First up, at the risk of being redundant for all you four wheelers out there, if the trucks stop, EVERYTHING stops... Food, clothing, everthing in your house, office.. EVERYTHING! Walmart renames it's stores to Mother Hubbards Cupbord.

Where does the funding come from to pay for the lovely interstates you enjoy.. Fuel taxes.. Lets see... 40.00 to fill a four wheeler.. 400-500 to fill a truck.. I wonder who pays more road taxes... Toll roads...75C for a four wheeler.. 15.00 for a truck.. This doesn't even take into account state permits, licenses etc.

You're right, we have CHOSEN this life, for reasons you couldn't begin to fathom. But that doesn't mean that you have the right to endanger our lives. The road is our workplace. I don't doubt for a minute that if someone in YOUR workplace endangered your life, that you would be the first to lodge a complaint to your boss and have the offender fired. YOU have the right to lodge a workplace complaint if someone tells a dirty joke! We get to just shoulder you abuse and stupidity and carry on.

We are the only industry that has a dedicated quazi police force in every state and province SOLEY dedicated to making sure that EVERY piece of equipment we operate is in working order, that we are operating safely and that we don't work too long in a day. I would LOVE to have four wheelers stop at a scale and have the DOT cops do a level one inspection on thier cars. There wouldn't be enough room to park the vehicles that would be taken out of service.

How about that report that the boss want's by 0900 tomorrow? You couldn't get it done today... but if you stay late at work, the Office Cops are going to drop by and FINE you because you worked to long in the day. And then, because they're there, they inspect your chair... OOOPPS!! that wheel has a chip in it.. 250.00 fine..(you could fall over and hurt a coworker) and ohhh danm.. you forgot to put the cap back on your pen... Sharp object don't you know.. someone could fall on it and take out an eye.. 250.00 fine.. I could go on and on... but I think I've made my point.

The main point is.. Most people who have never driven a tractor trailer have no clue what it takes to accelerate, change lanes or brake one of these things. They buzz along, yakking or texting on thier cell phones cutting you off, hang in your blind spot and give you the finger because you didn't move out of the right lane when they were improperly trying to merge. Not understanding that it would be inconvienient for the other four wheeler blocking the left lane (cause they're on the cell phone and not paying attention to the fact that there is an onramp with people trying to merge and they should get out of the way so the truck CAN move over).

The other issue which I think should be part of ANY licensing test or driver education (four wheeler) program is the absolute stupidity of tailgating a truck. I've stopped at more than one rest stop and educated the odd Klingon.. If a truck looses the air pressure on thier trailer.. The brakes come on, full and comlete..NO warning or brake lights... you're 10-20 feet off my bumper?... you DIE

I have driven in every state in the lower 48 and every province in Canada with differing speed limits and equalized speed limits and in my experience everyone going at the same speed is far safer.

A couple of messages to everyone out there... To the fourwheelers.. Have a little respect for the people who work hard to bring you everything you own, wear or eat. Understand that we're there, we're not going away and leave us some room to do our jobs safely. Remember that we deserve the same courtesy that you would afford a co-worker or customer, teller at your bank or the guy who gasses your car. Remember also the consequences of screwing up at your job.. you screw up and that report doesn't get finished or the shelves don't get stocked. WE screw up and people die (including ourselves), the environment gets poisoned etc.
.. STOP making our job harder or more dangerous than it already is!!!!!

To the Stae of Ohio... ABOUT FRIGGIN TIME!!!!

Last but not least to the brothers and sisters in the big rigs.. Be safe, keep your eyes peeled for trhe lunatics and have a great summer!