Road Safety from a Semi Drivers Standpoint... - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

kd5ob · 10-15-2008, 09:14 PM

I'm brand new to biking and own a cruiser but I felt I had to write this due to my years of experiences in bad accidents on the road driving an 18 wheeler semi.

So, feel free to attack, comment, or whatever. I'm not god.

But what I thought I'd do is just compare Semi's to motorcycles on our roads and do some talking about the EVIL 4 WHEELERS.

Did you know that most semi drivers are bikers also. YES! I found that out.
I'm one now. I just bought a new V Star 1300 Classic Tourer a month ago.
I love riding and I love all you guys. Both here on this site and also on the road.

I like other Semi drivers take very special care with our 2 and 3 wheeled friends of the road. They need the help they can get.

Okay. Let's compare and start here.

Curves. Semi's have to abide by those yellow signs you see which indicate the curve speed limit. I abide by these signs on my bike as well as I do when I drive my semi. If your on a 55 mph 2 lane highway and the yellow curve warning sign says 45 mph, slow down to 45 before you enter the curve and you should be able to negotiate it without having to slide your rear in your seat or grind off your pegs. It's ALWAYS TRUE, if you can't SEE ALL THE WAY THRU A CRUVE DON'T SPEED THRU IT AS YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S ON THE OTHER END! IT COULD BE A DOWNED MOTORCYCLIST WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT AND YOU WILL END UP KILLING THEM DOING THIS KIND OF STUFF.

Off Ramps are just like curves and they have signs too. If it's been raining, you shouldn't drive super fast thru any curves PERIOD.

Of course, wear your helmets and leather jackets and protective pants and boots and gloves and all that. You need to do that.

Highway on ramps. I lost count some years ago as to the number of 4 wheelers I've run off the road trying to challenge me on ON RAMPS. IT IS YOUR LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ALL 50 STATES AND CANADA TO YEILD TO ONCOMING HIGHWAY TRAFFIC WHEN YOUR MERGING ONTO A FREEWAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE. Yes, if the left lane is open, I will move over for you in my Semi or Motorcycle to allow you to gain easy access. JUST DON'T BANK ON THAT COURTESY. If I'm given the choice of harming Mrs. Socker mom and her 7 kids in the left lane or running you off the road the choice will have to be running you off the road. Semi's can't stop in 100 feet. It takes us a 1/3 mile to shut down from 65 mph. I will have no choice but to run you off the road should you not manage to bend that little head of yours and look over your shoulder before you merge yourself onto that freeway. Remember, when using freeway on ramps, IT'S YOUR REPSONSIBLITY,,,,, NOBODY ELSES!!!! WAKE UP!!!!

Okay for that, now we move onto Wind.
Wind from Semi's will blow motorcycles around if they are small motorcycles.
Larger bikes seem to be less affected. But there is the problem of gravel from Semi tires and debris which are picked up off the road and thrown at cars and motorcycles by Semi's when they pass. If you get hit in the face of chest with one little peice of gravel it could kill you at the worst or make you scream out all kinds of painful profanity, one of the other. It break car windshields.

Wind can also blow semi's around on interstates. I've had semi's force me and my semi off the road during windy days. They can cross over into the other lane 1/2 the way before they recover during a FREAK WIND EVENT. When in the mountains or the plaines these FREAK WEATHER EVENTS occure without notice. My best advice to you is when passing a SEMI, make your pass as quickly as you can and be decisive. Get that pass over with quickly and put some distance between you and the semi you pass. Get at least 1/4 mile ahead of me before you merge right again, don't share my front bumper with me please. Your not a dolphin and you can't bow surf a semi. Get your self 1/4 mile ahead of me before you merge back. Give me the chance to stop the vehicle if you take a spill so I can block for you and help you get back up. I don't want to run over you. I wish cars (4 wheelers) would take this advice. They feel because they have a little aluminum and plastic around them that they are invinsible or something. More on invinsible 4 wheelers later.

