Don't Understand This Sign...

S

Setec Astronomy

Well-known member
Saw this on the back of an 18' straight rig delivery truck this morning:



Caution

In heavy traffic, let this truck change lanes



Who died and left him traffic cop? I think I will put a sign on my car that says "In heavy traffic, everybody pull over and let me go first".



At first I thought it was one of those "this truck makes wide turns" signs, but the graphic was a little different, so I read it more closely.
 
Actually Mike, I always provide a little additional courtesy to them. If you have ever driven one (18 wheeler) you would realize how difficult it is to maneuver one of those in heavy traffic. A little arrogant maybe, but hes just asking for a little courtesy probably.
 
Truck drivers are usually the most courteous on the road. Probably since they drive for a living, and it can be dangerous. I usually stay out of the way of rigs as much as possible anyway, just to keep rocks from kicking up into my car.
 
Truckers have a heck of a time changing lanes, a lot of folks won't give them a break. I know most truckers are the most courteous, but some are the worst.
 
It is meant as a courtesy to you, not him. What it means is that in heavy traffic he will move out of the way of heavier traffic if you will give him the opportunity to change lanes therefore letting traffic proceed faster than he can.
 
Autoeng said:
It is meant as a courtesy to you, not him. What it means is that in heavy traffic he will move out of the way of heavier traffic if you will give him the opportunity to change lanes therefore letting traffic proceed faster than he can.
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Well, the graphic showed an arrow going from the right lane to the left lane...more like him getting out from behind heavier traffic, rather than out of the way. And Patrick, this was a little office delivery truck, not a semi, I guess I'm dating myself with the 18' straight rig description. It was a box truck, one of those cabover ones that is popular now.



EDIT: this was the sign: CDL Driver Test: Caution In Heavy Traffic Let This Truck Change Lanes 13.5" x 10.75", Decals
RT12_L.bmp
 
You're right. What that is saying is that with merging traffic from onramps he needs to be able to get over to allow them to merge. If you won't clear the lane he either has the choice to 1) run you over, 2) run over the merging traffic or slow down (hopefully so that he doesn't do #2) which backs up traffic behind him.



That is if he is a good truck driver. If not, then he's an a$$h0le with a rude bumper sticker and a God complex.
 
Well, that just seems to be one of those common sense kind of things that you don't need a sign for (like the hammers that say "don't hit yourself in the head with this" and the ladders that say "when on this ladder you will be up in the air where you could fall down from and hurt yourself"), as opposed to the more instructional/helpful "this truck makes wide right turns", although, I suppose, you might not be able to see over the truck in order to know that he was trying to run you over because someone was merging into him...but in my car I can't see over Suburbans, Hummers or anything else, so shouldn't they get a sign, too?



I dunno, I just never saw one of these signs before; it makes more sense now that Autoeng explained it.
 
tyoung said:
Truck drivers are usually the most courteous on the road. Probably since they drive for a living, and it can be dangerous. I usually stay out of the way of rigs as much as possible anyway, just to keep rocks from kicking up into my car.
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You know when I lived in California I agreed. In Toronto it's totally different, the trucks are the worst offenders on the road. They completely bully smaller cars, sit in the left lane, rarely use signals; it's a mess.
 
it is amazing how often i see people in the right lane that do not yield or change lanes for merging traffic...and it's the law (at least here) that merging traffic has the right of way on the highway. always causes backups. grrr.
 
Picus said:
You know when I lived in California I agreed. In Toronto it's totally different, the trucks are the worst offenders on the road. They completely bully smaller cars, sit in the left lane, rarely use signals; it's a mess.
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Same here in Texas. I am glad to see more left lane restrictions on them. They will just plant themselves in the left lane all the way between Dallas and Fort Worth if it wasn't posted.



Not only that, but they wait until you are 100' off their trailer and move over right in front of you to get around another truck going .000000000000001 mph slower than them and take the next 5 miles to pass. God Forbid they have to slow down and let faster traffic pass, they'd rather make 30 cars slow down and wait on them. There are good, courteous truckers out there but not as many as there used to be. The change seemed to occur in the 90s. Maybe the trucking industry lowered their standards or something.
 
Truck drivers in Florida, for the most part, are just fine. Here, its all the other "drivers" that cause problems for truck drivers. I always give them a lot of space, and on the highway, try to pass them as quickly as possible so that I am in their blind spot for as little while as possible.



Driving is all about accommodating other drivers on the road, so that they will accommodate you. I wish people in this country could think that way.



The only thing, though, is that truck drivers in general make me very nervous, at least while I drive near them. Not just the flatbed trucks with lots of pipes tied down (and no one knows how *well* tied down it is), but large semis in general always make me nervous as they tend to waver to the outside of lanes, especially around corners and on windy days where all the surface area of their trailers allow for a good pushing point for the wind. eeh



Heh, I'll usually give it quite a good amount of gas when passing these big boys, even on multi-lane highways!
 
Scottwax said:
Not only that, but they wait until you are 100' off their trailer and move over right in front of you to get around another truck going .000000000000001 mph slower than them and take the next 5 miles to pass. God Forbid they have to slow down and let faster traffic pass, they'd rather make 30 cars slow down and wait on them. There are good, courteous truckers out there but not as many as there used to be. The change seemed to occur in the 90s. Maybe the trucking industry lowered their standards or something.
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Oh, WOW, you just channelled me. I used to feel safer on the highway surrounded by big rigs than cars/pickups/SUVs, but lately an epidemic of stupid is spreading through the truck driving population. The ones that cut you off to micro-pass are getting more and more common, and it's not just short haul truckers.



OTOH, the good ones are still out there, and when they're good, they're solid gold to share the road with.
 
I know at least 20 truckers thru my job at fedex express. I do belive the that some are falling into deadlines and stress they are good people, but working trying to make a buck. Some just need to remember that their are people in those 4 wheelers. So next time just let the man over and it might help in you in the long run. Man truck drivers have saved me from getting in trouble with cops.
 
paradigm said:
it is amazing how often i see people in the right lane that do not yield or change lanes for merging traffic...and it's the law (at least here) that merging traffic has the right of way on the highway. always causes backups. grrr.
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Just curious, what state do you live in? In both MI and CA, it's exactly the opposite.
 
ttsoca said:
I know at least 20 truckers thru my job at fedex express. I do belive the that some are falling into deadlines and stress they are good people, but working trying to make a buck. Some just need to remember that their are people in those 4 wheelers. So next time just let the man over and it might help in you in the long run. Man truck drivers have saved me from getting in trouble with cops.
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:werd: They are also foul weather friends. During hellacious rainstorms, I would get behind a truck and it would shield me from the rain so I could see where I was going.
 
I totally respect truckers don't get me wrong; but there are always a few in every bunch, right?



Just last night I saw a truck try to take a turn too fast (we had a big storm), cross a 15 foot median and take out an SUV; the "funny" part was the truck turned left from the center lane, so he cut all the people in the left turn lane off then crashed. :/
 
Go ahead and ignore the warning. You have your rights! Nobody made the trucker a traffic cop!



Your relatives could bring these points up at trial if they sue for wrongful death.



On the other hand, maybe you should have a greater appreciation of the physics involved in an 80,000 lb. vehicle moving at 65MPH.



truck_vs_car_crash.jpg
 
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