Does Anyone Else Call About Bad Driving?

Several times I've called companies to report truck drivers on their cellphones and driving aggressively. One time I even called Swift to report a lease-op that cut me off in the rain while I was dead-heading. I saw him get off on the next exit. I used to feel bad about it, but I'd honestly feel worse if I didn't do anything about it and the driver ended up hurting someone later on. I hope these companies don't penalize their drivers without proof, but a phone call from safety might make most drivers think twice about tailgating for a while.

I have, yes. If it's something that is dangerous, blatant disregard for safety, yes.

I have, yes. If it's something that is dangerous, blatant disregard for safety, yes.

I've only done it like four or five times. The last time, I was in the left lane passing a four-wheeler at a reasonable pace. This trucker comes up very quickly behind the four-wheeler and starts riding his bumper, and I mean, REALLY close. The whole thing was dumb because if he was going to tailgate anyone, it should have been me, in the left lane. He must have read my mind, because as soon as my back bumper passed the car's back bumper, the trucker started tailgating me instead. He rode me hard until I passed the car. Me being the courteous trucker I am, I gave a friendly wave of the finger as he passed, to which he slowed down and gave his air horn a good pull in reply before he sped off into the distance. You could see on his face, this guy was plain angry.

In hindsight, I shouldn't have given the "friendly wave," but I was happy to call his company about it. I wish I'd gotten the situation on camera. It's one thing to make a dumb mistake; it's another to drive your rig in anger like you don't give a damn about anyone else on the road.

See, that right there is when I think a driver should get a vacation, whether he wants it or not. There is no situation, ever, in which he it's OK to violate the safety rules and drive like that.

Most definitely would have been giving his company a call.

The problem I have with doing things like that is, the person on the other end usually wants your name, the company you drive for and the like. To me, it's none of their business who I am or who I work for, but, I get the feeling that if you try to remain anonymous, they will take it as a grudge call and probably disregard it anyway.

If there was a button to push to instantly record a tractor / trailer number and transmit that info to the respective company's safety dept., I'd be pushing that button. It's not that I don't want to report an irresponsible driver - and there are many - it's that I don't feel like trying to remember an equipment number, trying to find the appropriate number on some company's website, and then weeding through multiple, convoluted call menus to reach somebody that is willing to take down my info and hear my complaint. I have a dashcam rolling 24/7, and have been tempted more than once to send footage to a safety department, but just ran out of steam to do so. As I've said many times before on this forum, it's not the 4-wheelers that irritate me, as annoying as they can be, it's the other truck drivers that are supposed to know better.

I'm sure most TT members are cautious drivers but have any of you every had a call from safety because someone reported unsafe driving? I sometimes think those numbers are just there to make the public feel like they can do something about it.

Then on the other hand, trucking companies probably get a lot of calls from the public complaining about something that one of their drivers is supposed to have done and it must be nearly impossible to follow up and rap someones knuckles unless there is some kind of proof.

I'm sure most TT members are cautious drivers but have any of you every had a call from safety because someone reported unsafe driving? I sometimes think those numbers are just there to make the public feel like they can do something about it.

Then on the other hand, trucking companies probably get a lot of calls from the public complaining about something that one of their drivers is supposed to have done and it must be nearly impossible to follow up and rap someones knuckles unless there is some kind of proof.

Kind of. I got a call from safety because another trucker called and complained that I was going to slow. I was doing 65 which our company trucks are limited to. The safety guy just laughed about it. He said they get calls like that with some frequency.

I can't say that I've called about driving habits. I have called about faulty equipment when I couldn't reach them on the radio or through hand signals. Like the one guy hauling doubles at night and his rear trailer had no lights working.

I wish I was able to call about other drivers. But usually every time something happens, it's some independent driver with a piece of paper duct taped to the truck door, so it's rather pointless.

Like today for example. I was being tailgates by not one, but two separate trucks. The first one passed me the first time I slowed way down to get him to pass.

But the second was a bobtail and he tailgated me for 50 miles. I slowed down multiple times to try to get him to go around but I couldn't maintain a slow speed for long enough due to traffic. I finally got a break in traffic and slowed all the way down to 45 and he FINALLY went around me! What doesn't make sense is he followed me for that long at my speed, yet when he passed me he was obviously doing at least 70. I guess he though Teddy had a cute butt!

I had pointed him out several times in the mirrors so hubby was aware of what was going on so he could be a witness if the guy rammed into my trailer. I was getting pretty irritated and was going to get the truck number and company, but it was a beat up old red truck with a piece of paper with dot numbers taped to the door. Pretty pointless...

I wish I was able to call about other drivers. But usually every time something happens, it's some independent driver with a piece of paper duct taped to the truck door, so it's rather pointless.

Like today for example. I was being tailgates by not one, but two separate trucks. The first one passed me the first time I slowed way down to get him to pass.

But the second was a bobtail and he tailgated me for 50 miles. I slowed down multiple times to try to get him to go around but I couldn't maintain a slow speed for long enough due to traffic. I finally got a break in traffic and slowed all the way down to 45 and he FINALLY went around me! What doesn't make sense is he followed me for that long at my speed, yet when he passed me he was obviously doing at least 70. I guess he though Teddy had a cute butt!

I had pointed him out several times in the mirrors so hubby was aware of what was going on so he could be a witness if the guy rammed into my trailer. I was getting pretty irritated and was going to get the truck number and company, but it was a beat up old red truck with a piece of paper with dot numbers taped to the door. Pretty pointless...

He was probably riding your slipstream trying to save on diesel.