Real Truckers Was:[geeks] Work getting slow

[wa2egp at att.net]

> On Tue, 2002-04-16 at 16:37, Scott Newell wrote:
> > At 04:46 PM 4/16/2002 -0400, Mike Nicewonger wrote:
> > >Gotcha? Nope. Trucks do not do 10 times the damage. Weather does more damage
> > >than trucks. Granted, if everything were equal trucks would be a bit harder

I'm in this late but 10 times the damage compared to what?  Cars?

> > Gotcha as in 'yeah, I see your point, I do know that trucks pay much higher
> > taxes than autos".

Taxes on cars are hidden in gasoline taxes and other taxes.  Trucks just pay extra.

> > However, I live in Arkansas, where the weather is fairly mild.  The ruts in
> > the roads that I drive are not likely caused by weather.  Maybe I'm
> > wrong--I don't know much about roads--but my gut feel is that an 80k truck
> > has to do a lot (not a bit) more damage to the road than a 3k car.  And
> > I'll let it go at that.
> 
> I don't know dick about Arkansas, but around here, -none- of the ruts in
> the roads are caused by Semis.  They're all caused by people driving
> around in the city with studded snow tires on.  There's some damage
> caused by trucks in the areas where they frequently brake, (mostly
> busses though), but other than that, it's hard to attribute it to large
> vehicles.

Different story in Jersey.  May roads that I travel have ruts in the "truck" lane
due to the weight while other lanes are rutless.  Weather does damage but you don't 
need to add to it.  That's why they pay more taxes.  Of course, we may just have
crappier roads too.

There are jerks in cars and in trucks.  Unforch, a truck can do more damage
in an accident.  Listening to the crap on channel 19 from truckers bragging
about how many cars they ran off the road, that all "four wheelers" should get off
the road,  how to sneak up next to a car to check out a females' hooters doesn't lend
itself to a good image.  And I used to think that the good truckers didn't even
come into New Jersey (who could blame them?) but after stopping for food at a truck
stop in Maryland with my family and having some "interaction" with some truckers, I now
have an image....one that would give Mr. King and Mr. Craven the willies.
It just makes it bad for all the good truckers out there.