Four Wheeler Feuds
Sharing the highway sounds simple until you actually try it. Truck drivers spend their entire careers watching cars make dangerous moves around their massive rigs. Cars, on the other hand, deal with slow-moving walls of steel that seem to appear at the worst possible moments. Both groups think they're the reasonable ones. Both have legitimate reasons to be irritated. Let's start by looking at 10 things that annoy truck drivers.
1. Cutting Off Trucks Right Before Exits
Truckers call it the "exit kamikaze"—diving in front of a fully-loaded truck with less than 100 feet before the exit. This annoying moment occurs even when the truck's turn signal has been flashing for more than 10 seconds.
2. Lingering In Blind Spots
The no-zone has been nicknamed "the ghost lane" because cars literally disappear. Drivers camp for miles directly beside trailers, matching speeds at 55–65 mph and refusing to pass or drop back, even when the right lane sits completely empty.
3. Tailgating Behind A Truck's Trailer
A loaded semi needs up to 600 feet—two football fields—to stop at 65 mph, more than twice a car's distance. Yet drivers follow within one to two car lengths, flashing high beams when trucks can't speed up.
4. Speeding Up When Trucks Try To Merge
Truckers call this "zipper rage," and some keep logbooks counting merge denials per trip. Cars accelerate from 55 to 75 mph the instant a turn signal flips on, closing 300-foot gaps down to 30 feet and refusing entry.
5. Passing On The Right During Wide Turns
Cars sneak past on the inside when trucks swing wide for right turns, trying to beat trailers that are off-track 12-plus feet into the right lane. They end up trapped between the trailer and the curb.
6. Misusing Emergency Shoulders
In some western states, trucks can legally use the shoulder as a chain-up area. However, drivers misuse the shoulders by driving on them to bypass traffic, kicking up debris into the truck's windshield, and stopping on the shoulder directly beside a car.
7. Attempting To Squeeze Between Trucks
Attempting to squeeze between two trucks is one of the most dangerous moves a car driver can make. Those “gaps” are safety buffers truckers rely on for braking and maneuvering. When a car forces its way in, it destroys that cushion.
8. Braking Suddenly In Front Of A Loaded Truck
Loaded trucks need two to three seconds more reaction time than cars, plus 50 percent longer braking distance. Yet drivers slam on brakes to read exit signs, brake-check trucks maintaining steady speed, or stop abruptly for debris without shoulder space.
9. Honking Impatiently
Truck drivers joke that the horn is, unfortunately, the official soundtrack of every truck stop between 5 and 7 p.m. Drivers lay on the horn for the entire 45 seconds it takes a truck to back into a dock.
10. Ignoring "Do Not Pass" Signs On Steep Grades
The typical offense involves passing a climbing truck at 25 mph on a six to eight percent grade marked "No Passing”. This forces the truck to brake downhill when the car can't complete the pass in a reasonable time.
But trucks aren't blameless, as car drivers have complaints too.
1. Taking Up Multiple Lanes During Wide Turns
Truckers call this "claiming your real estate," but car drivers call it "eating the entire intersection." The maneuver involves swinging the trailer 8 to 12 feet into the left lane while making a right turn without any warning.
2. Driving Significantly Slower Uphill
Driving significantly slower uphill is one of the biggest frustrations for car drivers stuck behind trucks. Heavy loads make it difficult for large vehicles to maintain speed on inclines, causing traffic to bunch up. This often leads to risky overtaking attempts.
3. Driving With Misaligned Headlights
Here comes another common complaint among car drivers, especially when trucks are involved. Their higher headlight position can shine directly into rearview mirrors or oncoming lanes, which can cause glare, temporary blindness, and reduced reaction time.
4. Splashing Water Or Debris
A single semi can throw a rooster-tail of water 40-plus feet high—enough to blind a car driver for some seconds. Trucks kick up a blinding wall of water with 18 tires in heavy rain, zeroing out visibility for cars behind.
5. Blocking Car Parking Zones
Some shopping centers now post signs: "Semis will be towed—no exceptions." The problem arises when trucks park a 70-foot rig across 6 to 8 regular car spaces at malls or fast-food places, leaving the trailer hanging over the driving lane.
6. Accelerating Slowly From Traffic Lights
An empty semi accelerates almost as fast as a car; a loaded one can be 3 to 4 times slower than a pickup truck. Urban driving becomes an exercise in patience as traffic flows grind to a crawl behind accelerating big rigs.
7. Creating Wind Turbulence That Destabilizes Nearby Cars
The side blast from a passing semi at 65 mph is roughly equal to a 40 mph crosswind gust. Trucks create a low-pressure vortex as they pass, yanking smaller cars sideways and producing a "push-pull" effect that jerks high-profile SUVs.
8. Trucks Blocking Driveways While Idling
Some cities now fine truck drivers $250-plus. The violation occurs when trucks park directly across residential or business driveways while sleeping. Finding your own driveway inaccessible because a truck decided to take a break there turns frustration into genuine hardship.
9. Taking Forever To Overtake Another Truck
Truckers call these "elephant races"; car drivers call them "the longest 3 miles of my life." The governor systems that limit truck speeds mean these painfully slow overtakes become moving bottlenecks that test the patience of every driver stuck behind them.
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10. Tailgating Smaller Cars When Impatient
An 80,000-pound truck tailgating a car is the number one fear cited in most "what scares you on the highway" polls. Trucks ride 20 to 30 feet behind a car at 70 mph, flashing high beams to move over.
