People Who've Actually Called A Truck's 'How Is My Driving?' Number Share Their Stories

People Who've Actually Called A Truck's 'How Is My Driving?' Number Share Their Stories
Photo by Brian Stalter on Unsplash

When was the last time you were driving down the highway and saw a truck with the words, "How is my driving?" stenciled on the side? Ever call? Probably not, right? Is there even someone on the other end of those things?

I used to think that was a joke––calling, that is––maybe something from the movies, but it turns out people do call. The results are pretty intriguing, as we found out after Redditor arabit_ asked the online community,

"People who have called the 'How is my driving?' number on the back of company trucks, what's your story?"

"I think being upfront..."

"I have a CDL myself, so I don't ever call lightly because I know I could be on the receiving end too.

The only time I've ever called one was a semi doing the same lane weaving we always watch cars do. The only reason I called was that this truck was doing it on I-95 at 70 miles an hour. I think being upfront with the company about being a driver myself helped because everything was super easy and cordial."

FlyJunior172

When companies realize they're talking to someone "in the know" things do tend to go a lot more smoothly!

"I was driving on the freeway..."

"I was driving on the freeway and a company truck was going in and out of lanes, cutting people off. We were doing 75 and he kept driving up, pulling in front of someone, and then braking. My baby was asleep in the back of the car so I started getting worried he was going to cause an accident and I was also just pissed off that he was such a crappy driver. His car didn't have a number to call, but it had the vehicle number. So I called the company and told them the vehicle number. I was transferred to the manager and they kept asking a lot of questions and were super nice about it so it made me feel better."

limpoo421

"I was behind a semi..."

"I was behind a semi around 2 am on I-26, they were swerving all over the 2 lane highway so it wasn't safe to pass. I called the number and about 5 minutes later he pulled off onto the shoulder."

fuzzymeister69

Ha, that was fast! That'll show him.

"This dude cut me off..."

"This dude cut me off and I watched from behind as he kept looking at his phone and swerving into the adjacent lanes, forcing one driver onto the shoulder. I called the number on the back and said, "Hey I just want to complain about your driver--he's cutting people off and swerving all over the place and not paying attention at all" to which there's a short pause and then a very timid, "Oh, sorry". I laugh a little and go, "Is that YOU?" and he goes, "Ya, I'll put my phone down, sorry."

Leopard1

I wish people would get off their phones and stop looking at screens while they're driving. It's honestly terrifying––an accident waiting to happen.

"This was years ago..."

"I did, but for a good reason! This was years ago before mobile phones were ubiquitous.

Some friends and I were driving down the interstate, heading to a girls' shopping weekend, and we had a flat tire. We pulled over safely, luckily, and attempted to change it. Unfortunately, none of us were strong enough to loosen the lug nuts, and no mobile phone meant no ability to call for help.

A semi-driver pulled over and changed it for us. He'd parked in front of us on the shoulder, and one of the girls wrote down his ID number and the 800 number. When we reached our hotel, we each called the number to let them know how great that driver was. I hope he received a bonus or at least recognition!"

LaLianneEcossaise

These Are The Worst Job Interviews Ever | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

"I called the number..."

"I called the number on a school bus. In fact, there was nothing at all wrong with the driving, but the bus had a pretty substantial leak. I called simply to tell someone about it before something died in the engine."

WhenDucksAttack

You are a good citizen! I'm sure the driver appreciated you very much that day.

"A friend of mine..."

"A friend of mine once called one. Turns out it was the driver himself, and he responded angrily claiming he wasn't driving that badly."

John_MartinII

The denial was certainly strong with that driver!

"It was a larger company..."

"HVAC company truck cut me off on a highway and then started weaving in and out of cars while going 20-30 over the limit. I didn't catch the license plate but I saw the company name. Yelled at Siri to get me the number and called.

It was a larger company in town (so they had more than just a couple of trucks) so the older sounding guy who answered the phone asked where this truck was when it happened. I told him where and he started cursing, saying he knows exactly who that is because he's the only one on that side of town today. He said he was the owner of the company and thanked me for calling and asked that I not think the driver represented their entire company and said he would handle it. He was really pissed off so I imagined it didn't go well for the guy. Never found out what happened."

TheRedWolf

"I thought it'd be funny..."

"I watched a semi really deftly maneuver down an on-ramp into heavy traffic. Did everything right. I thought it'd be funny to call the number to compliment them. The call-center woman was so confused. She took all the information on the truck (ID number, plate number, location) first and then asked what they did wrong. So, after all that build-up I surprised her by explaining they did a great job."

partyondude69

"I've called a few..."

"I've called a few for complaints, but one time there was a guy driving a truck in an especially good way - like, navigating heavy traffic like a champ, letting people merge, leaving space, just... Pretty exceptional. The lady on the other end definitely wasn't expecting a compliment, and it seemed to make her day to take a call where people weren't swearing at her because of someone else."

PM_ME_YOUR_RIPE_TOMATOES

Huh! Who'd have thought?

Well, what are you waiting for? Get behind the wheel, find yourself a semi and call that number! It's not like we're starved for content or anything.

Have some of your own stories from the highway? Feel free to tell us all about it in the comments section below!

Teacher standing in front of a classroom
Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

It's a teacher's job to leave a lasting impression and set a good example for their students.

With this in mind, particularly in this age of viral videos and social media, teachers have to be very careful of what they say during class hours.

Even so, there are very few teachers who haven't said something they've regretted when teaching a class.

Sometimes to control unruly students, other times when they've simply had enough.

Then too, sometimes teachers leave their students baffled and perplexed by what they say in their classroom, well aware of what they were saying.

Always making for a memorable story.

Keep reading...Show less
woman in white crew neck t-shirt sitting on gray sofa
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

As a kid, I never raised alarm bells even when I started to feel sick. My mom got stressed easily and was busy taking care of my younger brother, so I never wanted to be a burden by making her take me to the doctor only to find out nothing was wrong.

However, in fifth grade, my ears started to hurt and I knew something was wrong. I told my mom, she took me to the doctor, and I found out I had an ear infection.

Now, an ear infection isn't serious at all, and it was easily treatable. Still, I learned something from that experience: no one knows your body better than you. You know if and when you're sick and how serious it is, even if you don't now exactly what is wrong.

Redditors can corroborate this. Many of them have experienced symptoms that told them they were sick in some way -- usually with a very serious illness -- and are ready to share those experiences.

Keep reading...Show less
A couple holds hands on a date, candlelit table and two glasses of red wine
Photo by René Ranisch on Unsplash

When in the beginning stages of dating, it's important to know as much as humanly possible.

The element of surprise is no longer a fun aspect of romance.

Ask the small questions. Ask the hard questions.

Interrogate. Grill. Investigate.

Of course, you should do it with a subtle hand instead of an interrogation lamp.

The truth is all we have.

Ask everything.

Keep reading...Show less
Woman letting go of boyfriend's hand
Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash

As much as we always hop for our dating efforts to be worth it and for every relationship to work out, we all know that some relationships are not destined to work out.

But sometimes relationships end for totally valid reasons, and sometimes the reasons are painful, if not devastating.

Keep reading...Show less