Old Trucker Etiquette - Is it gone forever?

[powerscol]

In days long past when every trucker had a CB it was easy to let them know they were clear when passing you. Or a quick flash to let them know they were coming by and if you flashed your lights they were clear to move back they blinked the tail lights to say thanks.

I guess I am old school - a fossil so to speak I always run with my lights on and if I am overtaking a truck or if the truck is overtaking me I do a quick flash to signal I am cumming by, or its clear to return. No one seems to return the gesture to tell me it's OK to get back. Occasionally I will get a thank you (flash rear lights) when I have flashed the OK to get back.

I know truckers have a schedule to keep so in heavy traffic if they want to get over to pass a slow truck/car in the right lane, I will flash and back off slightly to let them over. In the past I would get a honk or rear light flash to say thank you. I have even seen truckers force the way over cutting off folks.

I even get yell at when using the trucker pumps for fuel and DEF. I always pull ahead to clear the pumps too.

Are CB's even used today. CH 19 seems dead the last time I had my radio on. I have not even installed it in the new truck - probably wont. I might carry it with an antenna and a long set of power cords for boon docking. or civil emergency's. Its actually what is called an export radio with a lot of other frequency bands on it.

So do I continue trying to be nice? Or is light flashing considered rude now?. Boy times have changed, even in campgrounds.

Thanks

 

[kb0zke]

" Its actually what is called an export radio with a lot of other frequency bands on it." Unless you are licensed to use those other bands, I strongly suggest you do not use them. Some time ago I looked at a CB radio that also had 10 and 12 meter ham bands on it. Such radios are legal elsewhere, but not in the United States. I am a properly licensed ham, so I can legally use those bands, but the radio itself is not legal to use here.

I carry a 2 meter radio in the truck (monitoring 146.520) and would like to add a CB, too.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

So do I continue trying to be nice? Or is light flashing considered rude now?. Boy times have changed, even in campgrounds.

Thanks

Continue being nice is what I try to go by. I don't necessarily flash to pass, unless he's camped in the fast lane for some reason....but I flash that they are clear and almost always get a blink back. BUT, there has been a huge shift in truck driver competence from what I see. There are still good ones out there for sure, but there are a lot doing their best to make all truckers look bad.

For better or worse...change is the only constant....

 

[reubenray]

I flash my lights when it is clear for them to move back over. I get thanked a lot of times.

 

[WhittleBurner]

We haven't run into a rude trucker in a while. Ususally do get the thank you flash, but the younger green truckers haven't seemed to pick up on that etiquette as much. It may depend on traffic, in slow traffic we see more thanks for letting in the truck.

 

[trailrydr]

Personally, havent seen much trucker courtesy in awhile. Too much "how fast can I go" and "why are there cars in my way". But the same can be said for auto drivers too. No respect for fellow travelers IMO.... seen it in most every mid-west state we've visited in the last 15 or so years.

Had an old-school trucker friend of mine who drove OTR/Long Haul for 30+ years put it pretty well.... "Too many today dont care and the ones who do are retired".

 

[Nopeeking]

Sad to say... etiquette is the exception, not the norm in any circumstance these days.

Mike

 

[orbsah]

We travel at 62 mph so we get passed by lots of trucks. I try to give them the “ok to come over” headlight flash most times but it seems more often than not, I don’t get a return tail light blink thank you. I was wondering if it’s even a thing anymore.

Rarely, when I’m passing a truck doing 61 mph and he gives me the headlight flash, I always give him the thank you tail light blink.

 

[Calbar]

I always flash lights to let them know to come in. I sometimes get a thankyou, maybe 1/4 of the time. I sometimes get a flash when towing the trailer that it's safe to get in. I flash tail lights for thanks when it happens. Just way too many very rude people all around and way to many oblivious drivers. Drive with high beams on or no lights. Barely even slow down at stop signs. Don't use signals for lane changes. Not just truckers but so many bad, oblivious drivers that don't care and are very rude and obnoxious.

I must be getting old.

Rob

 

[fmartinmn]

Old school here as well, I flash to let them in and most of the time I get a return thank you. However, I have noticed at the truckers diesel pumps many young immigrant drivers. Not returning a thank you flash, may be more of a non cultural thing than rudeness. Dunno.

 

[kb0zke]

I'm another one that generally runs 60-65, towing or not. I flash "K" (_._) and usually get the thank-you blinks. The exception to flashing is when we're in multilane traffic, and people are staying in a lane. I so rarely pass anyone that I can't remember the last time I did it.

Most big rig drivers are at least as courteous as anyone else. RV drivers, though, don't seem to know how to (or don't care to) do the thank-you blinks.

