Monday, November 8, 2021

Mad as Hell!

 So...There I was...* Driving home after the birth of my Granddaughter, MG.  Mrs J has stayed behind until MBD gets back on her feet. It's a beautiful fall day, my mind is full of happy thoughts and I'm on TX 21 between Caldwell and Bastrop.  Nice drive, roads are well maintained, mostly 4 lanes, not much traffic and scenic small towns along the way.

I do a routine crosscheck of the fluid levels in both the fuel tank and, well, if you must know, my bladder.  Both require a bit of adjustment.  Not to worry, Buc-ees is but 25 miles away, I can make it.

Buc-ee's Bastrop.  Relatively inexpensive gas (FJB not helping though), good sandwiches, and Mrs J certified clean restrooms.

I'm approaching the intersection of TX-21 and US-290 which, even though it has an overpass, also has a stoplight which I can see is red.  Tap the brakes to release cruise control. (Needed as the quality of the roads encourages way more MPH's  than the signs allow.  And, well, Texas Sheriff's like to say hello to speeders.)

X marks my spot in the following picture

In any case, I'm slowing down and get to a situation that looks like this.


The light is now green, the pickup ahead of me has started rolling.  And where the white car is on the left is a large 18 wheeler, slowing down as he approaches the intersection. I start to accelerate and am watching the car in front in case he wants to change lanes to turn onto the southbound on ramp towards Houston.  I see his brake lights come on and think he's going to turn right.

Nope,

I see motion out of my left peripheral vision, swing my head that way and slam on the brakes.  The Truck is running the red light.  Fortunately, I'm slow enough that I get stopped, but am in the intersection.  I glance up thinking I mis-read the light.

Nope, green.

He makes a left turn on to TX-21 as does his trailing chase car.

And another 18 wheeler with chase car,

And another pair.

And another.

And finally a fifth and chase car.

The light turns red for me as the last Wide Load and chase exit the intersection.

I back up out of the intersection as there are several cars behind them who have the right of way now.

I may have used language that implied relationships with their female parent, that parent's relationship with their father and whether that parent was canine.  Yes, I'll say a few Hail Mary's that evening to atone.

There are several passing zones between this intersection and Bastrop, so while quite annoyed, I think I should be able to get around them.  I am, however, very grateful for good brakes and an alert guardian angel.  

The light turns green, and I quickly catch up to them, as the speed limit is 60, but they were doing 30.

And....  

Wait for it....

THEIR lane was the dashed line! Their "wide load" is taking up the whole southwest bound side of the road.

Some of the folks ahead of me were able to use a bit of the passing lane and a bit of the oncoming traffic lane (not when that was occupied of course) and get around them.

Finally 50 minutes later we arrive at the turn to Buc-ees in Bastrop.  

Yeah, Sarge, I know. I'm supposed to blank out License Plates to protect privacy.  I don't like them well enough to waste even one more second of my life protecting them. Sorry, Not Sorry.

I pull into Buc-ees for an extended rest period.  I don't want to be behind them on the Bastrop to Austin section of the trip.  Traffic there is very bad on a good day, it doesn't need their help.

So, about half an hour later, I get back on the road.  Traffic is its usual screwed uppedness, but no sight of these jerks.  I'm hoping they might have turned off somewhere along the way.  My BP and Heart Rate start to return to normal.  

I'm coming into Dripping Springs, which is the western edge of Austin Traffic consternation.  I'm approaching the major intersection at the center of town and traffic is backed up.  But it almost always is, so I'm not too worried.

You know what's coming don't you?

I get through that intersection and am doing 30MPH (the speed limit in town), when I come around a bend and see this.

There was no danger in taking this photo.  We were dead stopped.  It's about a mile to where the traffic bends left.  It's about another mile to the next light from there.  An hour later, I get to that second light.  Ahead on my right, I see one of the trucks and chase car on the side of the road, speaking to a member of law enforcement. On the other side of the road, I see law enforcement cleaning up the scene of an accident.  

Unfortunately, by the time I made it through the light, the truck has been released and is headed west on 290 ahead of me.  Based on the fact that one of the land owners on the next section of highway is a State Senator, the road, which used to be 4 lanes is now 2.  

