New York - Crazy New York

Carried a load of shingles from Savannah Georgia to Rochester New York this week. While following dispatches directions to the receiver I came upon a 10'-2" clearance bridge in Rochester. Fortunately my sixth "trucker beware" sense was already making the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I was able to see it far enough ahead to turn and get in on my own chosen path. This is about the third time since I got started that I'll be trying to get to a shipper or receiver and start getting a bad feeling about the area I'm in and sure enough it's turns out to be well warranted each time it's happened.

The next day I had to cross the George Washington bridge, during heavy traffic of course, and right after you get across the bridge heading east you go into this dark tunnel like area. Well, while I'm trying to get my eyes to adjust to the lack of light I feel a jerk in my truck and hear a loud "Whack". Looking in my mirror I see that another eighteen wheeler has entered my lane and bumped into the side of my trailer! Then he speeds up and just about takes my mirror off the passenger side with his mirror. Another loud "Whack" as he passes me.

I'm from Texas, and as a general rule when we hit another person's vehicle we will at least stop and express our condolences or exchange some insurance information or some how or another show that we are feeling apologetic about what just happened. I found out in New York they just thrust their arm out the window with their middle finger up in the air waving violently at you like it was some how your fault for being here in their state, and if you would just get the heck back to where you came from they wouldn't have all this traffic to deal with. I mean come on Brett, you're a New Yorker, what's the deal with this state? They can't even run their mile markers like the rest of the country, and whoever came up with their system of numbering the exits must have been drunk the day they came up with that plan.

Of course I'm jesting, I'm really fond of upstate New York, but I'm keeping my distance from the Bronx or any part of the city if I can help it.

Oh well, I got a hot load out of Wallingford CT today headed to Florida. New York never looked so good as it did in my rear view mirror!

On a side note: three months into this new career and there's only three states that I haven't been to yet. They're running me all over the place and I'm having a great time breaking into this new career.

Old school, the only good thing about N.Y. Is the Statue of Liberty and leaving.. that is all carry on!

Hi, i hope you are being safe out on these roads here in New York. I live an hour away from Rochester, it is a nice city and yes there are a lot of low bridges since this city was built before trucks in the 1800s. In the state of NY all bridges are 1 foot higher than posted unless it says actuall. You did a very wise decision on that 11 foot 2 inch bridge

I found out in New York they just thrust their arm out the window with their middle finger up in the air waving violently at you like it was some how your fault for being here in their state, and if you would just get the heck back to where you came from they wouldn't have all this traffic to deal with.

Didn't you know Old School, that is what is called the "New York wave".

As far as hitting your truck and moving on, that happens with our buses at least on every other trip to NYC. And the yellow paint that is swapped from all those yellow "hell mobiles". At one point in time, our head mechanic contacted DOT to see if we could mount brush guards on all our buses. Most bus bumpers are made out of fiberglass. We were going through one bumper at least every two trips. And at 1800 per, that makes expensive trips. And of course, they never stop.

I love NYC and I love taking groups there for sightseeing. But I sure with the police would do better in traffic control. Well at least for cars and taxis from NYC. Everywhere else the police ticket buses and trucks. But if they have NJ or NY plates, they are left alone usually.

Keep it safe and watch out for those NY drivers.

Just kidding, there are weirdos all over out there.

Joe S.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. When someone waves there hand violently with their middle finger. Just smile and laugh, because we all know we are number one

I mean come on Brett, you're a New Yorker, what's the deal with this state? They can't even run their mile markers like the rest of the country, and whoever came up with their system of numbering the exits must have been drunk the day they came up with that plan.

Yeah, I love the people, the culture, and the beautiful scenery in Upstate where I live - way out in the country 45 miles East of Buffalo. But NYC is about as different from Upstate as anything could ever be.

As far as the tolls, the bridges being marked wrong, the mile markers, the exit numbers - that's just the sad state of affairs here in New York. There is so much red tape and so many bad politicians and incompetence that nothing ever seems to be done right. It's just baffling. It's one of those things where the things we need done are obvious to 99.9% of the population but somehow the .01% that make decisions don't see it our way. What's new, right?

I used to tell the dispatch that the only place that I'd go that started with NEW, was New Mexico...in other words,,,I don't go to the NEW England states...hate the traffic, hate the rude people, hate the toll roads and their cheap freight. I figured their cheap freight out tho....They know they can have cheap freight, cuz any truck will take anything just to get the **** out of there.