I had a similar experience last week. We are in the rainy season here in South Florida so I have been riding between 6 and 7am and then driving to work for the commute. At 6am, the sun isn't up yet, but I ride with plenty of lights on, and try to stay on the shoulder where I have one. So, on Thursday morning, I'm riding along the shoulder of Hwy 78, headed for the intersection with 441 here in Okeechobee, FL and some old guy in the passenger side of at beat up pickup, hauling a catfish boat, leans out and screams at me and beats on the outside of the door panel for no reason. Gave me quite a start, and I wobbled a little as the tandem axle (with no fenders) of the boat trailer zoomed past me. Then I noticed the intersection ahead had just turn red towards me and the truck was going to have to stop. So I rode up to the passenger window and asked the old fellow in the seat, just what right he had to scream out the window at me and scare me half to death. He immediately did it again, to demonstrate how back woods and stupid he could be. I explained that I stood a good chance of finding myself under the axle of the trailer when he did that. His retort was that I could "lay under the axle of that trailer if I wanted to...but I was the guy riding some kind of BIKE out here in the dark" (I was on my long wheelbase recumbent). I explained to him that what he did was dangerous for me, and that I had every right to be out there, as I had my lights on and was not impeding the flow of traffic. Then I leaned over to look at the driver, a young woman who was looking very embarrassed by the whole thing and asked if she could see my lights OK? She assured me that she could, and watched for the traffic light to change. The old guy in the passenger seat, by then was beginning to get the message, and as the light changed and the truck began to move, wished me to "have a good day!" I hope he got the idea, and won't do that again, as next time I'll swear a complaint with the sheriffs office and ask them to check on it.
Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL