Right Lane Closed 6/12/11

Today's Thoughts 6/12/11 Right Lane Closed

Ah yes, the all unavoidable backups caused accident scenes or construction zones. Seems like our nation's highways are just littered with them come spring time every year. No matter how hard you try, sooner or later you are going to have to deal with them in one way or another. Unless of course you have a CB radio and find out far enough in advance and want to chance the directions given over the radio to miss all the delays. But I've found here lately that the information coming over that CB to be more misleading and time consuming then just sitting through the average backup. So I usually just wait through it unless I know the area enough to go around with comfort.

As I was sitting in a backup the other day and I was watching a big truck play that game where he the driver decided that no one was going to pass him. He was using his truck as a road block going so far as to run vehicles that did not want to wait off into the grass or using guard rails to help stop the flow of traffic. Anyway, watching him reminded me of a time before everyone had cell phones and I was coming up out of Atlanta, GA and was planning to stop at the old Speedway that used to be there. The right lane was closed one mile ahead and most people were lining up in the left lane. But a few of us stayed in the right lane looking to jump off at the exit so we could travel down that road or stop in at the truck stop.

Back then our problem was that this driver of a big truck decided that the right lane was closed right where he was. All the signs put out for the construction zone said "Right lane closed one mile ahead". But this gentleman in this big truck decided different. Just like the driver was doing today. Forcing all the other drivers on the highway to do as he decided they should do or he was going to use his eighteen wheeler to shove them off the highway in an effort to keep them from getting ahead of him. Needless to say, after being delayed by this driver for over forty five minutes, by the time I got to the pay phone, the load I was looking for was booked out to a driver that was able to get to a phone.

Now there are lots of different ways to look at this. One being that the right lane is closing and the polite thing to do is to line up in the left lane behind the drivers that were there first. The legal way to look at it is that the state decides exactly where that lane is closed and it is perfectly legal to use that lane all the way to that point. Some states have even gone so far as to put out "Merge Here" signs or use actual Law enforcement officers to line up the traffic. With all that I've seen go on in these backups, I'm all for the use of actual law enforcement being on sight. Not because I think everyone should line up where I think they should line up. But more to the fact that these highway heroes will use their eighty thousands pound big trucks as weapons against the general public in an attempt to force them to drive as they decide they should drive. Little clue here, with today's technology, your actions are being videoed and emailed to your safety department as you play your game. No waiting at all. (-:

Ok. So maybe you don't like what it was I just said. So be it. But here's the thing. No matter how bad someone else's driving is. No matter how unethical or a complete lack of morals they show. No matter how far outside of the law they are or how long they make your delay. It simply is not your job as a driver of any vehicle to force another driver to conform to your demands. That is of course taking into consideration the fact that no one has issued you cute little flashy blue lights to put on top of your truck and the fact that your not carrying a badge and a gun and have sworn an oath the uphold the laws of whatever state you happen to be in that day.

Thats just the way I see it. Our image as truck drivers should not be one of using our trucks as weapons to force the general public to wait in line as we see fit. Besides that is the fact that you never know just who it is that you're blocking or if there is t an emergency that is trying to get to a hospital like a sick or injured child. No one to my knowledge has given a normal everyday trucker the right or ability to make these types of decisions out on the open highway. It simply is not part of our job.

Well, thats my gripe for today.  For all you safe drivers out there, Keep on keeping safe.

Jeff Head.
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