I'm a trucker with more than ten years experiencing and over a million miles logged. It just so happens I ran into a situation where a person tried to get money out of me and almost caused an accident. By my experience of over the road trucking, knowing the CDL requirements I was able to avoid an accident and kept on trucking. So here's my story and a few tips to help you.
What Happened
I just got a call from safety who wants to know how I am going to pay for a broken TV set. I explained that I was in Ohio on a load headed to St. Louis Missouri. While driving south on interstate 75 I was approaching interstate 70 so I could go west bound all the way to St. Louis.
I was in the right lane and I needed to merge one more lane over to the so I can get onto for the exit ramp for I-70 west bound. Checking my mirrors and putting on my signal light I saw that I couldn't get over to my exit ramp because a car was in that lane lane just back behind my trailer. To me that was just to close to cut in. So I slowed down, but as I slowed down they slowed down.
Where I Thought The Motorist Was Helping a Fellow Trucker
With my signal light on to let them know I needed the exit lane the car behind me flashed their high beams at me. This signal is often used to let the person in front of you know it is clear to merge over.
I took the ramp and started going west bound on I-70 and the whole time I was being tailgated. For what purpose I didn't know but I had a funny feeling something was not rite. Then the car shot out from behind my my trailer into the left lane and sped up fast and past me like crazy. Just at that time I knew something was going to happen so I put my foot on the brakes and started slowing down.
Where Learning CDL Requirements and Experience Came In Handy
Just then the woman cut right in front of me just missing my front bumper and hit her brakes. I was already on the brakes slowing down. So when she hit her brakes really hard my chances surviving without a crash increased. She then seeded away as I was left bewildered and confused.
I was lucky she was gone with no accident. But I had a feeling it wasn't over yet. About 20 minutes later I get a call from safety. Safety wanted to know when and how I can buy a new TV set.
The Road Rage
This is the story that safety was told by the motorist. This is unbelievable. The motorist said I caused a huge accident and put over 6 cars into the ditch. Then said the TV that needs to be replaced was in the front seat, which I'm thinking wasto watch movies. Because of me she had to swerve and hit her brakes causing her TV to break. Now she wants me to pay for a new one.
Yes you can imagine my shock. So after explaining my side of the story I was in the clear. Boy I tell you, this goes to show just how my training to learn CDL requirements and experience came in handy.
3 Simple Tips For Truck Safety
We can see that safety is one of the most important things. A DOT officer once told me that it is everyone's responsibility to avoid an accident. And you as a professional truck driver are the ones who need to be able to foresee accidents better, and to be able to avoid them. Here are 3 tips for truck safety.
1. First speed and distance. Keep yourself in a risk free zone where you will be able to react in a reasonable time.
2. Second is your attitude. Don't spend a lot of time getting angry and then looking for revenge. This clouds your judgment especially when you really need it.
3. Third is being able to read people. Being able to predict what people will do comes with experience. For example, the woman who was tailgating me then sped up very fast, coming close to my truck. My first thought was, the slower that I am going the less risk for an accident. So I just started slowing down which worked.
Being a professional truck driver requires many skills. From handling your equipment, having road safety and keeping the right attitude will give you the right CDL requirement to perform your job. Happy Trucking
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