Be careful following trucks

[FJReady]

We've heard it here many times: Avoid big rigs on the highways. Usually I only worry about tire gators or scraps of wood etc, but this??:

Road Hazard

I go right past this intersection most days on my commute. I'll be extra careful tomorrow.

 

[NoCage]

I guess accelerating a bit and driving over the obstacle isn't an option when it's a friggin' house. <_< Actually, as long as you didn't get rear-ended, this wouldn't be that bad since it's really visible.

 

[r1byker]

I drive a big rig and I agree; even if it's an enclosed trailer, I've seen the damage that can be done when a tire throws a tread on the freeway. There's enough force there to bend things on the trailer and cause a lot of damage to the unlucky vehicle that's following.

 

[Checkswrecks]

...of all kinds!

As a daily commuter, my biggest fear and one that I've seen more than once, is to have a ladder come off the rack of a contractor's pickup or van. One that I saw came off lifted from the front and when one end hit the ground it did several end-over flips! A couple of others slid or rolled as cars hit them and they did serious damage to a series of cars in two lanes. A car would hit the damned things and they would spin until being hit by another car - totally unpredictable where they'd go next. In heavier traffic, I've had a car in front of me straddle one and if I'd been following the center of the car, I would've taken the ladder straight-on.

Then we have the trucks and vans dropping the usual paint buckets, carpets, mattresses, bags of trash, furniture, debris flying out of pickups, and other ***** that keep commuting interesting.

Bob

 

[ShawnKing]

I drive a big rig and I agree; even if it's an enclosed trailer, I've seen the damage that can be done when a tire throws a tread on the freeway.

Yeah - I can't drive by you Big Fellas fast enough. It's never happened to me but I've seen the treads on the side of the road and shudder to think what that would do to a bike and rider if hit at highway speeds.

 

[rushes]

I drive a big rig and I agree; even if it's an enclosed trailer, I've seen the damage that can be done when a tire throws a tread on the freeway.

Yeah - I can't drive by you Big Fellas fast enough. It's never happened to me but I've seen the treads on the side of the road and shudder to think what that would do to a bike and rider if hit at highway speeds.

One of the main reasons it's getting harder for me to ride at night. Deer is #1. Truck debris #2.

I have a habit of stopping and dragging stuff off the road when I can.

 

[canucklehead-biker]

Geez, and I thought nearly hitting a fridge box on the 101 was bad... but a HOUSE?!!!

h34r:

When I lived in So Cal, the ones I avoided most were the landscaper/gardener pickups loaded with who-knows-what just thrown in the back. I've seen wheelbarrows, lawnmowers, paving stones, tools... you name it, it has leapt from the back of one of those guys.

I'll also try to clear debris if I find it, and can do so without becoming someone's hood ornament.

Griff

 

[artistonFJR]

Would that be covered under homeowners or auto policy?!

C

 

[Docholiday]

Had a good friend get wrapped up in a kiddie pool blown off a pick up truck. Completely enveloped his bike and made it unsteerable. I have tried to avoid following trucks ever since then and would rather pull over than follow one if passing is not an option. You just never know what is going to fall off those things.

 

[Foxhuntr]

I had a flatbed truck turn left in front of me dropping 4 or 5 4x4 posts, which slid across the road. I realized I couldn't stop so I tried to hit the one in front of me squarely while hanging on for dear life. The SV1000 I was on handled the post no problem.

 

[TexasFJR]

i had to avoid a mattress in the highway once.....AT NIGHT.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

These truck threads are almost NERPT material...

 

[FJRBluesman]

Some things (that I can think of) I've had to avoid on the freeway's of SoCal, besides the obvious cage idiots etc:

- A trashcan (fell out of a truck in front of me).

- An auto exhaust system (yep long length of pipe and muffler).

- Complete tire and wheel bouncing across the Frwy (came off of car I saw pulled over).

- Ladder spanning across my lane.

- Wood 4"x4"x8'.

- Huge piece of sheet metal.

- Car that lost it in front of me doing skidding across lanes…. backwards (My heart stopped until I got thru this one).

- Surf board (I saw this one coming, the guy only had bungee cords holding it, at Frwy speeds it was literally flying under the straps. Next thing I see it takes flight, shoots straight up then comes across 4 lanes from the fast lane to the slow lane and lands in front of me and a friend. We both went around it, one on the shoulder the other in another lane).

Always be aware of your surroundings.

 

[Tim05fjr]

Not only do you have to worry about what objects come flying out or off the top of vehicles. Sometimes the parts and fluids.

This past week end I was on my way home from my place in the Hills of Upstate NY. Heading down I87 in the rain, I was traveling in the right lane. Suddenly I start smelling the strong odor of gear oil. It has a very strong and distinct smell. I study the road and see that lovely raibow pattern on the wet asphalt. I realize I'm now riding on an ice rink at 65 mph. Slowly I roll off the throttle and carefuly ease over to the right lane. I felt the bike get a little sketchy but had plenty of traction in the other lane. Sure enough, about 2 miles down there was a big rig over on the shoulder with a rear hub smoking. Never before thought a smell could save my life.

Tim

 

[Silver Penguin]

Saw a BBQ grill go flying out of the bed of a pick up truck, in front of us. We were on a deliciously twisty road but the driver couldn't manage anywhere near the speed limit. He wasn't into turn outs, and there was no way to get past, so we hung way back. All of a sudden, clouds of dust appeared in front of us. We slowed down to see the grill, with the ashes, tumbling along the road. Best of all was that the driver pulled over to deal with it, and left the rest of the road for us to play with.

Jill