 

[Riverbug]

Seems to be a mixed bag here. For me, I always flash to let trucks know it's okay to come over and the vast majority flash back. We drive 65 max typically so we're getting passed a lot on the interstates. I have yet to run across any rudeness at all using the trucker lanes at fuel stops. But we're usually in and out much faster than they are. Never had a dirty look or anything and when I say hello, I get a salutation back or a "nice truck" comment that does not come across as sarcastic at all (maybe they're just good at hiding it).

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

However, I have noticed at the truckers diesel pumps many young immigrant drivers. Not returning a thank you flash

It's considered bad form to flash someone at the pumps.......

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

My competence statement earlier was really referring to the driving more than etiquette. In years past I trusted the big trucks. They knew the rules of the road and you could depend on how they were going to drive. In my area of northwestern Ontario I am regularly braking or moving onto the shoulder to make room for a transport that is over the centreline. I don't know if I'm seeing sleepy drivers, or drivers that just have their hands full controlling the truck. And, this one really annoys me....they sit in the fast lane on hwys. I know passing a big truck on the right is a bad idea...but what do you do when they are going slow in the left lane?
I remember seeing a big truck in Manitoba a few years back, two stickers on the rear. On the left there was a sticker that said "Passing Side", on the right was a sticker that said "Suicide". lol

 

[jleonard]

I get about a 10% thank you when I flash the rigs that pass me. Slightly better percentage of RVs acknowledge. I’ll probably stop doing it.

 

[Steven@147]

I try to be as nice and considerate as possible, given the driving conditions, as it's my responsibility to control my rig. Flashing head lights it's clear for them to cross over and blink tail lights as a thank you. If an RV or trucker doesn't thank you blink their tails lights after crossing over I just caulk it up to they weren't looking in their mirror when I flashed my headlights to signal they are clear to come over. We try to time our travels so that we never drive at night, we just prefer it that way.

Truck stops - running at 54 feet and right at 13.6 height we have to use the trucker lanes. Most stops if they have an RV lane it's too closed in for us to use them. For us we haven't had a bad experience at truck stops, actually I've seen truckers line up behind me at the pumps because they know I'm in and out pretty fast. We always pull out and park if we go inside. Though I have seen a couple times truckers mad at each other.

But when near or going through a big city we are "on guard" for those stupid, insane, rude, insistent car or pickup drivers driving like they are racing NASCAR, or the Indy 500! We slow down a lot going through a city.

 

[ManageIT]

It doesn't seem like there is a "community" in OTR trucking any more. My Dad drove for several years...he has commented that cell phones have replaced the CBs for most drivers. So they aren't talking to each other anymore.

My biggest gripe is the drivers that pull out to pass other trucks at the bottom of hills. Two trucks losing speed going up a hill side by side, holding up traffic is dangerous to them and everyone behind them.

 

[kb0zke]

"My biggest gripe is the drivers that pull out to pass other trucks at the bottom of hills. Two trucks losing speed going up a hill side by side, holding up traffic is dangerous to them and everyone behind them." Many years ago we were in the Foretravel in hilly country. I was in the right lane going up the hill, foot to the floor and doing about 60. Another vehicle was passing me, and a semi was trying to enter the Interstate. He didn't even look - just acted like he was going to merge. I "tootled him vigorously" with the air horn, and that got his attention. He immediately hit the brakes and fell in behind me. Of course, I also had hit the brakes, so the two of us went up the hill at 30 mph. Had he let off the throttle for a few seconds we would have been past and we both would have gone up the hill at a higher speed. Too many drivers assume that the vehicle merging onto the highway has the right of way over the vehicles already on the highway. Not so.

 

[Gronk1]

It doesn't seem like there is a "community" in OTR trucking any more. My Dad drove for several years...he has commented that cell phones have replaced the CBs for most drivers. So they aren't talking to each other anymore.

My biggest gripe is the drivers that pull out to pass other trucks at the bottom of hills. Two trucks losing speed going up a hill side by side, holding up traffic is dangerous to them and everyone behind them.

When I drove tankers through Oregon on I5, we called it traffic control
The slow one would back out...eventually. Now a days it seems they keep the stupid pedal on the floor, or miss a gear & make it worse. Oh wait I hear they're automatics now.

Do 'em a favor when traveling at night, turn off your headlights for a second or so to notify they are clear to move over. No need to blind 'em with high beam flashes. I always hated that.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Do 'em a favor when traveling at night, turn off your headlights for a second or so to notify they are clear to move over. No need to blind 'em with high beam flashes. I always hated that.

That's really obvious....but...I never thought about it. Thanks for the tip.