Unique tractor turning method - GIF

[PJs]

Now that is a driver...I would have no problem following that guy!

[Jon]

[Frank S]

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Drifting a truck on an icy surface to enter the building I hope the floor was dry.

[Toolmaker51]

Drift truck. OK, I'll click...expecting a modded vehicle. Shucks.

Had our first snow couple weeks ago. Our vicinity reported 11" max snowfall, not drifts, in 24 hours. As usual, first vehicles 'in the ditch' are pickups and SUV's.
Ooooooh NO, I've got a snowflake on my hood, must plunge into that ravine! Must!

[Frank S]

I always find it amusing that so many people seem to think that as soon as a couple of snow flakes fall they all suddenly believe they are Mattias Ekstrom

[Jon]

It is definitely the time of year for vehicular mayhem. Roads in CO are actually worse after the first few storms of the year than in mid-winter. Seeing an SUV or two flipped over is normal. When you see multiple professional drivers getting into trouble, it's an extraordinary red flag, and a very good sign to slow to a crawl.

[Frank S]

Sorry Jon but most of the drivers in the big rigs today are nothing more than steering wheel holders. Instead of being put through an apprenticeship program to learn the ropes of driving a big rig they attend some truck driving school spend most of their time sitting in a simulator not behind the wheel of an actual rig with a seasoned driver beside them. For these reasons the transportation industry had had to incorporate automatic brake adjusters since drivers don't know how to propperly adjust their brakes Anti locking brake systems have had to be developed since driver don't know how to apply their brakes properly. Many rigs now have automatic transmissions since drivers don't know how or when to shift gears. Trucks have to have computerized monitoring since drivers don't even know how to check their iol water tire pressures and many more things the older hands took for granted as something that was done every few hours or miles. Trucks have 5 6 or even 700 Hp now days so they can run up hill the same speed as they do on flat ground.
Back in the day of the 275 to 390 or less HP trucks a lot if us had 2 and even 3 transmissions to shift our engines had a very narrow torque RPM range so keeping it in that sweet spot was very important. Also there was a hard fast rule you never went down hill faster than you could climb it. Plus if the road surface was shiny or white you drove slower If you had to run your windshield wipers you drove slower. it it was dark enough to need your headlights or if the weather conditions were such that it was prudent to have your lights on you drove slower. In any weather condition you never drove close to the vehicle in front of you. You practiced 6 sided driving at all times front, right, left, rear, bottom, and top in that order. You stayed aware if things a 1000 yards in front of you as well as those near.
This is not to say that there were no wrecks because there were, and there always will be.
In today's world anyone who has a heart beat and can answer a few pat questions take a short driving test after completing driver's ed can get a operators license to drive a car suv or pickup. or even an RV and these test are never preformed in inclement weather out of safety concerns WHA???
In 1987 or 88 when my oldest daughter was wanting to get her license I took her in a rig with a RGN lowboy trailer hauling an Excavator for a little jaunt around Dallas TX we rode for nearly 8 hours just traveling around town on the freeways and sometimes the surface streets I did this to make her aware of the limitations of big rigs what to watch out for when traveling near them. she had not been involved in a single finder bender to date. My youngest daughter often rode with me on long trips in my smaller semi and she has only been involved in 1 accident. I cannot say the same for me though, I guess the law of attrition caught up with me a few times as sometimes no matter how you practice safe driving habits ther is always going to be an idiot who is bent on doing something stupid that you cannot avoid.

[PJs]

That was a tough Gif to watch Jon and hear you about road conditions changing over times of storms. Adding that to the last week of school bus crashes with trucks...hard to take lightly.

Great words Frank! I've had great respect for truck drivers since I was a kid and more so after getting a drivers license...until the last 8-10 years. I've encountered several that I considered saved my life and a few as great friends (A Dart driver, Al in particular) when I was Receiving Clerk for a Sears A store as a young buck.

