training as commercial drivers. I work driving motorhomes for a dealer and had to get my commercial license. The training would be an eyeopener for the average driver. Slam the truckers all you want but I spent 30 years as a cop and saw car drivers doing dumber stuff than the truckers. Pull my toy hauler across the country and you'll see what I mean.

I saw a similar one today except the truck rear ended the car. I really wish more otr drivers would leave some distance and slow down.