Finally after about 30 minutes, I'm next in line. He's still riding the dashed line, but it's 4 lanes, fairly long straight stretch of uphill highway.  Yes,  I used full throttle.  Yes, I rolled down the window and extended my arm out. Yes, only one of my digits was extended.  I'll say a lot of Hail Mary's that evening in atonement.

So...I have two questions for those of you, in the know, and you know who you are.

1.) Do wide loads have the right of way to run red lights, even it their chase cars don't get out front to block traffic?  Or...were they just being that word for a donkey having three letters in the singular?

2.) Why would they not move that load from 10PM -5AM? Traffic has to be much lighter which has to make it easier to maneuver on their part.

Just wondering.

Oh, and as I got to the city limits of The Burg?

Guess who?  Fortunately, I know a short cut through the south part of town so I could avoid the 4 ship on Main Street.  

Somehow, on a couple of different levels, I think this is appropriate.





Oh and just to prove that I'm not a totally crazed raving lunatic all the time.

Taken later in the week, when I went and retrieved Mrs J.
Yes, that trip went much smoother.



Peace out, y'all.  We're winning.


* SJC

42 comments:

  1. Excellent reactions there juvat, as to your questions I got nothing, maybe somebody figured daylight had better visibility or non-daylight working hours cost more.....? However what A PITA! Glad you're around to make today's post.......:)

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    1. Thanks, Nylon. I suspect it's the latter. However, had I been a nanosecond later on the brakes, I, or my widowed Mrs J, would be a heckuva lot richer making the non-daylight working hours more reasonable.

      As to the last, and not surprisingly, me too! ;-)

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  2. Its a really bad day when a stop at Buc-ees doesnt make up for any negativity going on in you life. Cause....love some Buc-ees !!! ( Yes, clean restrooms but also great Brisket sandwiches, lots of Jerky and gotta get some fudge ! )

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    1. Oh, it did a good job at getting my "numbers" back down into the yellowish green range. Stopped back in there with Mrs J on the retrieval run. Had a fried chicken sandwich. It had pickles and a mustardy mayo sauce and was quite good. I do like their brisket sandwiches though.

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  3. I can't imagine any vehicle other than police/fire/ambulance being allowed to blow through a red light. Sounds like arrogance to me. And if it's allowed, it should be changed.

    Glad you made it through unscathed!

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    1. I think I might have been ok with it (or only mildly irked), if the chase car had gone ahead and stopped traffic. Since the guy ahead of me was stopped at the red, they must have had a green. Putting a chase in the intersection at that point would have been easy and the correct thing to do if time was critical.

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  4. No, wide loads are not allowed to blow though stop signs, IN ANY STATE, even under police escort.

    Wide loads are not permitted, per federal law, to operate from dusk to dawn.

    Most of the wide and/or oversize load drivers I have ever met are pros BUT having said that.... rather than getting upset I have found that getting in front of them when they are not being both courteous AND professional then varying my speed up and down considerably increases their ire. Bonus points for slowing down just before a hill.

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    1. Charlie,
      Thanks. That's what I thought and would expect. And thanks for clearing up the after dark question.

      While the "upset" alternative does sound satisfying, They've already proven they're in the "You won't hit me" mindset. I'd rather not join them.

      Delete
  5. Grandbaby! :) Congratulations!

    In My Arrogant Opinion: This is a new "thing". I've seen similar behaviors. My guess is that there has been a rule change (or several rule changes) that now not only allow, they encourage, or maybe even require this. Too few chase cars. Oversize loads following each other too closely. Blowing red lights. Eventually there will be deaths.

    You did good. Glad you made it.

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    1. Boy, I sure hope you're wrong about that, htom! If that happens, red lights will be no different here than in any third world country. Having spent time in many of those, let's just say "That would suck."

      Thanks

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  6. Welcome to my world.
    The 14 Freeway is being repaired from ten miles in both directions between Mojave and Rosamond.
    Wide loads with escorts back up traffic for miles...

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    1. Glenn,
      I have a new appreciation for your pain, my friend.

      Delete
  7. Yikes!!

    There should have been a lead car going through that intersection first...or a Texas state cop car...IMHO.

    Thank goodness you were ok. Although, I'm sure your bladder wasn't very happy to take that long to go those 25 miles!!

    Be careful out there...the roads are full of incompetent idiots!!