It's a FACT that if a Semi is being challenged by a merging 4 wheeler, and that semi has no choice, the 4 wheeler will LOOSE and be run off the road.
It's also a FACT that if you insert motorcycle for Semi in the last sentence the exact opposite will happen. There are NO 4 wheelers who pay attention to traffic laws nor do they care for you life. I'm sorry to say this but motorcyclists have more common sense than anybody in a 4 wheeler will have.

When I pass a motorcycle in my Semi, I always get at least 1/8 of a mile ahead of the biker as my throw off wind and debris could endanger them.
If you have somebody going slow on a bike they are generally a beginner.
They hate semi's so make your pass quick and painless as possible. Don't make them suffer thru a 5 minute long pass. Get em over with.

Exploding tires on Semis. Yes, the tires on Semis hold up alot of weight.
By law I can have 12,000 lbs on my front two steer tires and 34,000 lbs on the drives and read tandems of the trailer. Each tire has 100lbs pressure in it by law. When they blow up, it's like a bomb. I've had my windshield shattered by a passing semi which exploded a tandem trailer tire. I'm 12 feet
off the ground and that semi threw a chunk of tire at me which was 5 feet long and weight 50 lbs. Went right up to my windshield and shattered it.
If you were on a bike and be unlucky enough to be lingering around one of those tires and they went off, you'd be dead. There be no more manuvering for you. You just won't survive it. Take my advice. I've seen cars and pickup trucks beaten to death by spinning flying rubber from exploding tires
on Semi's. You won't do as well as they do.

So, bottom line is,,, pass semi's quickly and decisively and don't surf anywhere near a semi. Don't surf off my rear either. Dont' surf off my trailer tandems or stay in my blind spot. Just keep yourself 1/4 mile away from any semi for your own safety.

I must admit, that even though I am a fellow biker and am constantly on the watchout for motorcycles, there are still people on bikes who attempt to pass me on the right JUST AFTER I'VE PASSED ANOTHER SEMI AND ARE FIXING TO MERGE BACK RIGHT AND WE NEARLY RAN OVER THESE STUPID PEOPLE. DO NOT PASS ANY SEMI ON THE RIGHT, NOT NOW, NOT EVER!!!!!
IT'S STUPID....

Road kill. I've run over possum and racoon with both my bike and semi.
When you have a 700 lbs bike, running over a large racoon or possum isn't much a problem to me. I've had this bike a month now and killed 2 each.
A Deer, I would emergency brake then counter steer if necessary. Never brake a bike into a curve like that. Breaking and leaning are two seperate sports in motorcycling. In a Semi, pick up the cup of coffee from the center
stand and hold it briefly. After you've run over the deer, put the coffee back down. Enough said there.

MOOSE! A moose can hurt a semi. They are great big animals. They will therefore hurt your motorcycle too. In a Semi or bike, do not honk at a moose not matter what. If you do, they will CHARGE YOU AND RAM YOU.
In a motorcycle, you slow down and stop several feet from this beast and let it cross. If you can't, counter steer towards the REAR of the ANIMAL, do not go in front of it. In a Semi, you can not counter steer. If you can break by locking up all 18 and stop without hitting the animal, then slowly move up to the beast and nudge it with your front bumper. This lets the animal know that your much heavier and stronger than it is and it will move out of your way. Becausios of fellow motorists to your sides when you do this, let everybody know the Semi is in charge here. Do not run your flashers as they will charge those also. Headlights which are constantly on are okay.
Do not nudge if a 4 wheeler goes up to challenge first. Let him get by or wiped out first then you go. That way your not liable for it.
Naturally, if your on a bike and a semi's there, let the semi move off the moose whilst you watch from a distance. Wait for that animal to get off into the woods before you go, remember they travel in pacs too! There may be more. Males don't but those females do.

Winter Weather. Most motorcycles don't go out in winter so I'll skip all the semi stuff here also.

The author of this article has run over Toyota Corollas, Honda's, BMW's, and been hit by other Semi's.

By RUN OVER, I mean just that. RUN OVER.... I don't mean bumped.

