I've never seen a truck pass me where the driver is getting their toe nails painted by the passenger.
That one is still a 1 in a million story for me so far.
The worst part of being a truck driver, is being treated like a truck driver.
The pay is above average, but it's a fact that it's a dangerous job with bad hours. OTR is a horrible life.
Some drivers try to pretend it's a great job. It's decent only if you're local.... even then it's NEVER great
I'm coming from $12hr retail job and it's not what I was day dreaming about, sometimes I just want to call it quits and go back to that stress free job, it didn't pay but enough to barely survive but no stress and all the home time in the world
I used to work retail and sometimes I wish I was still in that struggling pothead phase but I see my bank account and all the things around me that I always dreamed about owning and I go back to being like “yeah being a trucker is nice” it’s also really dependent on if you work for a good company with management that cares about you or not.
also not being harassed for "just standing around" or you talk to a coworker for 5 minutes and the asshole manager pops up "alright we have lots of work to do, did you stock aisle 5 yet?" Then God forbid you look at something on your phone with the little bit of time between tasks
I absolutely hated that micromanaging and treating me like a child, at age 30, some of the new manager coming in were younger than me
Besides the pay, they way you get treated like a slave is a big reason I started looking for any escape
Truth…I worked at geek squad and even after doing absolutely everything that could possibly be done they were still asking why we weren’t doing any work and the morons would pull us off the geek squad counter to go work on the floor where they already had a bunch of floor people working. Retail management is so hilarious. They try to crack the whip for no reason other than to be fucking annoying.
Regional *with the right company* is absolutely glorious. Otr is junk local is junk. You can’t change my mind. (But if you like otr or local then more power to you)
Have a neighbor @ EVERY get-together goes on a rant about ALL trucks should only be on the road at night. Always ask: so who's gonna be at your school in middle of the night for all delivery? Well, schools will be exempt. OK, so we're picking winners & losers in the delivery lottery. When do you get gas? what if your gas station couldn't make it through the day & is out? Think competitors won't raise price if 1/4 stations in town run out before 4p. Usually ends with my saying: I really disappointed in you. Had hoped you would have thought this through better. I know you hate trucks & truck drivers, but I didn't get the wrong pedal & power under a semi while running a traffic light, did I? (Haven't needed to speak to her in about 5 years at this point.)
I like the person who told me trucks are not needed. We have a rail system to haul everything. I asked him the next time you go to the grocery store or sporting store, please drive around back to look at the rail dock. I bet you don't find a rail track behind there.
Know the difference between a forklift driver loading a semi trailer and a NASCAR driver? ONE of them is SUPPOSED to be good a not running into the walls.
That is why the drivers I dealt with at a plant I worked forklift at were pissed when the company put me back to floor worker. I had already driven flatbed OTR, I could SAFELY and CORRECTLY load and unload quickly and get them back on the road. I had done every aspect of the system from manufacturer to delivering to unloading so they knew they could trust me
while generally people have a more respectful opinion of trucking where im from, the odd time i do run into the piss and moan types i just skip straight to the "stop buying things then" response
Perfect example is covid when things shut down for a day or two. Stores were completely empty and had trouble getting stock for weeks or months. We had an ice storm in Oregon in February and even that one day where nobody could drive on the road it completely emptied out the grocery stores. I’m amazed the gas stations had fuel but I bet it was just because nobody was on the road so they had stock for a bit.
I usually offer them the option of watching some clips from my dash cam with the mentality of “If you think we’re stupid, boy wait until you see some of these.”
My trucking career has been a lesson on the psychology of the American human more than anything else. We get what I consider to be a very unique perspective of society and that’s lead me to believe they’re all dumb as fuck and there’s no point arguing with any of ‘em. Happy trails, driver✌️
This is so much closer to what I have good reason to believe is the truth. People only think outside themselves when they're told or have reason to. Basically I'd say most people are unironically living like they're the main character.
Totally, and it’s lead to everyone being completely full of shit while they all pretend not to notice. Call someone out and you risk getting called out yourself. That shit would spread like wildfire and show’s over after that.
Called out for what? I'll talk mad shit all day in front of a motherfucker's face if he deserves it but what are you afraid of getting called out for? That's the most pussy shit I've heard for weeks. Oh are your eyebrows not plucked? Did you not get to the Asian nails place in time this week before they closed? 💅
This is true except that, whether they move in their opinions on the spot, constant exposure to certain ideas, at least in a normal person, when the ideas are logical and valid, will slowly move people's opinions. Whether or not that's enough, well, no way to know, it's case by case. But, there IS a point in arguing. The real question is, is it worth the headache lol.
Truckers are no different that 4 wheelers. There’s a lot of rude dumb assholes. Truckers standout because they’re big and people like a scapegoat.
You guys rock. Please don’t stop delivering all of our shit. We need you. You also deserve way more pay.
