From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: 18-Wheelers - Living with them
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 04:27:25 -0400

Mike Nash wrote:

> Okay! I agree with your assessment. The problem I have is with the
> trucks who tailgate me!. I'll be in the far right lane, doing 1 mph over
> the limit, with a truck 6 feet off my bumper! How, pray tell, do I stay
> away from them? (I'm not even in an RV!)

I made a 2300 mile round trip to Lubbock Tx this last 4th of July.
I drove the speed limit - 65-70 here in Tn - and stayed in the right
lane.  By the time I got to Nashville on I-40, I was mad enough over
this crap to do something.  When one of these assholes got on my
tail, I did two things.  One, I started SLOWLY slowing down until
either he passed or at about 45mph, I pulled off on the shoulder for
a minute and two, my wife dials 911.  I then follow the prick,
staying behind him until the cop arrives.  I followed one guy over
10 miles off the interstate, wife on the phone all the time with
dispatchers as she got handed off from one county to another.  I
busted a total of 5 (I think, frankly I lost track) trucks on that
trip using this technique.

The key to making it work is NOT to tell the dispatcher that you're
being tailgated - they won't give a damn.  Tell the dispatcher that
this guy is driving erratically, almost hit you (if he's on your
bumper, this is technically true) and that he may be under the
influence.  Then volunteer to the dispatcher to stay on the guy's
tail until they can dispatch.  This technique gets the cops out
quickly AND it means that you don't have to stop and either convince
the officer of the problem or worse, go and swear out a warrant
since the cop didn't see the offense.  The cop stops the truck to
check for DUI and he might just find it.  And he'll probably do a
full DOT on the guy too.  At worst, you've cost him an hour.  At
best, he's arrested and his rig towed.

John

PS in advance to the truck drivers in this group:  I don't give a
f**k what you think of this tactic.  I have been (and still am) as
pro-truck as it gets.  But this is crazy.  And the fact is, if you
maintain any semblance of safe following distance, you won't hear a
peep out of me.  But when I'm in the right lane doing at or close to
the speed limit and you get on my ass, I'm going to do what I can to
hurt you.  That hurt comes best in your wallet - your money and your
CDL.  You know as well as I do that it is impossible to operate a
completely violation-free rig today so if I get a cop on your tail,
you WILL get a ticket.  Think about that as you're sitting there
close enough to count the scratches on my rear window.