It's a Team's Life
Look before you jump.
Too many drivers are looking to see if they can change lanes but not paying any attention to how fast a vehicle is approaching.
Usually, in a straight truck, our freight is light, and we can climb hills quickly and at the posted speed limit. The drivers of smaller vehicles and we have to be on the lookout for trucks pulling trailers to veer into our path suddenly.
The trucks' drivers are often going almost as slow as the truck they are passing, yet they think nothing of changing lanes into a lane of traffic that is going the speed limit. Often in front of another truck that legally cannot change lanes, and now they have to get on the brakes hard to keep from rear-ending a slow-moving vehicle that should not have moved over. This is often called a snail race, and we are stuck behind another truck going what seems like ½ mile per hour faster than the truck they are trying to pass.
Luckily we are all going up a hill, so when one truck pulls out in front of another truck, the hill helps everyone slow down quickly.
The practice of pulling out in front of another vehicle running the speed limit when they are not is dangerous and frustrating. Look in the mirrors before changing lanes and notice how fast the vehicle is approaching.
Checking the mirrors and gauging the oncoming vehicle speed is also a good practice when in split-speed limit states.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.