A Montana-based long haul truck driver used a Facebook post to spread awareness about why motorists should respect the space of drivers who are hauling coils.
Driver Daisy Delaney uses the post to remind drivers that hauling a coil can sometimes force a truck driver to make a life or death decision if she has to slam on her brakes.
Trucker: Don’t Make Me Choose Between Your Life And My Own
Delaney writes:
“This is a coil… it’s considered one of a truck drivers most lethally dangerous loads….
Most the time you won’t see them out like this Bc companies want us to cover them with tarps…
So if you see us rolling with a big covered lump in the middle of our trailers or what looks like hay bales all in a row….give us some room…
We can’t turn sharp corners Bc they can tip us over, and we certainly can’t slam on our brakes…
We leave a big pocket of space in front, btwn our front end and your loved ones Bc a lot of coils weigh 45,000+ pounds and we need a lot to stop..
These are only held down by chains… and enough stopping inertia can snap those chains….
Many times folks don’t know the risk of these loads… a situation that could make us slam on our brakes takes a different thought process than other loads…
We’re forced to either commit suicide or take out whatever is in front of us that just forced us to slam on our brakes… that would be you…
It’s not a comfortable ultimatum and one we ask you not to ask us to choose….
Feel free to share this and let’s educate our highways….”