The ignorance shown here is absolutely amazing! I have always said that drivers education needs to teach people about the other vehichles that share the road. If people were educated about this they would understand the constant passing on hills. It is not to annoy it is simply because one truck cannot pull the hill as well due to the weight of the load, and the other truck does not want to slow down and lose momentum to climb that hill. And as for Drury, how do you propose we get these things to wal mart? You said there has to be better ways...do you know magic, or perhaps own a transporter? And Dwive you are just idiotic and annoying.

I DWIVE TWUCK, I hope you did call the proper people to report these drivers for their illegal actions.

Hey Dennis,

The high turnover rate is due to the fact that anyone with anything going for them finds something else better. If the job is so bad, then why do you do it? So many fake their log books and drive for endless hours to make more money (understandable, to some degree) and end up falling asleep and killing someone's family.

I am complaining about the drivers who use the engine brake at 3 o' clock in the morning through my town, rather than actually taking the time to drive through town at a normal speed. I am complaining about the ones who use their 80,000 pounds to force their way into your lane because they don't have time to wait for you to finish passing. I am talking about the ones who get on the CB and talk about "beaver" and other lovely terms that truckers so frequently use. I am talking about the ones that are constantly overloading and taking routes to avoid weigh-ins to make a buck or two extra, failing to remember that those extra pounds mean extra time to stop. I am talking about the ones that intentionally speed up so that you can't pass them, as if it is some insult.

I am not saying that I could do the job, or even would remotely want to, and I am not saying that ALL truckers are complete scumbags, but of the ones that I have had any dealings with, 90% are scumbags. I have to deal with them at times with my employment, and miraculously, a very high percentage have criminal records and/or outstanding warrants. I have found them carrying illegal weapons, driving with completely faulty equipment, with little or no regard for the safety of the rest of us. Regardless of what you think, the roads were not built solely for your enjoyment.

As far as where we would be without them, I vote for the increased use of trains (which is happening in many areas), coupled with the increased use of day drivers, while sharply lessening the number of OTR guys (which make up the bulk of the problems in my book).

One last thing - about the drug use you SAY drivers do:

How many times in the past 10 years have YOU been drug-tested? Myself, I've been tested in the neighborhood of 30-40 times, which is required by federal law before you can drive. Tests are required every time you start a new job driving, every 2 years for your DOT physical and at random intervals. With the random tests, you have 4 hours to get to an approved location to be tested, no matter where you're located in the US. In that time, I have *NEVER* failed a drug-test, simply because I don't do drugs. If they ever start testing for nicotine (cigarettes) or caffeine (soda or coffee), then I'd be in trouble. Until they do, it won't be an issue.

I'd love to know where people come up with the so-called "facts" they spew about the number of drivers that THINK are drugged out convicts who rape and pillage at every town they go through...

You people need to stop watching Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit. Real-life driving is NOTHING like what the movies portray.

Let me guess - you call and complain because an 80,000lb vehicle is only doing 35mph up a steep hill, thereby making you slow down? Or you call and complain when they won't let you on the interstate because there was a car beside them and they couldn't move over?

You people are abolutely STUPID - plain and simple. Do you think that driving a truck is fun? We not only have to put up with the stupid hours, parking in areas where we can't run the truck for air conditioning or heat, sit hours on end (for free) to get unloaded/loaded, etc. The worst part is just how IDIOTIC the general public is when it comes to trucks: Get them off the road, don't let them idle, keep them out of our town.

Driving trucks has a huge turnover rate. Why? Because about 90% of the people that THINK they can do over-the-road trucking simply can't. We're away from our family for weeks on end for low pay. We get to pay overpriced amounts for crappy food.

But, all these people bitching and complaining about trucks on the road would be the first in line to cry to someone if they go to the grocery store and their favorite microwave meal isn't on the shelves, or if they go to Wal-Mart and can't buy their next Chinese built TV because the truck didn't make the delivery.

Let me ask - if there were no trucks on the road, just how do you think that food, gas, clothes and ANYTHING else you buy would end up at the stores? They haven't mastered the art of teleportation yet.

Get trucks off the road I say. They are gas-gobbling, speeding, lumbering machines that endager drivers. There has to be a better way to get stuff to Walmart that these menaces.

It doesn't help that they love to pass at .5mph faster than the other truck (and they love to pass each other on hills) or that they love to go 85mph on downhill slopes.

I drive from Morgantown to Clarksburg every day, and I will warn you truck drivers... I have called about 30 drivers in the their company with their truck number. I got one guy fired. You drive like an idiot by me and I will call your company or the State police.

To those that think all truckers are derelicts/dumb/worthless slobs. I cannot say ALL but with the ones I know they are hard working men/women who put up with so much disrespect/rudeness from smaller vehicles that do not understand what all it takes to drive an 18 wheeler. I would love to see you drive a truck, I bet you would/could NOT manage the drive for even a mile without giving up. Know this: that a truck driving 55 MPH it will take 300 yds to come to a complete stop, when all brakes are used. think about that before you pull in front of them and hit your brakes - Speed Bump! and yet you will be the one to say it was the truckers fault. Now Who's the idiot... I have to say this has focused on the trucker(Bad View) But I want to let those who stopped to help the other vehicle with the flat tire know that their consideration is forgotten most every day (so many with cell phones) THANK YOU! I do hope that Mr Cummings is doing well and soon to be completely recovered!!!

I agree with Travis. Having a daily commute on the Interstate, I totally understand what he is talking about. The majority of these guys are probably convicted felons and/or deviants of some sort. They like to rule the road, and don't get in their way or you will pay the consequences. They also enjoy slowing traffic, causing accidents, and speeding like morons down the highway during adverse weather conditions. I wish that trains would return to the scene so that the roads would be safer!

YOU need to re-read the article. The truck driver (Makela) was only sited for failure to maintain control - because he swerved and lost control of his truck to avoid the Kia. The driver of the Kia (Cummings) was the one sited for driving on a suspended license and failure to provide proof of insurance. So as you see, the Kia driver "shouldn't have been driving anyways". If he had not been driving, which by law he shouldn't have been, the accident never would have happened in the first place! Maybe you should learn to read before you call people "DERELICTS and morons". As the other writers said before, there are A LOT of awesome truck drivers who avoid accidents and killing other dumb drivers on the roadways at all costs. You have no idea how many cars, trucks and SUV's pull out in front of these 33,000 pound big trucks and stop in front of them as if they can stop on a dime carrying all that weight. So Travis, please get a clue and know what you're talking about before you spout off at the mouth.

Travis - exactly how do you think all of the crap you buy at Wal Mart & the Dollar stores get there? Do you see any train tracks running up to the back of them? No? I didn't think so.

Actually, I have a feeling that he's a douchebag that failed at driving truck himself - probably couldn't figure out how to go from 5th to 6th gear. Either that, or he's just your regular run of the mill idiot. He probably can't even drive his car because of multiple drunk driving convictions, driving without insurance or just from (again) being a moron.

This was the most intense accident i've ever seen. I'm glad noone was severly injured.

In your face, all you freaking DERELICTS that want to defend these D Bag truckers. "Camden cited Makela for failure to maintain control, and issued driving on a suspended license and failure to provide proof of insurance tickets to Cummings." The scumbag shouldnt have been driving anyways. See.. They are such good people, where would I be without them...blah blah blah. I along with everyone else would be safer.. thats where we'd be.. You morons that defend them should be cited too.. For IGNORANCE and STUPIDITY.