Challenges of Driving Big-Rig Trucks

Re “Big-Rig Truck Accidents,” letters, May 19: I wonder how many people know just how difficult newly legislated truck-driving tests are? You need to pass a class A, class B, and class C test, along with air brakes, doubles, triples, hazardous and tanker. The driving part is also very difficult. Before you pull away from the curb, you must check over 150 items, most of it verbally to the test person. This weeds out a good many candidates. I run a small tanker company and have been driving and training drivers for 25 years. Truck drivers must pass a pre-employment drug test with required random testing throughout the year. Any weigh station at any time can drug-test a driver.

All day long, a driver must be on his toes. People constantly ride in your blind spot, cut you off, hurry to the end of the onramp to get ahead of your truck and stop quickly in front of you as if you could stop on a dime. Big rigs can be 65 feet long and weigh 80,000 pounds. It takes guts and a degree of talent to drive one.

This country runs on 18 wheels. Everything you touch, eat or see has been in a truck. So the next time you come across a big rig on the road, help the driver be safe!

JOSEPH P. PUGLIESE

Huntington Beach

* Regarding the dangers of big rigs: I have had a class A driving license (formally known as a class 1) since 1980. I have seen the quality of equipment improve tremendously, including on-board computers to record drivers’ hours, speed, idling time, etc. The problem is the quality of drivers. All one has to do is spend one night at the rail yard or harbor to get an idea. I have encountered immigrants at the rail yard who have been in the U.S. for less than a week hauling 40,000 pounds of freight to San Diego.

I’m no longer in the profession, yes, profession, or at least it used to be that. It’s real simple: When you pay someone who doesn’t have the skills to operate a truck $8 an hour to drive 12 hours a day, you will continue to have 80,000-pound missiles plowing into station wagons.

J.A. CONSTANTINE

Westminster

* They used to be called trucks. The people who drove them were friendly. They would wave you by to help you pass them on a hill.

Now they are called big rigs. They disdain the signs that say “All Trucks Use Right Lane.” They ignore “All Trucks 55 Miles an Hour,” as they tear along the two-right lanes at 70 miles an hour. When they jackknife they kill. They are rogue elephants on our freeways, terrifying the public.

By their rash behavior to the driving public, the rogues are giving a bad name to those who drive their trucks thoughtful of others.

JOYCE SMIGHT

Valencia