My name is Kat Tracy and I am an angry
trucker. There, I said it. Admitting you have a problem is the first
step in reconciling the problem. I fear there are many steps left to
take before I get it out of my system. In fact, there are probably as
many steps as there are drivers on the road. Based on that statement,
this should be a long-running blog, unfortunately.
So, what qualifies me to write this blog? Let me just say that 25 years on the road should be enough qualification for anyone, but during that quarter century, I’ve driven virtually every interstate and many of the back roads of this country and Canada. I’ve trained other people to be professional truck drivers. I’ve pulled most types of trailers with most makes of trucks hauling so many different types of freight that I can’t begin to list them. I have also experienced infinite numbers of acts of stupidity, ignorance, rudeness, and downright danger from the motoring public. That motoring public doesn’t just include four-wheelers. Some of you Billy Big Riggers are the most dangerous individuals on the road. All of this means that I have tons of material to write about.
Let me start with one of my biggest pet peeves. This one encompasses the whole of the driving world, from the smallest motorcycle to the largest over-dimensional load. This may be the mother of all of my pet peeves. Merging into freeway traffic from an on-ramp requires timing, control of your vehicle and your full attention at all times. Apparently, no one is teaching this skill in any driving school or driver’s education class in the whole country. Many of the grey hairs on my head are directly attributable to bad merging situations.
People, it is called an “acceleration lane” for a reason! You must be surveying traffic, finding your gap in the flow and adjusting your speed accordingly. You are most likely moving into high speed lanes (55 or higher) so that means acceleration! You cannot do all of these things if you are texting or talking on a cell phone, putting on make-up, opening your breakfast, mixing your coffee, reading your notes for a meeting, folding up a map, or trying to tie down your child in his car seat. Near misses occur all the time because the merging driver can’t be bothered with the traffic he/she is merging into until the very end of the ramp. At that point, they find out that there is no gap and no speed match and their vehicle is totally out of place in the land. This usually ends up with one of two things happening: the merging vehicle slams on their brakes and swerves OR they try to force their way into traffic that has no place to go to let them in resulting in the merging car being reduced to navigating the shoulder of the highway until they can manage to find a hole to move their vehicle into. None of this is safe and all of it is stressful in the max.
Also, signal lights are not optional. Especially in multi-lane merges, signal lights indicate to me how many lanes you need to move as you enter the freeway. I understand that some interchanges require multiple lane changes in a short distance, but I can’t read your mind. If you don’t show me your intentions by using your signal lights correctly, I don’t think you should flip me off when my rig blocks your progress and causes you to miss your exchange. Correct use of signal lights includes turning them off once you enter a lane, then turning them back on to move again. If you leave them on with no break in the action, most people, myself included, assumes you have forgotten to turn them off, not that you are continuing to move to the next lane over.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but just in case, here’s some breaking news for you. Tractor trailer combinations can legally weigh up to 80,000 lbs. Reach way back to your high school physics class. A body in motion stays in motion. To stop that 40 ton rig requires quite a long distance. If you have failed to judge your merge properly for all the previously mentioned reasons, it is logical to expect bad results when you suddenly jam up at the end of the ramp. Sometimes this error can cost lives. Your environmentally green car doesn’t stand a chance against my Kenworth’s diesel burning, atmosphere polluting 450 horsepower engine or the 80,000 lbs. Billy Big Rigger, some of the worst truck wrecks I’ve seen were rear end accidents caused by a poor merge decision. One of the worst occurred when a rig in the travel lane moving at 65 mph hit a merging truck entering the highway from a rest area. Rest area merges have their own, unique set of problems, especially at night. Those trucks parked on the ramps block vision of vehicles moving within the rest area heading for the entrance ramp to the highway. If you are a big rig, your marker lights are not discernible from theirs. Rest area merges require extra attention and focus from both sides of the ramp.
Last but not least, the “mergers” are not always the sole problem. The “merges” can do much to alleviate the merge problem. As you are driving, be aware that you are nearing a merge ramp. Look for the signs indicating the type of merge ramp ahead. Is it a merging ramp into your lane or a continuing lane? Is it a clover leaf on-ramp? Clover leaf ramps are more dangerous because those vehicles have a shorter acceleration lane to get up to highway speed before the merge. Watch the traffic movement on the cross road as you are coming up to the exchange. Is it busy? Can you see any traffic moving to enter the acceleration ramp to merge with the highway? If so, move to the next lane over in advance, if possible to do so safely. If not, pay close attention to the merging traffic. Check your speed against theirs. Odds are, you will have to make adjustments for them to make the merge safely. Remember, you are the professional. Practice safe merges and stay safe out there!
