Being a truck driver sounds like a difficult task. As someone who doesn't drive, I can't imagine operating one of those big sixteen wheelers, so I have mad respect for those that do. Not to mention the fact that truck drivers barely get to sleep, and have to be on top of it at all hours of the day.
So a bunch of truck drivers took to Reddit to tell the world how we can make their jobs a little easier. Jamesjamesjames3 asked:
Truckers of reddit, what are some less common road courtesies that we can offer to you to make your job safer and easier?
Generally, most truck drivers just ask for you to obey the rules of the road.
Definitely a headache.
“I say this as a former trucker and as a regular driver. I appreciate the gesture but please don't be polite. Be predictable! Follow all the rules of the road as written and there won't be as much confusion.”
“That is one of my biggest pet peeves. In my area, no one seems to know how to stop at a two way stop. I've raged about it a few times and people I considered pretty intelligent confessed they didn't know the rules so they wave people through.
Basically, if you're turning right, you're good. For some reason people going straight like to stop and wave the people the if left through. They do it in the dark when there is no way you can see them waving. They do it with tinted windows. I get so mad because I've had to sit through 5 minutes of openings only to have the person going straight stare at me until the opening passed.
I've also seen near accidents where the person going straight goes when it's their turn and the left turning person expected they were going to get a free pass. It's a headache.”
This one seems obvious, but not a lot of people follow it.
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“Don't park in no parking zones... They may look like an empty spot marked off for no reason, but they are often there to give the trucker room to back in his very long trailer in what is probably already a tight space. If you park there, they cant get in.”
“Similarly, stop at the stop light where indicated. Sometimes the line is far back from the intersection to allow trucks to make the turn.”
“We always flash our headlights to signal that it's safe for a truck to merge in front of us. They often reciprocate with a return flash of 4 ways as a thank you.”
“A quick use of the 4 ways is usually a "thank you" signal to someone who indicated to them that could make some kind of traffic maneuver safely, like "i'm dimming my headlights because yes make your lane change, it's clear".
If a moving truck's 4 ways are just ON-on, then
- they are moving much slower than the speed limit and want people behind them to notice that
- it is a downgrade and they are reminding people that passing and then cutting them off with too little space is a really bad idea
- they see some hazard ahead and want people behind them to heighten awareness and slow down
- they are rapidly stopping because of standstill traffic or an accident and want people behind them to heighten awareness and slow down”
Truck driving can get incredibly dangerous. Here are a few ways we can make it safer.
Well that’s terrifying.
“From back when I was driving, pass quickly and only on the left. If you camp out on my side, you're sitting next to tires that have a pressure of 100 pounds per square inch.
Never had a tractor tire blow, but when the trailer tires went it shakes the truck like a grenade went off. Don't sit there waiting for the grenade to go off.”
Window Cleaners Share The Best Things They've Ever Seen | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Never tailgate a semi.
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“I drive for Amazon and I once had to take a right turn into a gravel lot to drop off a trailer. When turning you have to slow down A LOT and make it a wide turn so your trailer doesn't hit the curb or ditch on the side. Well this turn had a ditch and the fellow driving behind me was tailgating and was also impatient.
He misread my wide right turn as me turning left (for some reason?) and then proceeded to speed up around me which would have him heading directly towards my cab. So when he realized he effed up he swerved into the ditch and his car bounced back out of it totaling his car. All while this was happening I was just hoping he didn't hit me.
I pulled into the lot all the way so I wasn't blocking the road and then got out and asked him if he was okay and all he did was yell at me and curse and then called the police. When the police got there and heard both sides and realized that he did it to himself because of his reckless driving and that we didn't actually make any contact they let me go about my day.
The wife of the dude actually called me later and apologized for her husband which I thought was hilarious. So yeah don't tailgate a semi people.”
Good tips.
“I own a trucking company, here's some things we would love the public to practice. Keep in mind, this is for the large sleeper bunk with 53' trailer. The guys who live on the road.
- Never get in front of a truck when you're approaching an amber light or a red light. That truck may weigh up to 80k and you've just reduced his stopping distance. You can out run him when the light turns green and get in front of him after.
- Tankers are dangerous, especially if they don't have baffles. Don't make any erratic moves around them because if they have to suddenly stop, Newton's first law will f*ck you up.
- If you're changing lanes in front of a driver, signal and slowly merge. Most driver's are trained to look several vehicles ahead and they have a better view. Just give them space, they could already be adjusting for a situation that's out of your field of vision.
In summary, give them space and time to assess the situation.
If a truck hits you, you'll probably die and the driver will be fine. Safety in large commercial vehicles primarily has the public in mind and driver's are trained to be defensive. Trucks and loads are insured, therefore replaceable.
At the end of the day, there is a human being in that truck and they are prone to the same emotional behavior that non-commercial drivers have. Most driver's are very mature, however, have tons of patience, and have seen a lot of sh*t on the road."
Never brake check a semi either.
“Do not brake check. Stopping an 80,000+ pound vehicle is a lot harder than you might think."
"Yup. It takes a real idiot to brake checks a semi, and there are a lot of them.
Every trucker I know (my relatives and many family family friends) has at least one dash cam. Insurance companies and the trucking companies will KNOW with video evidence that the brake-checker was breaking the law. Often it's preceded by swerving in front by the car, giving insufficient space with an improper lane change.