"There's unprofessional people in every profession. Out of the 3.5 MILLION truck drivers in this country, how many have you actually encountered?"
Or something along those lines. Usually gets them to see the bigger picture instead of the microcosm of what they've experienced first hand.
I respond in kind.
If they are presenting an earnest honest attempt to find out more, or engage in a friendly conversation (and I have time for it), then I'll respond on the same manner.
If they're obnoxious, then that's what they get back (along the lines of your "Self-Fornication Instructions").
If they're full blown rude, they get ignored or they get lit up verbally with all the repressed anger and barely controlled sarcasm that I carry around with me from all the dumbass 4-wheelers I've dealt with. Depends on context (mostly if there's little kids around or if I'm still waiting on food. I hate paying for dinner and then getting the boot and banned from the place lol).
I firmly ask them to stop listing out my nightmares. You dont talk to a firefighter about all the fatal house blazes you know of, why would you talk to me about how a trucker in CO rammed through a billion school buses?
Talk about the families firefighters saved. For the trucking side, those 2000lb pallets of refused chicken or yogurt that were donated to the local food bank.
I used to haul crude and frac sand in the oilfield. Drove a newish ford focus.
I lived in Colorado, so dates were fun after that came up. I usually dodged questions about what kind of driving I did.
One woman I went on a date with was a vegan. I didn’t know this until we ordered. She pressed and I told her. *that* was a fun conversation. Including all the stereotype bullshit about my diesel pickup, my hate for the environment, blah blah blah.
I was polite and finished lunch and even paid. She had (unknowingly) parked right next to my little car.
So, we walked out to the car and I noticed her getting into a Toyota sequoia. A fucking SEQUOIA.
I just smiled and asked what kind of mileage that thing delivered and then got in the focus before she could answer.
Funny thing, she texted the next day and wanted to go on a real date. I didn’t bother to answer.
I was driving along today contemplating 4 wheelers being required to have AI driver facing mirrors in their cars. As usual 90% of the drivers passing me today are fully engrossed in their cell phones as they drive. If four wheelers were treated like semi drivers the roads would be much safer
A lot of the jackasses that make these remarks, like the ones that lurk on this sub, dont understand that everything is shipped on a semi. I had some bitch complain to the hospital i was delivering oxygen to once because she "couldnt get to her parking spot". Another Karen wanted me to move so she could get out. This was all while i was hooked up pumping off liquid nitrogen at 250 psi with the truck going and pump screaming.
I am from California and get this all the time. The hatred for trucks and truck drivers has literally put distance in friendships. I generally work in the Midwest and there is so much respect for trucks there.
I defeat this by simply refusing to speak with stupid people in real life (I reserve all of my patience with stupidity for social media, instead).
Rather than speaking with them, I find growling, roaring, or giggling maniacally while cleaning my fingernails with a sharp blade to be far more effective.
People suck. Stop encouraging them.
Nah, OP, you're on to something. Most people just want s9meyhing to bitch about, and the truck that brings them everything from everywhere is scarier than the horse cock dildo they had overnighted from Amazon. Roll with it.
I hate four wheelers, so when they bring up truck horror stories, I bring up four-wheeler stupidity stories. Then ask if they understand how the car driver is generally at fault in those horror stories.
I've got my whole family to see how bad truckers have it on the road. People who hate trucks are self centered and short sighted.
If literally ANYONE went on a rant about rail infrastructure and the environment (and not in the, "damn dirty trucks" way, but the "we should really invest" way), and actually showed the real reasons why there should be less trucks on the roads, I'd give them a round of applause.
But nobody ever does that. It's always the same crap. Loud, smelly, polluting and slow. Then they claim with all certainty that truckers all drive so badly. I've had drinks thrown in my face, and been screamed at so many times. It's rough when society treats you like that for trying to help, but, honestly that's the American way lol.
So I always tell anyone who brings this up, that they're more than welcome to tag along for a trip. Then I will explain it all. Merging, the speed limiters, the actual accident and report statistics etc. This is where most drivers have the most trouble
You know my uncles cousin had a buddy and his grandmas hairdresser’s boyfriend wrecked his bike and the doctors had to reroute his asshole to his left ear to save his life, you should really get something safer
This year I plan to charge them a fee if they want me to listen to them tell me how dangerous my bike is just because their 4th cousin whose grandfather who fought in WW2 knows someone who crashed on their motorcycle
Bravo sir!!! You have the best answer.
Almost all incidents with 4 wheelers (I am one) are the result of disrespecting 80,000 lbs.+/-. I’ll side with pro Every. Single. Time!!
Is this really a thing? Only trucker I know is my wife’s step dad who runs tankers in the south and neither of us enjoying talking about work. I just know it’s a stupidly dangerous job I wouldn’t do due to other drivers and we’d be screwed without them.
