Is it normal to feel nervous when driving next to 18 wheelers?

Same here

Sometimes I feel that way. Then other days i can hang right with them and feel great

In Australia we have 22 wheelers. Those are the normal size trucks. Then we have the big trucks, like B-doubles, B-triples, and road trains.

Why be nervous? Truckies don't want to crash.

22 wheels? I would like to see that!

For many reasons

i wouldnt worry about the 18 wheels next to u

i would worry about the 18 coming the other way tho

Yes.

It's a standard setup for a semi. The front axle has 2 wheels, for steering. Then there is a bogey axle for power, which has 4 wheels per axle, so that's 8 drive wheels. Then the trailer has a tri-axle, with 4 wheels per axle, so that's 12 wheels on the trailer. 2 + 8 + 12 = 22.

Whoa. R.I.P.!

Their tires blow regularly. If you are next to it when it blows, good luck. You make the truck drivers nervous too, so just pass and get by.

If one of those tires blow out while you're driving next to them it can send you into the guardrail or the car next to you and cause an accident, and at highway speeds it can turn into a huge pile-up of bloody carnage and exploding gas tanks, but on the bright side, if you survive, you might get on the T.V. for 15 seconds of fame.

Only if you're a pussy.

Trucks have professional drivers. Probably better than 99 percent of the other idiots driving.

ya, they may be good drivers but some of them are weird. I remember driving on the Interstate in my van and six of them surrounded me for awhile. In front, in back, and on the side.

I think they like to screw with people on the road and some of them should lose their license.


I was going to the Texas Astronomical yearly Star Party.

Don't need weirdos who are bored or whatever on the road.

Then some guy at a gas stop had to complain because a Texas Ranger gave him a ticket for not wearing his seat belt. And he was from Arizona.

Weirdos!

What do I frackin' care!

I used to drive them. I hauled steel coils. 1 coil alone weighed 50,000 pounds. When loaded"suicide",if the chains broke the coil could roll you over and flatten you and anything else in the way. In 1 instance a coil did break free and rolled down a hill in the woods and knocked everysingle tree down.

Pics or it didt happen

That is exactly right, I never worry being next to a truck provided I can see his face in his mirror

what? it happens ALL DAY!!! EVERY DAY!!

"Australian road transport has a reputation for using very large trucks and road trains. This is reflected in the most popular configurations of trucks generally having dual drive axles and three axles on the trailers, with 4 tires on each axle. This means that Australian single semi-trailer trucks will usually have 22 wheels which is generally more than their counterparts in other countries. Long haul transport usually operates as B-doubles with two trailers (each with three axles), for a total of nine axles (including steering)."
[link to en.wikipedia.org]

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

[link to www.krueger.com.au]

[link to www.freighter.com.au]

[link to helenandnickstravels.blogspot.com.au]

When my kids started driving they felt terrified next to them. More experience lessens the fear.

I always speed up lol

yes. I always stay behind them (far behind) until I get an open stretch then I speed past them at top speed. Two months or less ago driving back from work, one of them hit an overpass and there were two other that were following behind so they tried to stop and jack knifed - serious accident...very serious - my commute home that day was about 2-3 hrs when usually it takes 20 minutes max. Stay away from those trucks

i dont blame you i have been forced out of my lane and either onto shoulder or into another lane because a truck just forces his way in even though i can see his damn mirrors

I was a trucker....and I can tell you 1sthand experience that people in smaller vehicles (4-wheelers) are completel dumb-asses and put themselves and truckers' lives at risk! You wouldn't believe all the idiotic drivers out there that cause problems cutting infront of rigs and cutting us off! I've seen people do some really stupid things in little cars and I can see why most accidents happen because of 4-wheelers driving like a cat playing chicken in the road. Can't tell you how many times someone in a passenger-car with beautiful children and families were behind me...then swung around me passed me...and then then cut me off jumping 2 lanes over to the right infront of my rig...so they can make the exit!!! I'm like WTF!!!???? why didn't they just stay behind me a cooouple of seconds longer and they would've been able to take the exit safely without careless regard for their lives or my own???! Seriously people are REALLY stupid these days...and yet they always want to blame the truckers. My take on it is...I'd be willing to bet that many of the accidents that happen on the highways are caused by small cars cutting infront of big trucks and or samll cars braking suddenly because they are lost or whatever. Ofcourse the trucker crashes from locking-up his brakes because some dumb-ass doesn't know how to f-ing drive. The culprit has left the scene and kept on going...and the truckers are dead so no witness as to what really happened....police just assume it was driver error on behalf of the trucker.

They may not want to but they do crash and wipe out loads of other traffic

I have been a highway dispatcher for over 25 years. I do not like driving around trucks because I have seen what can and sometimes does happen. I've had drivers lose 40000 lb
steel ingots of their trailers. I have seen stuff flying off loads and hitting windshields etc. I dispatch flatbeds, open equipment, so I think I would hear more than a van dispatcher would.

Which is why when they are being inflated in a properly equipped workshop it's done in a sturdy steel cage set up.

I am lucky, the max is 20 Tones!

This Goods belong on the Rail
and not on the Road!

Yes. I drive a tiny Civic. I pass them as quickly and politely as possible. I've ridden in a big rig before, so I know how tiny everything looks to those drivers. If they felt like it, they could mow down someone on a motorcycle as easily as swatting a fly.

dont forget the lawyers who specialize in 18 wheeler accidents. it's a damn shame. CDL holders go through more training than the 17 year old girl who rides their breaks in front of them. But when she slams the brakes and gets rear ended, it ends up being the truckers fault because one tread on a rear tire is under 2/32nds. probably lose 1/32 just slamming on the brakes so damn hard.


its normal to be nervous next to trucks, shit happens. dont ride along side of them because they may need to get over to help keep the flow of merging traffic. just respect them, pass them appropriately and dont be shocked when an 80k load doesnt stop as fast as your prius.