Driving at night is pretty nice most of the time

[Droopy]

I drive a tractor-trailer on the over night shift- 10pm to 7am when everything goes right. And this time of year everything usually goes right. I truck exclusively in Ohio and 8 months out of the year I've got a gravy job. Winters can be very difficult, but seeing as how it's spring I'm not too worried about it right now.

The only thing that's bad about driving over-night is Friday night and early Saturday morning. That's when I'm most likely to run across drunk drivers, and last night I ran across a couple of them and they almost got someone killed.

I was cruising up state route 4 heading to Springfield, Ohio for my last delivery of the night. It was about 5:30 in the morning and still dark. The sky was starting to lighten a little in the east. Route 4 is a four lane divided highway right there and I was coming up on the intersection with US route 68. That is a cloverleaf style intersection where you don't have to stop to change highways. I was behind a little red car and the driver appeared to be having difficulty. The speed limit is 50 mph right there and this person was going under the speed limit and kept getting slower as we approached the interchange. I got out in the left lane to go around him and just in time. I actually had to swerve a little because he stopped so fast. Yep, stopped in the right lane of a 4 lane divided highway with a 50 mph speed limit. I looked back in my mirror and he slowly got on the ramp to route 68.

Then I looked forward and saw a car coming right at me in the left lane. Some drunken fool was going south in the northbound lanes of the highway. "Holy fuck!" came out of my mouth without me even thinking to say it. I took a quick look in my right mirror and pulled to truck to the right shoulder after I saw I wouldn't smash anyone by doing so. I brought the truck to a stop and watched as the car cruised by me doing about 40 I'd say. I looked back after he'd passed me and he hopped on 68 going north in the southbound lanes. Might read about that one in the local news. I just hope nobody got hurt.

[Heidi]

1. Glad you made it through, Droopy.

And I hope those drivers didn't hurt anyone else (or themselves). I've done a lot of stupid stuff in my life, but I've never driven after having even a single drink.

[Droopy]

2. Thanks

Getting my CDL when I was 24 really brought home to me how important it was to retain my driving privileges. I felt blessed to have a CDL. It totally changed my life and has provided a good living for me. It would be very foolish to do something that would jeopardize that.

[MrScorpio]

3. I love driving overnight too

I've been pretty lucky, never had anything remotely dangerous happen to me.


Even when it rains

[Droopy]

4. I see you are residing in Michigan now days

The first half of my shift I run up to Toledo and swap trailers with a guy who does a Michigan delivery route.

Yep, you've been fortunate nothing scary has happened. If you decide to hop in a rig, though, it will happen sooner or later.

[MrScorpio]

5. I have to say to dodgiest place to drive at night is the Penna. Turnpike

Narrow and hilly, I've always tried to make sure that the roads are empty when I took it.

Plus, the rigs all park to the side during that time.


Since the fuel crunch I've reconsidered a trucker's life.

[Droopy]

6. Yeah the PA turnpike can be scary

A lot of them curves are too sharp for a heavily loaded truck to take safely at 65 mph. There's been many times when I've had to sit in a traffic jam while tow trucks were trying to stand a big truck back up on its wheels on the turnpike.

I don't blame you for reconsidering trucking. It's hardest for the owner operators when fuel prices get out of hand and freight rates don't keep pace. It's safer to be a company driver, but you still might be susceptible to cutbacks and lay-offs. But I guess that isn't as bad as having to come up with $2000 a month while you are out of work.

[rucky]

7. I know that stretch.

That's how we get to Bryan State Park via hwy 41. When we get to Springfield, we just keep right on moving. That part of 68 that's 4 lanes - even sober drivers are crazy on it.

Stay safe!

[petronius]

8. Wow, that's pretty scary - what are the odds of meeting two enormous jackasses

simultaneously? (Outside of a republican party meeting, I mean.)

I really like driving at night, when I'm wide awake. Especially away from cities where I can see the stars, or the moonlight on the ocean. I used to plan big chunks of road-trips to include late driving, but I find that as I get a bit older I don't really have the all-nighter capacity of my undergrad days...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. My dear Droopy!

As usual, your vivid prose had me in the truck with you!

I'm so glad you're safe!

And I also hope the other drivers got home OK.

You've got your wits about you, and how good that is!

:hug:

[wain]

10. Always remember a Calif St trooper on a talk show say

at night stay out of the of the left hand lane of a multi-lane highway because that's where the drunks are. You'll never see them in time because they have their lights off and think they are on a two lane highway.

I also remember your your advice to me, when a trucker turns on his left hand turn signal, back off and give him room.

[Ikonoklast]

11. When I was a company driver doing a dedicated route

on the Ohio Pike, me and the guys I ran with helped a couple of Troopers get to be "Aces"*. We would routinely turn in the drunks and impaired drivers to them, and they were always appreciated. The staties on the pike were always the same ones at the same time as my 8PM to 8AM shift, and we got to know each other pretty well.

We used to fuel at the MM101 WB service plaza every night on the way back in, and some of the bears would come in at the same time for a coffee break. They would have faces for the truck numbers, and we got to see who was who on the Motorola.

They cut us some slack. Not much, just some.

And that Friday night to Saturday morning run was lousy with drunk drivers.

You were lucky.



* An Ohio State Patrolman gets to be an Ace by catching five drunk drivers. For each drunk, he gets a lightning bolt decal on the back of his patrol unit. When he gets five, he gets a dedicated car that only he drives, instead of 'slip-seating', and the car has a rear plate that says "ACE".

And, boy do they want that plate.

Stay safe, Droopy. I'm at the J in Oke City right now, waiting on a 9AM p/u in Enid on Sunday.

[Haole Girl]

12. Had that happen to me 3 times in Hwy 121 when I used to get off work at midnight

Once, I honked and flashed my headlights. Luckily for me, the wrong way driver stopped because I learned later that was the wrong thing to do. My commute was 37 miles one-way...sometimes I feel like I've seen everythig....I think the 911 operators got to know me by the last year of that long-assed drive! lol

Glad you knew what to do, Droopy, & you're ok!