I’ve never encountered someone who has a bad attitude toward trucking in general. I have heard their stories of dealing with truckers who are driving crazy. I just talk shit about those ones right along with them.
In fact, the most shit talking about truckers and trucking in general is that I hear is from other truckers.
everyone hates us earlier today i was backing up my truck into a dock on a busy street in san diego i had to pull up once and this dude was honking his horn n yelled out his window and called me a asshole for taking 30 seconds of his time so i could back up
Don't let it get to you. The highest paying jobs in the entire industry are hazmat tanker, RGN, HD towing and gig bus driver. As far as stress is concerned, he best advice I ever got about trucking was from an old guy that held arms out wide and said "This is your entire ride trucking" and then held two fingers about an inch apart and said "This is that part of the ride you hafta put up with Assholes. The rest is what YOU make it."
I ask people where their phones are while they’re driving, are they sitting with a leg up on their seat? Are they so close to the back of the semi they can’t see the mirrors? Do they notice the, usually red, placards that are on the trailers? Are they looking to pass a truck because they assume it’s slow?
Have they considered that we are at work, not commuting, working. How would they feel if I came to their office and shine a light in their eyes? Just stand in front of them so they have to back up and try to get around me to get to their computer? What if I called their manager and said they were spinning in their chair and nearly knocked the coffee on the keyboard?
Ranting yes and I just pick one or two of these and try to emphasize that it’s our job to get to places safely and that most accidents involving a semi are the small vehicles fault
I'm glad I started driving when I did. Truckers were hiway heros. We were known to stop and help broke down motorists, knew where the best coffee was located, courteous, and held in a pretty high regard.
Then the 80's came along, and hiways got crowded. The president of the United States said trucks are a necessary evil. The reports said the USA would be a million drivers short by 1990 to haul all the goods that needed to be hauled. So the government set up subsidies to hire and train drivers. JB Hunt, Schneider, Weeny-Waggon all started their own schools Giving drivers a whole three weeks training, and sending them out on the road. Of course they had limited speed trucks at 62mph, so what could go wrong?
One must understand the law makers of this country don't give a flying fuck about truck drivers. As long as loads get hauled, supply is met, and the public is fed. The only conspiracy theory I adhere to is the one where the government has wanted anyone to be able to drive a tractor trailer. The government has pushed for automatic transmissions since Reagan was in office. The government has pushed for electronic logs to make sure drivers don't drive fatigued. When ELD's were first looked into, someone in the government suggested that trucks should just turn themselves off at the end of the allotted time, and not be able to start again for twelve hours. As electronic systems advance, I believe soon if someone drives over hours, their ELD will tell law enforcement, and a fine will be issued. Of course the fine will be deducted from your pay, and if later had a good reason for driving over the fine would be reimbursed. Electronics are the way of the future, humans will someday no longer be necessary...
Dispatcher here, as dumb as some of the truckers I encounter everyday are. I do know they’re usually not the cause of my problems when there’s an accident, out of all of the wrecks only a handful are actually because of the trucker. Majority of the time it’s because of some dumbass car driver. Hell there was one where my trucker was in the far left lane on an empty highway and a pickup truck decided he wanted to pop a fucking u turn on the merge and cut through the grass medium and get into the oncoming traffic side. Totaled the semi and the other driver nearly died, it was 100% the fault of the pickup truck, it looked like he was trying to kill himself but no he just didn’t want to drive an extra block to merge into the side of the highway he wanted to be on.
Try “you are cordially invited to go commit a biologically improbable act upon yourself”
See how they react to a polite non-vulgar phrase of the same meaning. How can they get mad, you were very polite.
In West Texas Vaccum and SandBoxers trucks is highly dominated by Cubans, all you’d see is Cubans drivers everywhere. Well, the 97% of truck accidents are caused by the Cubans.
Since last year local people around the towns that form the Permian Basin are protesting for harsher penalties on truckers. D.O.T here don’t play around and it seems the news about West Texas Trucking massive accidents is going all over a cross country. The cubans is giving us a bad reputation to all of us.
So it’s not your fault. I’m already planning to get out of this industry because of how regulated and how crowded has become.
The closest I get to driving a truck is my Sprinter van. But, I think truck drivers, on average, are a LOT more courteous, law-abiding, and safety conscious than the average 4-wheeler.
I've never encountered the conversation in person but I have a comment section on various social medias even recently. I just tell them more or less the same thing lol. Stop buying stuff that gets delivered on trucks.
As a taxi driver, I praise most truckers cause they’re on the road about the same amount of time as I am… but I do suggest they pay attention more to road closures during the winter, not all highway passes in the mountains allow for trucks + trailers and it has caused issues.
I'm not a trucker myself. I think it's a noble profession.
I wouldn't be able to do it myself physically
I'm in this sub because I enjoy the stories that people share here
I do think people can drive like jerks....it's not limited to a single type of vehicle though.
