astepup

...coming home from seeing the kids and grandson. Was westbound on Hwy 20 in nw iowa and coming up on 2 semi's in the right lane. I was at about 75 and I'm guessing they were around 70 and just as I'm about even with the second trucks rear tractor tires he starts doing a lane change! I'd say he got within 2 feet of me or so...all I know it was WAY too close for comfort when he finally saw me there. First reaction was to get out of the way so I gassed it a little bit and shot around them both. I don't even want to think what could have happened had he not seen me, but at the same time I don't know how he couldn't know I was there as I was coming up in the left lane. Tractor-trailers and vettes aren't a very good combination

astepup said that

Vette Jockey

Glad you are O. K. That must have been one scary experience!

ch@0s

Railroadman

Pup, glad you're OK. Had a similar experience when my pickup was brand new (about 140 miles on it) - semi decided to change lanes without worrying about me. If there had not been a shoulder.....

I try to limit the time I'm alongside a semi - if I can't get all the way by, I try to stay back until I can make it all the way. Those truck tires look awful big, especially from a C-4!

redrose

1) never 'hang' alongside anything, esp a semi...5 mph overtake is too little.
2) even 'cruisin' the 'show-off lane', turn on your left turn signal when passing, the flashing yellow may get some added attention from the 'passee'
3) always expect the 'second' truck to pass the first, unless the pair has run 'nose-to-hose' for an extended time.
4) remember that a few 'big-rig' occupants habitually live on 'little white pills' that dim their abilities/judgment.

RetiredSFC 97

When passing a large truck I always use the opportunity to check my transmission and passing gear.

(I get the hell out of the way as fast as possible)

I've seen tires fall apart and trucks, who may not see you, decide they want to change lanes too frequently.

Glad you made it through this close call.

Friday night there was a 22 car pile up on I 70, in Columbia, Mo. All started by driving too fast in a nasty storm that came through. I was safely at home having some octane booster myself.

jrzvette

The semi tries a lane change, you need an underwear change. Glad you came out ok.

Klondike

I'm leery of passing two or more of those monsters myself. I usually look to see if I can see the drivers face in his side mirror before I do my 'get by' and I don't spare the torque to get it done quick. I saw a rear tire on a gravel truck explode next to a car and the poor old lady either passed out from fright or more likely was knocked out from the concussion and crashed in the ditch. It was like dynamite going off! Luckily she wasn't badly hurt. The damn truck just kept going too!

RollaMo-LT4

Picture that same senario on a motorcycle.

Vette or Harley, I make sure they KNOW I am there before I make the pass around them.
Look in their side mirror just as you get up to them, and you can usually tell if they see you.

j-vette

DA1984VETTE

This is an all to common scenario with these trucks. It seems when ever they want to make a lane change they just come over without any regards for anybody...see it all to often...when cruising the interstate, and they want us to give them a break....is it any wonder these guys don't get the respect they used to...just my opinion..

Frizlefrak

Need a change of underwear when you got home?

Glad it all worked out OK. Could have gotten ugly.

WW7

Yea, real ugly!!!....WW

Tommy T-Bone

For some reason I always feel like a tire is gonna blow on the trailer while I'm passing. I waste no time getting away from them big rigs. Glad you broke away. Did you clean the seat yet?

dogfish246

Dang, I hate when stuff like that happens! Good thing you reacted! Glad it was just a scare and not an accident!

shakedown067

I've yet to have that happen, but I always pick up the pace when I pass a truck. I like the left blinker idea mentioned above, even if you are in the left lane already. Kinda like european driving and leaving the left blinker on when haulin' @$$. If other drivers actually knew what it meant in the states, I'd have done it a few times in my life.

kenv

You can`t be too careful with the nitwits on the roads nowadays. Case in point- I drive the PA turnpike every morning to get to work. Last Friday I`m getting on the pike, I`m halfway up the entrance ramp, & here comes some dope exiting on the entrance ramp. That had a "pucker factor" of 10 on a scale of 1-10

drmrman

^^^Cool story but why do you always say that???????????????????????????????????? ^^^

astepup

It's kind of a "shout out" to ol' crusty...a forum member that had a very serious head injury some time ago but from what I can tell he's on the road to recovery and none too soon! He always used ol' crusty said that as his signature and I thought it'd be a cool way to let him know ppl on here are wishing him well. I'm not sure if he knows I stole it yet...but I'm sure I'll hear about it when he does

astepup said that

Bondami

http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm
Just one question, Do you always generalize so broadly?? There are still many professional drivers out there. Far more than the unprofessional Dumbazzes.. So before you paint ALL truck drivers with that same broad brush keep in mind there are 13.3 million trucks and 3.5 million class 8 truckers and in 2006 they drove 139..BILLION miles in one year. with very few accidents.

Not only my opinion.. but the stats back it up.

So while you may have run into a few who are undertrained rookies the vast majority keeps hauling the things that keep America working.

Truly the best advice about passing a truck is do it with some snap.. Get on by before something tragic can happen, Those tires do Detonate and the pieces that come off can weigh a hundred pounds..( thats why I refused to run those Cheap re-caps on any of my equipment, they arent safe at all