SmellTheSmug

I've been driving and apparently missed the argument. I'll fill in a little more info.

1. I've been riding on the rode for decades, so the normal wind blast, horns, shouts of "get off the road", fingers, and all the rest don't really get me excited. Absolutely no exaggeration involved in my description of the incident.

2. The roads I ride are normally very lightly travelled at mid day and are a combination of residential and rural highway. No shoulders, but the roads are straight with rolling hills. Good visibility and good surface. Occasional truck traffic on the highway, but usually absolutely no issues other than the close pass and wind blast once in a while.

3. Where this incident occurred was a residential street that crosses the high traffic highway with a 2 lane overpass. Really no good reason for a semi to even be on that road, but whatever. Speed limit is 35mph. I was doing 18. I heard him approaching and made sure I was hugging the edge. There wasn't even any oncoming traffic. If he needed to pass, there was tons of room. An entire lane was open actually.

4. As for the judge and jury comment, my word carries weight, so absolutely it was taken as it should have been.

I'll just say this, a driver that can be that reckless with a heavy truck is a menace and needs to be corrected, harshly if necessary to correct behavior. Act like a temperamental child, and you will be treated like a child. The difference is a child isn't driving a commercial vehicle capable of causing death.

SolitaryRider

But did you acknowledge his wave?!

tagaproject6

Forget all this. I want to see the bike with the Boyds

metalheart44

Tom Stormcrowe

As a retired professional driver after 20+ years on the road ion various conditions, as well as a trainer and member of many safety review panels as part of my job, I have to agree totally. I was on a safety review panel where a driver did a close pass like that and the cyclist went under the trailer wheels and was instantly killed. The results were a foregone conclusion where the driver was concerned......he was going to be terminated, and was in the process of being prosecuted. Our main review function in this panel was to discuss how much compensation to the cyclists family. We recommended and they got the maximum of $5 million. Small recompense for the loss of a family member, but it was the best we could do short of a resurrection miracle.

Shimagnolo

I recall reading a somewhat similar account on here in the past;
The cyclist reached his place of employment to find a truck waiting to check in and unload;
The cyclist was the guy he needed to check in with.

banerjek

Unless the driver's plant manager is incompetent, he did ask what the driver had to say. Good managers stand up for those who report to them because morale and your business depend on it, but you do correct problems. There are people who will inappropriately report others. But this is rare in real life. Managing people is hard. You don't discipline people on hearsay alone unless you want a hostile workforce and/or lawsuits. You also don't let irresponsible behavior continue. A good manager will know how to figure out what's going on.

There is no incentive to lie about stuff like this. Of all the vehicles people get passed by, why pick one out that didn't do anything wrong? Unless you have no life, there are better things to waste your time on. Like road cycling for example.

spectastic

hahaha

is this a manufacturing, chemical plant or refinery? I'm just curious.

I'm contemplating on applying for work at Eastman. A couple of contractors I worked with told me their workers are extremely laid back. They have an ONSITE exercising facility, and all their employees are very active.

anyway. karma

spectastic

by the way. If we're talking about a plant that uses chemicals, then safety is (or should be) number 1. Whether it's a semi being a d*ck on the road, or an operator sleeping through an alarm, you don't take chances when it comes to safety. The janitor that used to work in my office got fired because she brought someone through the gate who didn't have the security clearance. She was gone, just like that. The idea isn't to pick on people. The idea is to make sure your employees comply with the rules, and get rid of any jackasses who want to act like teenagers.

also, you don't mess with the bossman. I mean just why would you do something that?

SmellTheSmug

They should arrive Tuesday. I'll post a pic after I get them mounted.

eja_ bottecchia

TH, don't beat yourself so hard...you're still younger than me!

To the OP, you reported the bad driver to his company. That was the right thing to do. I only have an issue if you used your friendship with the other manager to get the outcome that you desired.

Because of my profession I have extensive connections and personal friendships with local LE. IF I tried to use those connections as leverage to get a certain outcome I would be in deep doo-doo.

RT

I can smell it.

banerjek

There is only an issue if the connection is used inappropriately. OP didn't determine the outcome, he only happened to know where to report something. And he did what he should have rather than just ignore it and let this guy continue irresponsible and dangerous behavior that could hurt others and get the company in a lot of trouble. Presumably you could do that too.

I am surprised by the number of people who seem to have thought the OP did the wrong thing. I tend to take the side of the drivers more often than cyclists for the simple reason that many cyclists either are clueless or have attitude problems. But there are some seriously bad drivers out there and people who do dangerous things need to be dealt with before they kill or maim someone.

I would have called the driver in and I hardly do that sort of thing lightly. The last time I called in someone was years ago, and that was because of something I witnessed him do to another driver -- not me or another cyclist.

Jseis 

Bump

Commercial drivers are 99% good.

On a separate note...like the rest of the talkie public... they too need to lay off the cell phones. An empty chip truck trailer being yanked by a Road Ranger jammin' cell phone gabbing trucker is....interesting.

wphamilton

I'd be happy to see this outcome every time, on every aggressive close pass, so there's no criticism from me. If OP had connections, well that's the chance the driver took and there's a karmic balance to the whole story. Well done.

pdedes

I was on a narrow rural road and was given more than plenty of room by the operator of the truck. I reported his more than courteous driving to his company. Some of the professional drivers go above and beyond as well.

banerjek

One major function of the Fredly wave is to show appreciation for consideration. Drivers also wave for the same reasons as Freds.

SmellTheSmug

That is absolutely right. Really, I would have to say 99% of the big rig guys I ever run across are more than careful. They are down right deliberate in how they pass and more often than not they do wave. Some even give a little bump on the horn to let me know they are coming around. I really don't have a problem with drivers. This guy's behavior was absolutely an aberration.

longbeachgary

Why is it that there is always one "person" who has to be contrary without any real reason except to be contrary? If you want the driver's version, log on to "Idiot drivers who buzz cyclist" website and keep your uninformed comments on this site to yourself.