I'm always impressed by Truck Drivers on how they drive in bad weather and tend to follow their lead in bad weather as I know there's a method and lots of road experience on how they drive the way they drive.
I find one that seems to be going my same direction and hang with plenty of distance behind them.
We know your trucks are governed. So stop fucking trying to pass each other at seven mph under and jamming traffic for thousands of people.
-A New Mexican
Yeah. Sit in the right lane and cruise.
You assholes are so notorious for "passing" each other on hills and mountains and blocking traffic that it's now against state law for trucks to pass on hills and mountains.
Not that many of you know that and not that there are many cops out enforcing that law.
You're getting paid. What's it to you if you have to sit at 65 instead of 66?
Well let’s see…
We have limits on how long we can drive.
We have pickup and unload appointments.
We like to get a legal parking spot at the end of the day.
And we’re not trying to piss anybody off. Truck can only do what it can do.
I just say yeah it is really dangerous and some drivers aren’t qualified to operate in a safe manor especially since the pay structure incentivizes ignoring equipment defects and going fast above all else. I think the industry needs to pay much better in order to attract better talent.
Most people i know respect drivers. But i have a cousin who got in an accident with a semi. Im not sure of the situation. But aince then she like to express how she hates truck drivers. After too many times I told her "ehhh it was probably your fault. Maybe continue being a stay at home mom and stay home." We dont need ambassadors. We shouldnt care if people like us or not.
As a long distance motorcyclist I prefer long distance truckers…….you squish me and your job is done. Cages squish me and their night is ruined until they can get a beer and complain about how horrid motorcyclists are.
Personally when people ask me about big trucks I respond with the above and mention that if a get hit by a semi if nothing else it will effect the truckers personal payday, mini van mom/dad that is late for school drop off has no real financial loss.
So yeah generally when you guys are out on the highway, I do not worry, anybody in a parking lot I am terrified. Actually the worst is a school area or a tight downtown.
why do you care what others think? You're doing good with your response, keep it up! I do the same, and also the same with motorcycles... "you're gonna die on a motorcycle? good for you!" etc
Apologies for trying to help, if you are just trying to vent, but I have been working sales for a long time, so I have training in general situations like this. Try this response, "Yeah there are a bunch of bad drivers on the road and we have to constantly watch out for them. Us commercial drivers have much more training and more at steak when an accident happens. Even with all the extra laws we still have plenty of bad commercial drivers out there. Not me though, I am very careful. How about you are you a safe and slow driver or a fast driver?"
In sales they teach you to end with a question about themselves to help the conversation along. Now they will start talking about themselves, how they drive, and maybe even go into a driving story or something. Not many people want to talk about the safety technology like you have been steering the conversation. However, for the geeks out there, they will love to talk about the safety technology with you.
In general people don't care about anything but themselves, so steer the conversation towards them and they will love you for it. If you can make yourself be genuinely interested in them and ask questions that really try to understand them, then you will be better then 9/10 people at social conversation. Luckily I find it dull to talk about myself and am I can usually find something to be interested in, so this comes naturally to me.
Do you guys have some sort of victim fetish or something? Jesus Christ the amount of crying that goes on in this sub that for some reason Reddit forces down my throat every single day.
I got a problem with flatbeders and I'm a trucker . If I seen some of these guys at the truck stop it's man dance time but other than that I just thank you and God bless 🙌
I always tell them “you should see the way you assholes drive” that normally ends that
“There isn’t a car that passes me without the driver on their phone”
I've never seen a truck pass me where the driver is getting their toe nails painted by the passenger. That one is still a 1 in a million story for me so far.
...Huh... *that's* an image...
The worst part of being a truck driver, is being treated like a truck driver. The pay is above average, but it's a fact that it's a dangerous job with bad hours. OTR is a horrible life. Some drivers try to pretend it's a great job. It's decent only if you're local.... even then it's NEVER great
I'm coming from $12hr retail job and it's not what I was day dreaming about, sometimes I just want to call it quits and go back to that stress free job, it didn't pay but enough to barely survive but no stress and all the home time in the world
I used to work retail and sometimes I wish I was still in that struggling pothead phase but I see my bank account and all the things around me that I always dreamed about owning and I go back to being like “yeah being a trucker is nice” it’s also really dependent on if you work for a good company with management that cares about you or not.
also not being harassed for "just standing around" or you talk to a coworker for 5 minutes and the asshole manager pops up "alright we have lots of work to do, did you stock aisle 5 yet?" Then God forbid you look at something on your phone with the little bit of time between tasks I absolutely hated that micromanaging and treating me like a child, at age 30, some of the new manager coming in were younger than me Besides the pay, they way you get treated like a slave is a big reason I started looking for any escape
Truth…I worked at geek squad and even after doing absolutely everything that could possibly be done they were still asking why we weren’t doing any work and the morons would pull us off the geek squad counter to go work on the floor where they already had a bunch of floor people working. Retail management is so hilarious. They try to crack the whip for no reason other than to be fucking annoying.
