While writing is what I love and I have earned royalties from my novels, I pay my bills with my job as a truck driver.

But I almost don't even consider it a job because it is so much fun. I love being paid to wander the country and see the beauty of America from the highway. 

 When I tell people that I am a truck driver and writer, they often pressume that I write about trucking. Oh, I have stories I could tell. But as anyone can see from my novels, my passion, when it comes to writing, is fantasy. 

However, the other day I had to do something I rarely do, I had to honk my loud truck driver air horn at another driver in a car. He didn't make me angry. He scared me. His dangerous maneauver could have got him and his passengers killed. 

It so happens that the next day a writer friend of mine asked me in a forum what my pet peeves were.  That incident was fresh in my mind. I am not a driver that gets angry. But sometimes I am frightened by how clearly unaware many drivers are about how they should conduct their cars around big trucks. 

When any driver gets behind the wheel of a big rig or an automobile or motorcycle, that motorized vehicle can become a weapon if not handled correctly and safely. 

I shared the following on that forum. I had a number of people thank me for posting it, so I thought I'd share it here as well. Especially since it seems there are more drivers on the road during the summer. 

Be safe this summer ... and every season.

BE SAFE AROUND TRUCKS:

 *If we are maxed on weight we can weigh 80,000 lbs. That is why sometimes we crawl up entrance ramps, overpasses, hills, and mountains so slowly. Try walking up a hill with a little red wagon full of big rocks. You don't move very fast. DON'T tailgate us when we are crawling. Don't tailgate us at all. We can't see you when you do that. It is dangerous.

*Notice all the road signs ... including those for trucks. (Many car drivers have a tendency to ignore road signs that 'don't apply to them'.) Sometimes there are signs in construction zones that require we travel in the left lane. We have weigh stations we are required to enter. Some states don't allow us to travel in the left lanes. Some states give us slower speed limits. Our rules are more strict than those for cars. Knowing what rules we have to follow will help you better understand how we drive.

 *We can be very dangerous to cars (and other trucks) that are pulled over on the shoulder of the road. If you see us signal to move over to the left lane (for what may appear no reason) it is often because someone is broke down on the shoulder (usually there are people standing around the car) and we simply want to give them safe space. We will move back to the right lane once we clear the broken down car.

*For your own safety don't get tempted to jump into the space in front of a truck and the car in front of him. He needs that room.
SHORT STORY - I was hauling huge paper rolls (sort of like the kind that go on newspaper presses). Each roll weighs about 6,000 lbs. When hauling those rolls, sudden stops can be bad ... because they can slide and shift the weight of the load. One also leaves extra room between him and the vehicle in front. I was driving in evening traffic in the middle lane on the highway. The car ahead of me and in the lane to my right decided to switch lanes without checking and nearly sideswiped the car in front of me. That car seeing he was almost hit suddenly swerved left without checking hitting the car to his left. The original culprit seeing the space 'opening' moved in front of me at the same time the guy in front of me realized his mistake and came back to in front of me. Needless to say, I had three guys playing bumper cars right in front of my grill. One of the cars ended up sideways, driver door facing me. Had I NOT allowed that extra space in front of me that driver would be dead.

I managed to stop, even with a heavy load ... and without even making my husband fall out of the bunk. And was not involved in that accident. THAT is why you should stay out of the space around trucks.

*DON'T HANG OUT NEAR THE REAR TIRES OF A TRUCK TRAILER. First of all you are impeding the flow of traffic. But more dangerously, trucking companies put retreads on the trailers. Despite our pre-trips and equipment upkeep, those tires can blow or lose the tread. (I'm sure you've seen those pieces of tire on the roads). You don't want to be next to those tires when that happens. On summer we were hauling a triple axel box and we had a tire blow and lost three tires and a mudflap. That would have been awful had a car been hanging out there.

*Learn how to merge when you get on a freeway. When you enter a freeway you either need to slow down and get behind someone ... or speed up and get in front of someone. Don't expect an invitation. It is your job to enter the traffic flow. Trucks are usually 'slower traffic' and will mostly travel in the right lanes. Usually we can NOT move over to let you in. Nine times out of ten there will be a car hanging out next to our trailer. We do NOT want to run you into the shoulder. We are NOT trying to keep you off the freeway. We can NOT come to a stop to let you on. Make a decision and either speed up and get in front or slow down and  get behind (you will easily be able to go around us soon enough).

*The left lane is a passing lane. Don't impede traffic by driving a slower 'safe' speed in the middle and left lanes. If you want to go the exact speed limit (or under it) stay in the right lane and stop messing with the flow of traffic. Some states will ticket you for impeding the traffic flow.

Unfortunately movies and TV (and lawyer ads on billboards) paint an unfair picture of what most truck drivers are like.  Most accidents that involve both cars and trucks are not the truck's fault.

The truth is there are unsafe drivers in four wheels. There are unsafe drivers in eighteen wheels. There are safe drivers in four wheels. There are unsafe drivers in eighteen wheels.

I am only trying to provide information that will help others be more safe. 

Now the question is, what kind of driver will you be?