    PS: that is a wonderful picture at the end!!

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    1. Suz,
      Agreed. Funny, I didn't really think about the bladder thing. Although when I did stop, I made a beeline for it, then went back and pumped gas.

      I agree, although I'd add a few adjectives between incompetent and idiots. ;-)

      Yeah, I held her from arrival to departure on the retrieval run. Unfortunately, life interfered and we had to do an out and back, so holding time was less than I would have liked. But, Thanksgiving is in the near future....

      Delete
  8. I know a DPS officer that I may see this evening. If I see him I will ask. I had a similar issue with a Wide Load about 4 years ago; they seem to think "they" own the road.

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    1. Bill, please do. I'd really like to know, because if it is, that's going to change driving assumptions. I prefer to believe that most people drive with an "I won't hit you" mindset. If everybody around you is driving with that in mind, the chances of an accident are as minimal as possible. If one party has it and the other is of the "You won't hit me" school, the chance of an accident just went up. And, of course, if they're both in the "You" group, chances are pretty near 100%.
      If the rules have changed, then the truckers will always be in the "You" group. That would be BAD in my mind.

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    2. My DPS officer aquaintance was not at the function last night. He was down at the Southern Border trying to get some control over the mess there.

      My wife used to work at a place that built modular buildings of a sort. They were like mobile homes but where you might take a few and put them together to make a larger space. She did dispatch for the company. Many of the drivers were rude and crude. The drivers often showed disdane for the rules therefore what happened to you is no suprise to her when I told her.

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    3. Bill,
      Thanks for the response. As you can see, I got the answers I needed and...they were what I expected.

      Rude and Crude? Well, with the shortage of Truck Driver's nowadays, one can't be too choosey I guess.

      Delete
  9. I don't think they can run reds as a convoy without police escort. But they do all the time. Those escorts do move over to block lanes when they "hit" a bridge so they don't hit the bridge. I've gotten permits before, and if it's a wide load, there are hours of operation, and the route is mandated. The state tells you when and where. If it's close to the end of day, you pull over and wait until daylight again.

    We nearly lost a huge piece of gear in the 80's when some dink loaded up in Vicksburg, MS, and blew through back roads, at night, and hit a railroad overpass on the way to Longview, Tx. The part was out of skew by a degree or so, and it took a few months to work that through. He didn't pull one permit, but I don't remember his punishment. Look up a bucket wheel excavator. The part that got bent set the wheel offset to 3.5 degrees. It was huge and precise. Was.....

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    1. STxAR, thanks. I suspect they were taking 290 out of Houston to join up to I-10 west of the burg. I also suspect they wanted a shortcut and took TX21 to avoid 290/I35 in Austin. "We're inconveniencing (and possibly injuring (Dripping Springs Accident) other people, well screw them". Which seems to be becoming a more prevalent thought pattern lately. See my comment above about the "You" group.

      So. if I read your first paragraph right, they're prohibited (or supposed to be) from wide loading at night?

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  10. Your last picture can be used to illustrate, "What we live for".

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    1. It most certainly is WSF, most certainly is.

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  11. Got three comments:
    1. glad you made it OK - I always enjoy reading your stuff
    2. maybe (just perhaps) he felt as though his brakes were not holding as well as they should have - had it happen to me on black ice
    3. (pardon my nastiness) ¿Señor, puede leer Ingles, o quiere las reglas de la calle anunciado in Espanol también in Los Estados Unidos?

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    1. Boron,
      1. Thanks very much, we try.
      2. I would agree that that might have been the issue if it was only he (and maybe his chase) that ran the red. The fact that 4 other "teams" followed on through leads me to believe they were of the "You won't hit me" school of driving.
      3. No pardon necessary. As a sign of the times, I was able to read that sentence with out Google's help. I suppose that could be a contributing problem.

      Sure wish Texas Highway Patrol had been there.

      Delete
  12. Back in the day, if'n I remember correctly, the assinine activity of the derrieres with their wide loads would have been wrong, very wrong, oh so very wrong, here in the Great State of Florida. So wrong you'd (almost) see Florida Highway Patrol cars or even worse Florida Department of Transportation cars airdropping in order to get the bastides, and you could (almost) here the maniacal laughter and the adding machines adding up the fines.

