Part memoir, part tall tale, part instructional manual: Chris DeBrie’s “Check Your Tandems” is from the perspective of a truck driver as he moves from newbie “greenhorn” to seasoned professional.
Most automobile drivers are careful to move aside when they see a policeman’s blue flashers up ahead on the highway. They are careful when they see the red and whites of an emergency vehicle.
But when the drivers see yellow lights, they are rarely careful. They zoom past inches away from a repairman who’s risking his life to change a flat tire.
Why won’t the cars consider? Is the tow truck or vehicle aid guy’s life less important? I’m sure some smart aleck is saying, “Yes.” That’s because he is worried about his wallet and his driver’s license, instead of another man’s well-being.
“Well, moving aside for blue lights is the law.” So, you’re only decent and only look out for others when you’re afraid you’re going to get a ticket?
Related: Slip seat trucking
There are numerous moments every day that the truck driver must pass accidents, police situations, and stalled cars. Some drivers see the trucker put on hazard signals to warn people, and the car will immediately speed up instead of taking a moment to see what is up ahead… saving them those vital few seconds of driving time.
Others will NOT allow the truck to move over as instructed by law and good sense. At times, cars will actually accelerate to keep the truck from moving into the passing lane.These speed demons don’t understand that not only are they not really saving
any time; they are also making the challenging job of driving a big truck into something outright dangerous. And when the truck causes a wreck, then people with little discernment will walk around talking about how unsafe eighteen-wheelers are
But they NEVER fail to be safe and careful and courteous when they see blue flashing lights ahead. Yeah—they are all genteel at that point. Which proves they could do right by whomever is standing exposed on the side of the highway, if they wanted. It proves that people are willing to kill or maim, to save that two to five seconds of drive time.
The best way to think about it is: What if it was YOU, incapacitated on the side of a road, with cars and trucks zipping past at 70 miles per hour? One day, it might be.