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I was talking to Vikki (pilot of the red Pete on your left) the other night, and she told a story that emphasizes a point I made in my CarSpace Guide Driving With The Big Rigs - specifically item number 4. Vik said she was hauling a piece of construction equipment on a flatbed.  She was slowing down for a traffic light when another vehicle not only changed into her lane, but did so while slowly coasting, causing Vik to really lay into the whoa pedal.  At that point, Vikki said she heard the terrifying sound of a tie-down chain snapping due to the change in weight transfer force.  "All I could think of was that bulldozer joining me in the cab," she said.  After a barrage of bad language into the CB, Vik pulled over and replaced the chain before proceeding. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles includes the following stat in its driver's manual: - stopping distance including reaction time from 55 mph in a car is 190 feet - stopping distance including reaction time for a loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes is 430 feet Before you make that lane change to "jockey for position" at the red light, make sure you have not cut the available stopping room for a much larger vehicle behind you.  Unless of course, you like the idea of potentially being pushed into an intersection of cross traffic at speed.  Or as in the situation Vikki had, if the other chains had not held, you could cause serious injury or death to a trucker without ever making vehicular contact.

Woke up to this scene this morning. For those of you in the winter climates, be sure to check my CarSpace Guide regarding the proper way to get all that white stuff from your vehicle. One benefit to living out here in the mountains is that the local crews really know how to plow snow...

In the online Overdrive magazine, there was a great article about the issues faced by truckers on large hills.  While the article first appeared nearly three years ago, it still holds up well today. My home is at 1000 feet elevation.  A mile later when I get on I-80, it has dropped to 770 feet... my office is around sea level.  So I know about inclines - downhill to work (boy, that's a lousy coincidence) and uphill home.  For that 200 foot drop in the morning, I keep my Dodge Ram 3500 in the 2 position on the trans shifter - on the way home, I hit the Tow/Haul button to keep the trans from upshifting and lugging the engine.  On that morning trip, the transmission combined with the low-revving Cummins diesel keep me below 35 mph the whole way down without braking...

Not a sudden thunderstorm that blows through in 20 minutes... but a good all-day rain. It's been a law in New Jersey for over 10 years to turn all your lights on whenever sky conditions require windshield wipers.  And yet far too many people don't bother.  With tire spray, rain, and fog, it's REALLY easy to come up on some small car (especially silver/gray/white) with almost no warning it was there because the driver is running "dark"...

...titled Driving With the Big Rigs - full of driving tips on sharing the road with the pros.