    So, unless Texas has some weird laws dealing with non-agricultural wide loads on non-agricultural roads (even Florida has farm vehicle rules) the jackwagons were flaunting the law. Even in Florida a stop is a stop unless there's a person doing flagging, even with agricultural vehicles.

    But again, your state is your state. Though I think that they were/are/will be wrong when they did/do/will do this type of bullscat.

    So did you have thoughts of some air-to-ground action going through your head?

    Glad you and your bladder and blood pressure survived. And the sammiches sound good.

    Huzzah on the family addition.

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    1. Beans,
      As far as I know there are no exclusions for running red lights in general. Which is why I really hope BillB meets with his DPS friend and gets the straight skinny.

      Air to Ground action? NaaH, but I did wish I had been driving an M1A1 with live ammo and one in the breech. Wide Load? Naah, Widely Scattered Load!

      Thanks, Couldn't be happier.

      Delete
  13. I am not sure about Texas law but here in GA the trucks and chase cars ran a red light. Without police escort wide loads can only take up more than the outside lane only at bridges and other obstruction that would prohibit overhanging the shoulder of the road. Chase cars cannot direct traffic or be used to block the flow of traffic.

    A cop could have pulled the entire convoy over to write tickets. Anybody with a CDL could also had to submit to a drug urinalyses. That includes the drivers of the chase cars. While the UA's were happening the DOT could be called in for safety inspections. A cop could have delayed their convoy until after high traffic times with things that CDL drivers are subject to.

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    1. Tsquared,
      Sounds like I ran into a squadron of yahoos with complete disregard for rules, common sense, and courtesy. I wonder what the facts of the accident situation in Dripping Springs were. But whatever they were, the discussion with the truckers and Law Enforcement had no effect on subsequent behavior.

      Delete
  14. Note to self for upcoming san dog to Boerne run:
    piddle packs for the glove box

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    1. Be603,
      Yeah, you might have to. There are no Buc-ees much west of I35.

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  15. I would probably say that they are not allowed to go through a red light. I live in Pennsylvania and not even State Police escorted "Wide Loads" run red lights. When I flagged traffic with the phone company we were not allowed to wave cars through traffic lights in our work zones.

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    1. Jim,
      That would be logical and the smart/safe way. From other comments that seems to also be the law. Which would make these turkeys....

      Delete
  16. As far as running the red light, it could have been anything fron "F- them, we're bigger' to another wannabe steering wheel holder to the aforementioned "no habla angles" or a combination of any or all.
    As to the permit loads I think they're limited to daylight operations- if it was a permit load instead of just a wide load convoy by drivers who didn't give a crap.

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    1. Kurt,
      That seems to be the consensus. I'm voting for your first option as the whole convoy ran the light.

      Thanks

      Delete
  17. Glad things turned out all right for you, juvat. I admire legit, professional truck drivers, unless they are acting like road hogs as per your story. Then they are generally neither legit nor professional. I really despise those that think they can act like traffic wardens and block your way in an otherwise clear and legal passing zone prior to a lane merge, just because they don't want you to get ahead of them. Had a friend have that happen to her many years ago who promptly shot out the rear tires on the trailer the guy was towing - glad the statute of limitations has expired on that one.
    And I agree that the last pic is adorable. I know you'll cherish every minute with her!

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    1. Yeah, the last guy did quite a bit of weaving as people tried to pass, and no, there was no apparent reason to move left other than the "Arschloch" option.

      Shooting the rear tires. Satisfying to consider, but...

      I do and I will.

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  18. (Don McCollor)...Patience is a virtue (living in an area with very large farm machinery and other objects [like a house] sharing the road). Better to find a place to pull off (truck stop preferred, break out the coffee thermos and crossword puzzle and estimate the time to wait before the mess clears up ahead. May take longer, but the blood pressure stays much lower...

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    1. Don,
      Which is why my Buc-ee's visit was a bit longer than usual. Unfortunately, I underestimated how slowly they were progressing across the state.

      Delete
  19. Next time, call DPS. They 'lurve' S**theads like that... And you did the smart thing.

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    1. Yeah, that would have been a good idea. Wish I'd have thought about it.

      Delete
  20. And this is why I am coming to despise going anywhere at all.

    On the bright side, that is a lovely picture.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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