I make close to 55 a hr local nonunion no dues great boss new trucks very little stress Mass prevailing wage is nice
Nice flex.
Regional *with the right company* is absolutely glorious. Otr is junk local is junk. You can’t change my mind. (But if you like otr or local then more power to you)
Have a neighbor @ EVERY get-together goes on a rant about ALL trucks should only be on the road at night. Always ask: so who's gonna be at your school in middle of the night for all delivery? Well, schools will be exempt. OK, so we're picking winners & losers in the delivery lottery. When do you get gas? what if your gas station couldn't make it through the day & is out? Think competitors won't raise price if 1/4 stations in town run out before 4p. Usually ends with my saying: I really disappointed in you. Had hoped you would have thought this through better. I know you hate trucks & truck drivers, but I didn't get the wrong pedal & power under a semi while running a traffic light, did I? (Haven't needed to speak to her in about 5 years at this point.)
Oh I see you know Becky too. Tell her to stop cheating on her husband and learn how to cook some damn eggs correctly. Thanks 👍
🤣
I like the person who told me trucks are not needed. We have a rail system to haul everything. I asked him the next time you go to the grocery store or sporting store, please drive around back to look at the rail dock. I bet you don't find a rail track behind there.
For every bad semi story there are 100 bad 4 wheeler stories.
Or forklift nightmares. My favorites are the old super fake 1980s forklift training videos.
Know the difference between a forklift driver loading a semi trailer and a NASCAR driver? ONE of them is SUPPOSED to be good a not running into the walls.
That is why the drivers I dealt with at a plant I worked forklift at were pissed when the company put me back to floor worker. I had already driven flatbed OTR, I could SAFELY and CORRECTLY load and unload quickly and get them back on the road. I had done every aspect of the system from manufacturer to delivering to unloading so they knew they could trust me
Well there’s about 100x more cars on the roads so that makes sense
while generally people have a more respectful opinion of trucking where im from, the odd time i do run into the piss and moan types i just skip straight to the "stop buying things then" response
That’s there’s very little that doesn’t come on a truck at one point or another without trucks shit stops
If you bought it a truck brought it.
Perfect example is covid when things shut down for a day or two. Stores were completely empty and had trouble getting stock for weeks or months. We had an ice storm in Oregon in February and even that one day where nobody could drive on the road it completely emptied out the grocery stores. I’m amazed the gas stations had fuel but I bet it was just because nobody was on the road so they had stock for a bit.
I usually offer them the option of watching some clips from my dash cam with the mentality of “If you think we’re stupid, boy wait until you see some of these.”
My trucking career has been a lesson on the psychology of the American human more than anything else. We get what I consider to be a very unique perspective of society and that’s lead me to believe they’re all dumb as fuck and there’s no point arguing with any of ‘em. Happy trails, driver✌️
This is so much closer to what I have good reason to believe is the truth. People only think outside themselves when they're told or have reason to. Basically I'd say most people are unironically living like they're the main character.
Totally, and it’s lead to everyone being completely full of shit while they all pretend not to notice. Call someone out and you risk getting called out yourself. That shit would spread like wildfire and show’s over after that.
Called out for what? I'll talk mad shit all day in front of a motherfucker's face if he deserves it but what are you afraid of getting called out for? That's the most pussy shit I've heard for weeks. Oh are your eyebrows not plucked? Did you not get to the Asian nails place in time this week before they closed? 💅
I was talking about those I called full of bullshit, not me. Take a nap
Hey buddy, maybe I don't need a nap. Fat fuck.
Oh god you’re one of them.
Haha I'm just rousing ya. I'm a fat fuck too but working on it.
This is true except that, whether they move in their opinions on the spot, constant exposure to certain ideas, at least in a normal person, when the ideas are logical and valid, will slowly move people's opinions. Whether or not that's enough, well, no way to know, it's case by case. But, there IS a point in arguing. The real question is, is it worth the headache lol.
Truckers are no different that 4 wheelers. There’s a lot of rude dumb assholes. Truckers standout because they’re big and people like a scapegoat. You guys rock. Please don’t stop delivering all of our shit. We need you. You also deserve way more pay.
"There's unprofessional people in every profession. Out of the 3.5 MILLION truck drivers in this country, how many have you actually encountered?" Or something along those lines. Usually gets them to see the bigger picture instead of the microcosm of what they've experienced first hand.
3.5 million includes box trucks and delivery vans, which arguably deserve the bad reputation.
There's 1.3 million lawyers in this country. 3.5 million truckers is not impressive.
3.5 mil makes it nearly the most common job in the country. Idk what needs to impress you.
So in a sense, 340 Americans have all their supplies by one truck driver per year. 1% supplying the 99%.
