Rants, Raves, & Recollections

Are Semi-truck Drivers Making The Highways Unsafe

by Doran Roggio

When I became of age to drive quite some time ago, drivers, as a whole, were more courteous. This was especially so with the semi truck drivers. Thankfully so, for as a young girl I was quite a speedy driver.

I loved being on the highway and traveled throughout the country by car for many years. In my younger days the semi drivers were the most courteous drivers on the road. If you passed them on the highway the drivers would signal you with their lights when it was safe for you to move back into the lane. Semi drivers used to be so courteous they would even blink a signal when coming from the opposite direction to warn when a patrol car was up ahead. I always opted to drive the highways late at night when there was barely any traffic but the large trucks because I felt safe.

I traveled a great deal at night and the Semi’s nearly owned the roads until the early morning hours. I never felt intimidated traveling alongside those massive vehicles with the courteous drivers. If you broke down you could rest assured that some semi driver would pull over and help.

Today the highways are not as enjoyable to drive, though I still like the open road and take road trips across country. Unfortunately, the semi-truck drivers are no longer as friendly as they once were. Forced by a weak economy to exert beyond normal capacity in order to make deadlines, too many of the truck drivers have become aggressive, using their size to intimidate the automobile drivers on the road. Many drivers are on uppers to stay awake and have become dangerous to be near as their focus and reflexes wane.

A few years back I applied for a part time job with a truck driving firm that hired and trained personnel to become drivers. I was appalled to learn that the majority of the persons they hired were ex-cons. While I am not against aiding ex-prisoners to get work the fact that the majority of these drivers are from prison could be a valid reason that semi drivers have become so much more aggressive and far less courteous.

Too often I have felt the intimidation of the impatient semi driver bearing down so close to my car that anything unforeseen would carry the large rig through my car and end my life.

There are other reasons that eighteen wheelers have become so dangerous on the road besides just the inconsiderate drivers. Oversized loads and faulty brakes for example have made the large rigs dangerous. Many states are setting new laws and cracking down with increased inspections and weight stations. Supposedly, enforcement officers are on the lookout more for speeding and/or reckless truck drivers.

I only hope the crackdown will help to bring about safer conditions for the automobile driver when having to travel the highways with these monster vehicles. As for the drivers and the fading courtesy, I wonder if it will return to the friendly highways that I enjoyed in my youth. Once welcoming the opportunity to drive the highways with the courteous semi-truck driver, I now take to the road when the eighteen wheelers will be less abundant.

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Get Out of the Rut with a Road Trip

Finding myself stuck in a rut for the past year I decided to make a change. Last month I sold everything I owned, stuffed what was left in my old 1996 Monte Carlo (158,000 miles and still going strong) and road tripped from Kansas City, MO to San Diego, CA. I love road trips. I feel free on the highway, for a short time it is just me and the road and the sights. Olathe, Kansas covered wagon landmark

If you find yourself in a rut, life is the same old rerun and has been for quite some time now, take a road trip. There is so much to see in the beautiful USA, and I venture to say every country is the same. A different horizon, if even for only a few days, can clear your head, lift your spirits, fill you with a new perspective, and be downright challenging. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, for example is awe inspiring, filling you with a ‘you and me God feeling’, and producing a realization of just how minuscule we are in the scheme of things. Road tripping is the closet we have these days to setting out on horseback and hitting the trail. Let me tell you, the cowboys had it down.

If you live in the city and do not get much opportunity to experience the wide open spaces, a road trip is exhilarating. You get an appreciation for how much open space there is when you drive through the plains in Texas, the plateaus of New Mexico, or the mountains and desert of Arizona.New Mexico...scenic open road

I have opted for road trips rather than flying all my life and have road tripped a great deal of the country. Observing the differences in the terrain from state to state, along with its peculiarities (examples: dust storms, tumbleweeds,) or experiencing the powerful roar of the ocean as you watch the rolling waves beat down on the shores edge along a seaside road fills you with wonder and recaptures your youth.

Experience the historical landmarks, and dissimilar architecture of differ cultures and geographical locations. Some places are so steeped in the country’s history that you can almost sense the characters of generations before you, experiencing their triumps and defeats. Another interesting and amusing facet of road trips are the names of towns and streets and the history behind those names as well as local legends. Arizona's Smallest Motel in Congress, AZ

To fully enjoy and educate yourself a road trip does not have to be a three day trip such as I recently took. Short road trips within your state to a historical or recreational landmark can be just as exhilarating. Pack up an ice chest with drinks, fruit and sandwiches, or carry energy bars, granola and dried fruit and venture out on the free flowing road with a destination in view. Don’t forget the camera and plenty of batteries.

So, the next time you find yourself bored and living the same rerun day after day, break the routine with a road trip. At the very least you will arrive home educated, inspired, with a new perspective and lots of pictures and stories to share.

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