Your bike may weight 800 lbs wet with passenger.
A Honda Accord weighs in about 1500 lbs.
An ford pickup truck about 1800.
A Semi (loaded) weights in a 80,000 lbs. We have 600 + horsepower turbo charged diesel engines with fuel ranges in excess of 1200 miles. I have an apartment built into the back of my tractor with a TV, computer, microwave, dresser, desk, 2 beds, and auxilary power unit providing me 110 voltes, it's just like an apartment and all this is rolling down the road with you at highway speeds. My vehicle costs more than most RV's do and is much more powerful.

In this day and age, post 9/11 you have to have an FBI background check to hold a CDL. It costs a student $6000 to $8000 to get a CDL these days.
We have to keep pilots logs and all kinds of records. It's just like being a commercial airline pilot of the highways, we have to go thru so much drug testing and paperwork. We hold the highest license in the land. We put more miles on these trucks a year than any other class of driver there is.

And I agree that SAFETY is a PATH and not a destination.
You must drive with your head pulled out of your bumb and constantly thinking. Or you will die! Do you all understand! Your going to get hurt.
Pay attention to that roadway. IF somebody's tailgating you, slow down and make them pass, don't get into a race with an idiot. Don't put your bike tires on painted highway marks on rainy days, those painted strips are like ice when wet. Leaves on the roadway can make you fall, go slow! Loose gravel will make you fall! Parking your tires in grease or oil or disel at stop signs will make you fall when you try and GO AGAIN! Use that clutch and milk your way out of gravel and oily spots, no full power here! Wear your safety clothes. Have that loud muffler if you want, I don't care. Get a stronger horn if you want, I'll never hear it in that cab. But most importantly, flash those brights at me and let me know your there. Don't pass me on the right, EVER!!! WE live in the right lane and were going to want it back as soon as we pass! DON'T PASS A SEMI ON THE RIGHT IN ANY VEHICLE!!!

On high speed interstates, stay 1/4 mile from semi's because the wind and stuff they throw could blind you or hurt you seriously. I can't make my tires stop throwing %%%% on those highways. Those 18 wheels are like vacuums.
They will pick up anything and throw it for hundres of feet as hypersonic speeds. Those tires of mine do explode for no reason from time to time.
The Government tries to make us standard durable tires which has a memory but they still blow up periodically from factory defects mainly. Semi's have tire rubber quality requirements and they are enforced at every weigh station.
I can' t roll with visiably bad tires, fine too high.. I always have NEW RUBBER yet they still blow up. Just stay away from those semi's. okay....

Speaking of which, check your bikes tires every ride for damage. I have to.
WE have to log an inspection every day. Every day I check ALL LIGHTS, ALL TIRES FOR CUTS OR TEARS OR BLISTERS, CHECK BRAKES EVERY DAY, CHECK CLUTCH EVERY DAY AND POWER STEERING, CHECK ALL ENGINE FLUIDS AND LOG THEM, CHECK FOR WARN HOSES AND BELTS, TEST ALL ELECTRICS, CHECK AUXILARY GENERATOR FLUIDS AND CABLES AND HOSES, CHECK OUT THE REFER MOTOR, CABLES HOSES AND FLUIDS, CHECK INSIDE THE TRAILER BOX, CHECK ALL BRAKES FOR 1/4 INCH THICKNESS, the daily check is quite extensive for semi drivers. If we drive off with a defective rig and get caught it could cost us as much as $1800 in a single fine. We can't afford to screw up in the commercial envirnment.

So, check your bikes over like you were navy pilots. Take pride in that chrome of yours. Look everything over.

I personally don't believe any motorcycle should pull any trailer due to the weight and torque problems between the two vehicles. I've seen many, many biker hurt pulling trailers when they lost a trailer tire or some ass of a 4 wheeler clipped their trailer as they didn't see it and end up throwning rider and passenger over the fairing in a 70 mph tumble down the concrete. It's horrible people, it really is.