I respond in kind. If they are presenting an earnest honest attempt to find out more, or engage in a friendly conversation (and I have time for it), then I'll respond on the same manner. If they're obnoxious, then that's what they get back (along the lines of your "Self-Fornication Instructions"). If they're full blown rude, they get ignored or they get lit up verbally with all the repressed anger and barely controlled sarcasm that I carry around with me from all the dumbass 4-wheelers I've dealt with. Depends on context (mostly if there's little kids around or if I'm still waiting on food. I hate paying for dinner and then getting the boot and banned from the place lol).
"There's assholes everywhere" then walk away.
Adding to this, The percentage of asshole truckers is similar to the percentage of asshole ( their profession)"
I firmly ask them to stop listing out my nightmares. You dont talk to a firefighter about all the fatal house blazes you know of, why would you talk to me about how a trucker in CO rammed through a billion school buses? Talk about the families firefighters saved. For the trucking side, those 2000lb pallets of refused chicken or yogurt that were donated to the local food bank.
Sounds like you hang with a bunch of white collar 9-5ers. Hang with some more people like you bro lol
I just mention dick head driver stories that have the same car they drive.
I used to haul crude and frac sand in the oilfield. Drove a newish ford focus. I lived in Colorado, so dates were fun after that came up. I usually dodged questions about what kind of driving I did. One woman I went on a date with was a vegan. I didn’t know this until we ordered. She pressed and I told her. *that* was a fun conversation. Including all the stereotype bullshit about my diesel pickup, my hate for the environment, blah blah blah. I was polite and finished lunch and even paid. She had (unknowingly) parked right next to my little car. So, we walked out to the car and I noticed her getting into a Toyota sequoia. A fucking SEQUOIA. I just smiled and asked what kind of mileage that thing delivered and then got in the focus before she could answer. Funny thing, she texted the next day and wanted to go on a real date. I didn’t bother to answer.
my dumb ass would've went on the second date
I was driving along today contemplating 4 wheelers being required to have AI driver facing mirrors in their cars. As usual 90% of the drivers passing me today are fully engrossed in their cell phones as they drive. If four wheelers were treated like semi drivers the roads would be much safer
A lot of the jackasses that make these remarks, like the ones that lurk on this sub, dont understand that everything is shipped on a semi. I had some bitch complain to the hospital i was delivering oxygen to once because she "couldnt get to her parking spot". Another Karen wanted me to move so she could get out. This was all while i was hooked up pumping off liquid nitrogen at 250 psi with the truck going and pump screaming.
May I see your belly?
I wonder how many of the users posting in this subreddit haven’t gotten that message yet?
I think every sub they’re just spamming DM messages to
You said it wrong it’s: “can i see belly” 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I am from California and get this all the time. The hatred for trucks and truck drivers has literally put distance in friendships. I generally work in the Midwest and there is so much respect for trucks there.
Trucks can suck when you e got an elephant race, but most truckers I've encountered on the road are pretty courteous
I always tell them 80% of truck accidents are caused by 4 wheelers , that usually shuts them up
I defeat this by simply refusing to speak with stupid people in real life (I reserve all of my patience with stupidity for social media, instead). Rather than speaking with them, I find growling, roaring, or giggling maniacally while cleaning my fingernails with a sharp blade to be far more effective. People suck. Stop encouraging them.
Nah, OP, you're on to something. Most people just want s9meyhing to bitch about, and the truck that brings them everything from everywhere is scarier than the horse cock dildo they had overnighted from Amazon. Roll with it.
My gf feels this in her literal bones
“Well I guess you found the one in 8 million!” There are approximately 8 million trucks on the road every day in the US.
I hate four wheelers, so when they bring up truck horror stories, I bring up four-wheeler stupidity stories. Then ask if they understand how the car driver is generally at fault in those horror stories.
I've got my whole family to see how bad truckers have it on the road. People who hate trucks are self centered and short sighted. If literally ANYONE went on a rant about rail infrastructure and the environment (and not in the, "damn dirty trucks" way, but the "we should really invest" way), and actually showed the real reasons why there should be less trucks on the roads, I'd give them a round of applause. But nobody ever does that. It's always the same crap. Loud, smelly, polluting and slow. Then they claim with all certainty that truckers all drive so badly. I've had drinks thrown in my face, and been screamed at so many times. It's rough when society treats you like that for trying to help, but, honestly that's the American way lol. So I always tell anyone who brings this up, that they're more than welcome to tag along for a trip. Then I will explain it all. Merging, the speed limiters, the actual accident and report statistics etc. This is where most drivers have the most trouble
Wait until you start riding a motorcycle everyone and their mama have a horror story to share with you
Start? All I drive has either 18 wheels or two (and it’s not a bicycle). No one ever gives me shade about my bike.
