Highways and heat do not mix

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Having written about the trucking industry for about half a decade now, I’ve gotten quite used to hearing the sound byte, “Don’t tar us all with the same brush.”

It’s usually used by a trucker or fleet executive in trying to explain the fact there are bad apples in the transport game who are ruining the reputation of everyone with their poor judgement and less-than-legal business practices.

It’s a favorite of Ralph Boyd, David Bradley and in fact all of the hired guns the industry employs in an effort to bolster its image. I think it’s working, too.

Recently the American Automobile Association released a report impugning motorists for the vast majority of the collisions involving cars and trucks on U.S. blacktop.

Not a shocker for anyone whose daily bread comes smelling slightly of diesel, but what is significant is that they actually admitted it. This is the paid lobby group for four-wheeled motorists saying their members are in the wrong.

It’s about time. It’s not hard to find examples of poor driving habits; we had a great one in Ontario last month.

It seems this couple was returning home from the beach – he was driving, she was in the passenger seat.

Having been swimming, her bathing suit bottoms were soaked so she decided to shed the uncomfortable garment and air dry for a while.

Well, the dude driving gets a little frisky and – yada-yada-yada – the cops end up pulling over this young pair mid-coitus after their car bucked and jerked wildly in and out of traffic.

She later denied they were actually having sex, claiming instead there was simply a lot of fondling going on.

Who does she think she is, Bill Clinton? Cool your jets until you at least pull over next time honey and you won’t need to worry about your reputation.

Ah, well, er, um… maybe that’s a lost cause, but at least you won’t senselessly endanger the lives of the other innocent highway users around you.

Personally I think it has something to do with the summer heat that sets some motorists off. About two weeks ago I was fighting my way out of Toronto eastbound on the 401. All the usual Friday afternoon suspects were there: the weavers, the cut-you-offers, the left lane bandits and more.

Far and away, however, the worst group of nimrods I came across was this carload of young teenaged bucks.

The people in front of them had done something to get them excited – excited in a different sense than the earlier mentioned couple – so these four lads were doing everything they could to exact their pound of flesh from the offending vehicle.

They tailgated, yelled and gestured for about the first 30 minutes and when that proved unsatisfying, they brought out the heavy artillery.

Every time the traffic slowed, they started throwing garbage at the other motorist in front of them.

These wackadoos almost caused four separate accidents. If not for the quick thinking – and reaction time – of a nameless trucker, they’d have most certainly perished thanks to their inattentive driving.

I’m sick of being tarred by the brushes of these types of individuals. Wake up people, highways are a shared space. Respect the vehicles around you and you’ll get home safe and sound.

Otherwise, one way or another, you’re gonna get screwed.

John Curran can be reached by phone at 416-442-2091 or by email at jcurran@trucknews.com.

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Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


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