Why People Hate Truck Drivers

This morning I was traveling across the top of Toronto on my way to a meeting and witnessed one example of why the general public is scared of big trucks. I was in the right lane with my cruise control set at 107 km/h and a guy driving a flatbed went past me, probably doing about 110-115. Not a lot faster than me, but faster. There was a car in his lane going slower than that, but instead of changing lanes and passing, the truck driver sailed right up behind the car and stayed on his bumper. He stayed there for quite a while - long enough for me to grab my phone a snap a picture.

Now, the truck was pulling an empty trailer, the traffic was fairly light, and it was a bright sunny morning, so the driver probably felt that he was in control and wasn't endangering anyone.

However, the car driver didn't know how much weight was on the truck behind him. All he knew is that a large truck was blocking his entire rear window and not backing off. Adding to the intimidation factor, the truck was dirty, beginning to rust, and generally not looking like something you want to be anywhere close to.

Maybe this driver was perfectly in control of his rig and knew exactly what was going on. Maybe he was a cowboy and thought that he owned the road. I don't know. I do know that car drivers get intimidated when big hulking, filthy trucks start riding up their butts. I also know that car drivers don't notice the 25 clean, well driven vehicles they pass on the highway, but they remember the one that scared them.

This industry already has a bad name among the general public and things like this don't help. The truck was being operated by a large lumber distributor, and I'm tempted to call them up and point out that their drivers could use some defensive driving training.