Coming home for Christmas from college going through San Berdu in my TR3 we hit a horrendous fog bank like I've never encountered before or since. There was a set of doubles about 300 yards in front and when I saw him tap his breaks 3 times and and heard him downshift multiple times, then hit the brakes hard I knew it was bad, all in the matter of maybe 30-45 seconds. I tucked in behind just close enough to see his lights and paced him as best I could...I'm talking about ~10' of visibility and crawling along at maybe 15-20mph, down hill. A few cars whizzed by in the faster lanes, sure enough with spins and guardrail crashes. I stayed put for maybe 20 miles (too focused to remember) and when we came out, there was a truck stop where we both pulled over for a white knuckle break and I bought him a cup and thanked him profusely.

Truckers flashing their lights for you that you were clear and waving you around when the coast is clear and driving steady speeds (as they can) and my favorite as a kid giving you the air horn when ask from the back window of the car. Their Safety, courtesy, respect and most of all conscious clarity, gave me respect and admiration for them for most of my life.

In the last 8-10 I've notice the courtesy, waning or Gone and recklessness increase; pulling out in front of people on fast moving roads, blocking LR views at intersections when you were their first...etc. [I actually uncurled out of my SC400 on one guy because all I could see was his lug nuts and read him the riot act because I had encountered him b4 doing the same thing...should have reported him. A local Quarry transport guy, usually with doubles.] I wonder some times if its not as much from lack of training but fed up with those distracted drivers, Digital Drivers (Gas On/Gas off), the fraidy cats, and those that brake for trees...Oh Martha look at that tree, braking while having 6-10 cars behind doing 10 under the limit. I know they wear on me sometimes for sure. They say here in California, Driving is a Privilege...perhaps they should monitor that better.

[Frank S]

That was a tough Gif to watch Jon and hear you about road conditions changing over times of storms. Adding that to the last week of school bus crashes with trucks...hard to take lightly.

Great words Frank! I've had great respect for truck drivers since I was a kid and more so after getting a drivers license...until the last 8-10 years. I've encountered several that I considered saved my life and a few as great friends (A Dart driver, Al in particular) when I was Receiving Clerk for a Sears A store as a young buck.

They say here in California, Driving is a Privilege...perhaps they should monitor that better.

One of my first trips to the LA area in my baby Kenworth I forget exactly the highway number now but there is a left exit to take you tot eh 405 or the 101 I think. ANyway I was trying to get over to make the exit while driving the TRUCK SPEED limit. and not having much luck. A CHP pulled along side of em and yelled out what was my problem. I told him I couldn't get over because the 4 wheeler's speeding by co fast. He yelled back Just Stand on it driver let you signal blink 3 times then occupy the lane you want they will let you in or I will call thm a hook to haul em off.
Another time I was at a truck stop having a coffee at the counter when a couple Motorcycle CHP came in and sat beside me we struck up a conversation about the speed differential between truck and cars, One of them said man you got to understand there is a prima-facia law out here not on the books but sometimes you drivers have to go as much as 30 over just to keep from getting run over by smaller vehicles we understand that when we see a driver in a situation like that usually it is the string of cars that are going to get pulled over. The state government hates trucks but we know that if a truck doesn't haul it no one can buy it. I made 100s of trips to Cali. in the 80s and some in the 90s and never had an issue with a CHP Locals were another story but if I had an issue with 1 of them I always called a CHP

[wizard69]

Drift truck. OK, I'll click...expecting a modded vehicle. Shucks.

Had our first snow couple weeks ago. Our vicinity reported 11" max snowfall, not drifts, in 24 hours. As usual, first vehicles 'in the ditch' are pickups and SUV's.
Ooooooh NO, I've got a snowflake on my hood, must plunge into that ravine! Must!

I remember a decade or so ago driving from New York to Nevada for some Christmas time R&R and tookthe route through Colorado. Apparently my route was preceded by a heavy storm that left about two inches of packed snow / ice on the road. There was literally a SUV upside down (wheels pointing to the sky) about every quarter of a mile. I kinda thought that people in Coloradowould know how to drive in bad weather. Not a chance.

Even stranger is that most of the vehicles off the road where SUV’s. Of course that leads one wondering why but I will avoid my perspective as it would likely offend an SUV owner or two.