So, what qualifies me to write this blog? Let me just say that 25 years on the road should be enough qualification for anyone, but during that quarter century, I’ve driven virtually every interstate and many of the back roads of this country and Canada. I’ve trained other people to be professional truck drivers. I’ve pulled most types of trailers with most makes of trucks hauling so many different types of freight that I can’t begin to list them. I have also experienced infinite numbers of acts of stupidity, ignorance, rudeness, and downright danger from the motoring public. That motoring public doesn’t just include four-wheelers. Some of you Billy Big Riggers are the most dangerous individuals on the road. All of this means that I have tons of material to write about.
Let me start with one of my biggest pet peeves. This one encompasses the whole of the driving world, from the smallest motorcycle to the largest over-dimensional load. This may be the mother of all of my pet peeves. Merging into freeway traffic from an on-ramp requires timing, control of your vehicle and your full attention at all times. Apparently, no one is teaching this skill in any driving school or driver’s education class in the whole country. Many of the grey hairs on my head are directly attributable to bad merging situations.
People, it is called an “acceleration lane” for a reason! You must be surveying traffic, finding your gap in the flow and adjusting your speed accordingly. You are most likely moving into high speed lanes (55 or higher) so that means acceleration! You cannot do all of these things if you are texting or talking on a cell phone, putting on make-up, opening your breakfast, mixing your coffee, reading your notes for a meeting, folding up a map, or trying to tie down your child in his car seat. Near misses occur all the time because the merging driver can’t be bothered with the traffic he/she is merging into until the very end of the ramp. At that point, they find out that there is no gap and no speed match and their vehicle is totally out of place in the land. This usually ends up with one of two things happening: the merging vehicle slams on their brakes and swerves OR they try to force their way into traffic that has no place to go to let them in resulting in the merging car being reduced to navigating the shoulder of the highway until they can manage to find a hole to move their vehicle into. None of this is safe and all of it is stressful in the max.
Also, signal lights are not optional. Especially in multi-lane merges, signal lights indicate to me how many lanes you need to move as you enter the freeway. I understand that some interchanges require multiple lane changes in a short distance, but I can’t read your mind. If you don’t show me your intentions by using your signal lights correctly, I don’t think you should flip me off when my rig blocks your progress and causes you to miss your exchange. Correct use of signal lights includes turning them off once you enter a lane, then turning them back on to move again. If you leave them on with no break in the action, most people, myself included, assumes you have forgotten to turn them off, not that you are continuing to move to the next lane over.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but just in case, here’s some breaking news for you. Tractor trailer combinations can legally weigh up to 80,000 lbs. Reach way back to your high school physics class. A body in motion stays in motion. To stop that 40 ton rig requires quite a long distance. If you have failed to judge your merge properly for all the previously mentioned reasons, it is logical to expect bad results when you suddenly jam up at the end of the ramp. Sometimes this error can cost lives. Your environmentally green car doesn’t stand a chance against my Kenworth’s diesel burning, atmosphere polluting 450 horsepower engine or the 80,000 lbs. Billy Big Rigger, some of the worst truck wrecks I’ve seen were rear end accidents caused by a poor merge decision. One of the worst occurred when a rig in the travel lane moving at 65 mph hit a merging truck entering the highway from a rest area. Rest area merges have their own, unique set of problems, especially at night. Those trucks parked on the ramps block vision of vehicles moving within the rest area heading for the entrance ramp to the highway. If you are a big rig, your marker lights are not discernible from theirs. Rest area merges require extra attention and focus from both sides of the ramp.
Last but not least, the “mergers” are not always the sole problem. The “merges” can do much to alleviate the merge problem. As you are driving, be aware that you are nearing a merge ramp. Look for the signs indicating the type of merge ramp ahead. Is it a merging ramp into your lane or a continuing lane? Is it a clover leaf on-ramp? Clover leaf ramps are more dangerous because those vehicles have a shorter acceleration lane to get up to highway speed before the merge. Watch the traffic movement on the cross road as you are coming up to the exchange. Is it busy? Can you see any traffic moving to enter the acceleration ramp to merge with the highway? If so, move to the next lane over in advance, if possible to do so safely. If not, pay close attention to the merging traffic. Check your speed against theirs. Odds are, you will have to make adjustments for them to make the merge safely. Remember, you are the professional. Practice safe merges and stay safe out there!
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