Monday!
At Smokin’ US 30 Dragstrip!
I was coming back from a job late monday morning in Valpo, and coasted to a stop at Rt 51. I sat there long enough that I had listened to a couple sentences by Rush, and WHAAAAAAAAAA past me in the left lane comes a cement truck, blowing through the light at around 60, so far as I could tell. Pedal to the metal, no effort to put on the brakes, no brake lights, no horn, even, to warn oncoming drivers. Of which there were several, and thank GOD they weren’t alert enough to- you know, actually MOVE when the light turned green. For once, being on their cellphones instead of paying attention to their driving had saved their lives.
I caught up with the truck in question four stoplights hence, and wrote his truck number and license plate on my hand; once I got back to the office I called his dispatcher and let him know what happened.
If you’re driving a Kia and you blow a redlight, there’s gonna be a lot of shit spread over the highway and some people might get seriously hurt.
There is no argument you can have with a fully loaded 5 yard cement truck that ends well.
12 comments Og | Uncategorized
Holy crap. The guy driving that truck definitely needs to be not driving.
I learned to drive in a Ford Escort in an area lousy with dump and cement trucks. Major lesson learned: If it has more axles than you, it has the right of way. Feel like arguing the point? Well, that’s lesson #2: “It was my turn to go” doesn’t do shit for a case of the deads.
I should mention I was always more concerned by the idiots in tiny sports cars who tailgated those same trucks. If the driver’s that stupid, who knows what other stunts he’ll pull?
I treat them like they’re contagious. No only are the drivers a mixed bag, vehicle maintenance is expensive. Laws or no laws, MANY companies and owner/operators cut corners. Even if you can rely on the drivers, you probably shouldn’t rely on the trucks.
Worked a few of those that didn’t end well in Florida… Being in the right DOES NOT fix being dead as Joanna mentioned…
Is it me, or should US 30 have roundabouts about every half mile just to slow the idiots down?
The ones that really scare me around here are the grain haulers. A truck and trailer that get dusted off and run for a few weeks every year being run by an operator that may or may not be all that familiar with the rig.
Oh and the state waives weight limits and operator hour limits.
That’s a great combination.
BGM
Trucker was likely texting, too.
What’s worse, the driver was likely texting Bloomberg about how much he loves Obama, hates guns, large soft drinks and salt.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
I got a good look at him, Dog, he was pretty geezed. I doubt he even owned a cellphone.
Probably looking down at his coffee.
I keep a notebook and pen handy for all of them I see. I know several cops and I just give them the sheets. Usually around a week or two later I see some squads out and about in the noted areas.
I put the license, make, time of day, and location on the note. Makes for a good pattern.
Ex-Navy guy in my shooting club drives one. I’ve seen him on the road around here and he’s a good driver, but listening to him talk about it gives me a fucking headache – it’s all math: the weight of sand, the type/ratio of mix, how much water and how long before it sets-up and turns solid. They have to do a lot of calculations on the fly, and they job-site better be ready for the pour or else they have to resort to Plan-B that involves adding more water and driving around (I think).
Also he says it’s scary depending on whether you’re driving a loaded two-tire or a single rear-tire truck because the singles can go into a high-speed wobble if the mix-load isn’t “ready” yet – both are a bit sketchy actually at different times of the load’s preparation/readiness.
Well, if they didn’t drive like fucking maniacs, they wouldn’t have that little high-speed wobble problem, now, would they?
The technical aspect doesn’t excuse the safety issue. Slow down, damn it!