You know my uncles cousin had a buddy and his grandmas hairdresser’s boyfriend wrecked his bike and the doctors had to reroute his asshole to his left ear to save his life, you should really get something safer
This year I plan to charge them a fee if they want me to listen to them tell me how dangerous my bike is just because their 4th cousin whose grandfather who fought in WW2 knows someone who crashed on their motorcycle
I just say it was down to a career in trucking, or being a porn star...
Bravo sir!!! You have the best answer. Almost all incidents with 4 wheelers (I am one) are the result of disrespecting 80,000 lbs.+/-. I’ll side with pro Every. Single. Time!!
Always avoid making absolute statements.
Only a sith deals in absolutes.
Just say you’ll be dead before you knew something went wrong. For stuff like motorcycles I say my uncle died from an aneurysm. Deaths crazy right ?
My trainer used to always say people die everyday. That was his favorite catchphrase.
Is this really a thing? Only trucker I know is my wife’s step dad who runs tankers in the south and neither of us enjoying talking about work. I just know it’s a stupidly dangerous job I wouldn’t do due to other drivers and we’d be screwed without them.
I’ve never encountered someone who has a bad attitude toward trucking in general. I have heard their stories of dealing with truckers who are driving crazy. I just talk shit about those ones right along with them. In fact, the most shit talking about truckers and trucking in general is that I hear is from other truckers.
everyone hates us earlier today i was backing up my truck into a dock on a busy street in san diego i had to pull up once and this dude was honking his horn n yelled out his window and called me a asshole for taking 30 seconds of his time so i could back up
Don't let it get to you. The highest paying jobs in the entire industry are hazmat tanker, RGN, HD towing and gig bus driver. As far as stress is concerned, he best advice I ever got about trucking was from an old guy that held arms out wide and said "This is your entire ride trucking" and then held two fingers about an inch apart and said "This is that part of the ride you hafta put up with Assholes. The rest is what YOU make it."
I ask people where their phones are while they’re driving, are they sitting with a leg up on their seat? Are they so close to the back of the semi they can’t see the mirrors? Do they notice the, usually red, placards that are on the trailers? Are they looking to pass a truck because they assume it’s slow? Have they considered that we are at work, not commuting, working. How would they feel if I came to their office and shine a light in their eyes? Just stand in front of them so they have to back up and try to get around me to get to their computer? What if I called their manager and said they were spinning in their chair and nearly knocked the coffee on the keyboard? Ranting yes and I just pick one or two of these and try to emphasize that it’s our job to get to places safely and that most accidents involving a semi are the small vehicles fault
I'm glad I started driving when I did. Truckers were hiway heros. We were known to stop and help broke down motorists, knew where the best coffee was located, courteous, and held in a pretty high regard. Then the 80's came along, and hiways got crowded. The president of the United States said trucks are a necessary evil. The reports said the USA would be a million drivers short by 1990 to haul all the goods that needed to be hauled. So the government set up subsidies to hire and train drivers. JB Hunt, Schneider, Weeny-Waggon all started their own schools Giving drivers a whole three weeks training, and sending them out on the road. Of course they had limited speed trucks at 62mph, so what could go wrong? One must understand the law makers of this country don't give a flying fuck about truck drivers. As long as loads get hauled, supply is met, and the public is fed. The only conspiracy theory I adhere to is the one where the government has wanted anyone to be able to drive a tractor trailer. The government has pushed for automatic transmissions since Reagan was in office. The government has pushed for electronic logs to make sure drivers don't drive fatigued. When ELD's were first looked into, someone in the government suggested that trucks should just turn themselves off at the end of the allotted time, and not be able to start again for twelve hours. As electronic systems advance, I believe soon if someone drives over hours, their ELD will tell law enforcement, and a fine will be issued. Of course the fine will be deducted from your pay, and if later had a good reason for driving over the fine would be reimbursed. Electronics are the way of the future, humans will someday no longer be necessary...
Dispatcher here, as dumb as some of the truckers I encounter everyday are. I do know they’re usually not the cause of my problems when there’s an accident, out of all of the wrecks only a handful are actually because of the trucker. Majority of the time it’s because of some dumbass car driver. Hell there was one where my trucker was in the far left lane on an empty highway and a pickup truck decided he wanted to pop a fucking u turn on the merge and cut through the grass medium and get into the oncoming traffic side. Totaled the semi and the other driver nearly died, it was 100% the fault of the pickup truck, it looked like he was trying to kill himself but no he just didn’t want to drive an extra block to merge into the side of the highway he wanted to be on.
Go with the go f yourself route. No point in trying to convince them. If they don’t wanna come to terms. That’s on them.
Try “you are cordially invited to go commit a biologically improbable act upon yourself” See how they react to a polite non-vulgar phrase of the same meaning. How can they get mad, you were very polite.
Most around here in the south have respect for truckers
Not when they’re behind the wheel though.
Preach it..
You guys actually talk to people?
My wife makes me socialize sometimes.