I'll leave you with this last fact. If you have a sedan drive up under your trailer and you run over the car with your tandem trailer wheels do you think that you'd hear something in that Semi cab??? How about feel something???
How about see something???? Well, if I was looking maybe.... But now, you actually feel nothing nor hear nothing. They pulled me over 1 mile down the road, a state trooper did. They didn't have problem with me saying I didn't know because it happens all the time. My entire rig didn't even have a scratch on it. No paint scratched, no hoses cut, no marks on those tires back there, DOT bumper not even bent or scratched. When you weight 80,000 lbs you don't jump over a car you crush it to the ground like a paper cup at 70 miles an hour. They took me back there and that car was all over the road.

The trooper saw the whole thing, they make a U turn on an interstate and
when they came out of the high grass they went right under my trailer and I ran over them in the blink of an eye. Nothing left of the car.

Give me that 1/4 mile to stop people. Pass me and give me as much room as you can. Get your asses out there a ways. And never surf semi's.
It's just stupid.

And Yes, I hate 4 wheelers too. They don't abide by the law and whilst I can attract their attention and make them behaive, you will never be able to do that so RUN MY CHILDREN. Be safe.

Remember, they said at the training course a motorcycles safety is in it's speed. You can get ahead of people quickly and make some distance.
If somebody tailgates you, slow down and make them pass, don't race.
It's funny when you say that but it alwasy works that way.

I do that same thing all the time. I slow down if I want you off my ass.
When I pass I make it quick and decisive and get it over with and merge back a good distance ahead of you for your safety because I know I drive the PIG vehicle.

Here's another thing you can do but I can't. I was stopped on I80 in construction one time, about 3 years ago. And another semi was ot my left in the hammer lane , also stopped for the same construction. So here were both stopped and in this column of traffic. I stopped a full 200 feet behind the next vehilce. A good semi driver will always stop way behind of you.
If your feeling bumper and hearing fan, the guy's an idiot, get away from him.
Anyway, another semi driver who wasn't looking hit me from behing at 70 mph and he was fully loaded. He wrecked both rigs, his and mine. The trooper said he didn't even touch his brakes.

CHECK YOUR MIRRORS WHEN STOPPED ON INTERSTATED FOR ANYIHING!
DON'T REST UNTIL AT LEAST 3 CARS HAVE STOPPED BEHIND YOU TO BE ABLE TO BLOCK FOR YOU SHOULD A SEMI NOT STOP. IF YOU HAVE TO,
GET ON THAT SHOULDER AND GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE IF IT LOOKS DANGEROUS. DON'T LET A CAR OR SEMI HIT YOU IN THE ASS WHILST YOURSTOPPED ON AN INTERSTATE FOR ANYTHING. IF THEY COULDN'T SEE MY SEMI, WHAT CHANCE WILL THEY SEE YOUR BIKE AND YOU?????

It was a year before I recovered from that one. Both mentally and physically.
And when you've gone thru these kinds of experiences, you realize without a doubt that SAFETY IS A JOURNEY NOT A DESTINATION.

There's always some new stupid jerk who's randomly figured out a way to either hurt you seriously or kill you.

I care about motorcyclists as I am one. I love to bike. It's such fun.
But here me out here!

If you screw up out there and I don't see you, I won't hear your horn
or your pipes or even your scream. I may not even see you at all.
Keep that constantly in mind that you are invisible to us. Even though I search or you and I drive 700 miles a day in this job, YOU CAN STILL SNEAK UP ON ME AND HURT YOURSELF.

Don't do that!

Okay, fireaway. I love to read this stuff.

Keep in mind that whilst your author has read your comment about how safe the interstates are and how city driving is dangerous, I have seen it both ways. The interstates are mirrages. They are deadly. Every bad thing which has happened in my life with the exception of 1 incident has been on an interstate. Those safe interstates which you should have NO FEAR OF, right....

If that motorcycle is rolling, you are in danger and you need to sharp up.
Sharp up and be seen. No need to push anything out there. Okay.

Charlie