If they collide the truck driver gets a short break, maybe a paid couple days off while repairs are made. Sometimes that's a minor inconvenience if they had intended to see family or something, but most long-haul truckers are gone for months at a time and it's actually a welcome break.
The trucking company and their insurance company bill the idiot's insurance company for the damages and the lost time.
The idiot who brake-checked has to pay their own repairs, often are given a ticket by cops (who are shown the video) and points on their driving record, and their insurance rates will go up assuming they can continue to get insurance.
The best case scenario for the idiot who brake checks a truck is that they get lucky and aren't hit.
If they truly 'succeed' then not only will the idiot's car will be totaled, maybe they'll even die."
But with all of the safety protocols, there are also a few things you can do to make a truck driver’s day.
This is so wholesome.
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“My dad was a trucker and I rode with him for years and years. Please do the air horn thing with your arm. It makes their day."
"My dad is a near retirement age trucker. His favorite story is the time he saw a group of school children walking on the sidewalk as he rode to the paper mill. They were all doing the arm motion, but it's illegal in the city limits so he's torn. He sees the end of the line and a police officer is at the end, one known as "Officer Friendly" and the officer looks at my dad and does the pull with a big smile so my dad just blasted that air horn.
The horn and the distinct sound of jake brakes define my childhood.
I called my Dad to tell him about this post and first I was proud he knew what Reddit was, second he got a real kick out of it. He said " It don't matter if you're a hard a**, tough guy trucker, you see a kid make that motion, you blast that thing!" And if you read that in the voice of Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused you get the authentic Gator because even though he's spent 40+ years almost as far North as he once was South, he doesn't sound like it."
A truck dance.
“Not a trucker but while driving through Nebraska one night I gave a trucker some room to get over but he didn't think he had enough so I flicked my headlights (turned them off and back on quickly) to let him know he had space. He moved over and then made all the lights on his rig and trailer do this crazy dance. That made me feel pretty cool.”
Give them space!
“For the love of all things kind and generous, please wait until you've got at minimum 4-5 car lengths of space before returning to my lane after passing. Cutting back into the lane immediately is dangerous and completely unnecessary. If there is no traffic behind you, 50 car lengths is better. Just give us some space please.
Same for vehicles towing a boat or other trailer. Provide those drivers the same courtesy that you'd give a trucker. They're often not very experienced with towing and space is free to give.
For example, a well kept BMW 3 Series with good tires and brakes takes about 200 feet to stop from 75 MPH AFTER recognition and decision. That is about 16 car lengths. Even if purely for self preservation, that ought to be the minimum space you'll allow between yourself and other vehicles. Yes I know that in heavy traffic that is often impossible to maintain but I've been on the interstate with just 1 other car visible and they'll stay in my lane until I think they'll hit my rear bumper and cut back in within 15' of my front bumper. Seriously, you've got the whole freeway. These drivers could wait minutes before switching back to the right lane and disrupt no one.
Trust that if you feel safer speeding by staying in the right lane as much as possible, today's Laser speed devices employed by the police can snag your speed at great distances no matter what lane and what vehicle is nearby. If you're going to speed, man up and take your chances because you’re still vulnerable anyways.”
Let’s be real, truck drivers are the real MVPs.
Keep these in mind next time you’re on the road.
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“Not a whole lot, just a couple of things
When you're merging onto a highway, do your best to be going as fast or faster than traffic before you get into a lane of travel
Secondly try not to drive beside the truck/trailer as there are many times we need to move over because of people merging, broken vehicles, police officers, etc and it kinda sucks when we have to dump a lot of speed so that the car beside us will pass pass before we get to the thing we need to move over for because it takes much longer for us to accelerate to our previous speed.”
Stop being helpful!
“Rode shotgun for about two years, the number one thing my fiancé said was do not ever try to be helpful, drive like you normally would, being helpful makes you unpredictable.”
Watch out for tight turns.
“There's a red light on my way home and it's really tight for truckers turning onto the road. I always stop like 15 feet from the white line and the truckers seem to really appreciate it. They always give me a little wave.”
That’s a tough one.
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“I'm not a trucker but I'd like to point out that trucks are often excluded from the left lane on a thee lane road. That means the middle lane is their only passing lane.
It drives me nuts when I see people driving the same speed in the middle lane as the traffic on the right creating a rolling road block for truckers.
If you see a truck behind you and you're in the middle lane, move right if you can, especially on a downhill grade!”
Good tips!
“When you see a truck parked on the side of the highway, move over or slow down (also called Murphy's Law in some states). Most of the time you'll see little orange hazard triangles on the road leading up to the truck but not always.
In very windy days, pass as quickly as possible if you need to pass. There were a few cars that didn't do this and when they went under an overhead bridge the suction was enough the cars lost complete control.
Also, when you pass, give room. If you can't see tires on the ground (and even a little road) in your rearview mirror you're too close to move over. This works for EVERY vehicle you pass and not just semis.
Pay attention to in town. When trucks make a right turn they have to do it wide! The number of cars I've seen that just take up the space between a truck and the curb because they weren't paying attention is insane.
One more: DON'T park on a curve. If the road is curved chances are nobody can see your vehicle if you park there, and once again it makes it difficult for trucks to make their wide turns.”
To basically summarize everything written here, just don’t be an a**hole. Use common sense, and remember how much bigger a semi-truck is compared to your car.
Also, do the arm pull thingy. They love it.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.