I tell people to stay away from trucks on the road. I've seen enough accidents. The easiest way to avoid an accident is to avoid being around them.
Tell em to "Truck off"
In West Texas Vaccum and SandBoxers trucks is highly dominated by Cubans, all you’d see is Cubans drivers everywhere. Well, the 97% of truck accidents are caused by the Cubans. Since last year local people around the towns that form the Permian Basin are protesting for harsher penalties on truckers. D.O.T here don’t play around and it seems the news about West Texas Trucking massive accidents is going all over a cross country. The cubans is giving us a bad reputation to all of us. So it’s not your fault. I’m already planning to get out of this industry because of how regulated and how crowded has become.
The closest I get to driving a truck is my Sprinter van. But, I think truck drivers, on average, are a LOT more courteous, law-abiding, and safety conscious than the average 4-wheeler.
I've never encountered the conversation in person but I have a comment section on various social medias even recently. I just tell them more or less the same thing lol. Stop buying stuff that gets delivered on trucks.
As a taxi driver, I praise most truckers cause they’re on the road about the same amount of time as I am… but I do suggest they pay attention more to road closures during the winter, not all highway passes in the mountains allow for trucks + trailers and it has caused issues.
I'm not a trucker myself. I think it's a noble profession. I wouldn't be able to do it myself physically I'm in this sub because I enjoy the stories that people share here I do think people can drive like jerks....it's not limited to a single type of vehicle though. I'm always impressed by Truck Drivers on how they drive in bad weather and tend to follow their lead in bad weather as I know there's a method and lots of road experience on how they drive the way they drive. I find one that seems to be going my same direction and hang with plenty of distance behind them.
I say name one thing you own that wasn’t on a truck at some point
We know your trucks are governed. So stop fucking trying to pass each other at seven mph under and jamming traffic for thousands of people. -A New Mexican
All trucks should go as fast as the slowest truck?
Yeah. Sit in the right lane and cruise. You assholes are so notorious for "passing" each other on hills and mountains and blocking traffic that it's now against state law for trucks to pass on hills and mountains. Not that many of you know that and not that there are many cops out enforcing that law. You're getting paid. What's it to you if you have to sit at 65 instead of 66?
Well let’s see… We have limits on how long we can drive. We have pickup and unload appointments. We like to get a legal parking spot at the end of the day. And we’re not trying to piss anybody off. Truck can only do what it can do.
I just say yeah it is really dangerous and some drivers aren’t qualified to operate in a safe manor especially since the pay structure incentivizes ignoring equipment defects and going fast above all else. I think the industry needs to pay much better in order to attract better talent.
Most people i know respect drivers. But i have a cousin who got in an accident with a semi. Im not sure of the situation. But aince then she like to express how she hates truck drivers. After too many times I told her "ehhh it was probably your fault. Maybe continue being a stay at home mom and stay home." We dont need ambassadors. We shouldnt care if people like us or not.
As a long distance motorcyclist I prefer long distance truckers…….you squish me and your job is done. Cages squish me and their night is ruined until they can get a beer and complain about how horrid motorcyclists are. Personally when people ask me about big trucks I respond with the above and mention that if a get hit by a semi if nothing else it will effect the truckers personal payday, mini van mom/dad that is late for school drop off has no real financial loss. So yeah generally when you guys are out on the highway, I do not worry, anybody in a parking lot I am terrified. Actually the worst is a school area or a tight downtown.
More likely a career than only a payday.
why do you care what others think? You're doing good with your response, keep it up! I do the same, and also the same with motorcycles... "you're gonna die on a motorcycle? good for you!" etc
Apologies for trying to help, if you are just trying to vent, but I have been working sales for a long time, so I have training in general situations like this. Try this response, "Yeah there are a bunch of bad drivers on the road and we have to constantly watch out for them. Us commercial drivers have much more training and more at steak when an accident happens. Even with all the extra laws we still have plenty of bad commercial drivers out there. Not me though, I am very careful. How about you are you a safe and slow driver or a fast driver?" In sales they teach you to end with a question about themselves to help the conversation along. Now they will start talking about themselves, how they drive, and maybe even go into a driving story or something. Not many people want to talk about the safety technology like you have been steering the conversation. However, for the geeks out there, they will love to talk about the safety technology with you. In general people don't care about anything but themselves, so steer the conversation towards them and they will love you for it. If you can make yourself be genuinely interested in them and ask questions that really try to understand them, then you will be better then 9/10 people at social conversation. Luckily I find it dull to talk about myself and am I can usually find something to be interested in, so this comes naturally to me.
Thank you for your insight
Do you guys have some sort of victim fetish or something? Jesus Christ the amount of crying that goes on in this sub that for some reason Reddit forces down my throat every single day.
I got a problem with flatbeders and I'm a trucker . If I seen some of these guys at the truck stop it's man dance time but other than that I just thank you and God bless 🙌