I've been on both sides of this. Proffessional drivers do all they can to prevent accidents. Most of the time it is trailer tires that blow. Those tires are usually tractor tires with a retread.

You know when you blow a tire, you can hear it and feel it.

Like it has already been mentioned, stay well back. When you do pass, don't mess around with it, get it done quick. If you smell hot rubber, or hear the thumping, stay away, pull off for a minute, whatever it takes.

Always stay where the driver can see you, just like any other vehicle. If you can't see the driver's face in the mirror, he or she can't see you. Watch them until they look back and know you are there. When I see that, I flash my lamps at them, light it up and go! There's always the CB if you have one.

Finding the pieces laying in the lane of traffic is the one thing that concerns me, always has. I don't follow anything very close, and when I do pass, I have already taken a good look at what is down the road.

So far it has worked for me. Despite all the challenges, I do like to ride and always will.

Kevin

 

I live in Orange Texas and comute to work in Beaumont Tx. I'm Retired Military and have lived all over but I have never seen a area with more semi truck wrecks.

The interstate from the state line to Beaumont (APX 30 mi) have been under construction for the last 6 years making 3 lane verse 2.

There is near enough thrown rubber on the side of the road to cover the entire stretch in asphalt.

If the trucking companies are going to use tires that they know are going to fail, they should have to pay someone to clear the scrap from the road.

it's amazing with the fed government nickel diming us to death over everything else they can't make the trucking companies use safe tires.

 

[quote

If the trucking companies are going to use tires that they know are going to fail, they should have to pay someone to clear the scrap from the road.

it's amazing with the fed government nickel diming us to death over everything else they can't make the trucking companies use safe tires.[/quote]

Hang on there a minute Tex,
lets not start bad mouthing trucking companies for useing bad tires, lets bad mouth them for hiring stupid drivers.
Every tire on the road that is sold in the USA has a "DOT" number molded into the sidewall..even our bike tires. (meaning they have passed all the requirements of the U.S. department of transportation for being quality tires) That's the original rubber "virgin tire" Once it is re-capped, for the most cases, it is just as good as a virgin tire. Re-Cap technology has come along way in the past ten to twenty years. 80% of all truck tire blow outs can be tracked to one major cause:
BEING RUN LOW ON AIR PRESSURE!
A tire designed to carry 100 psi that is being run "flat" at 65 to 70 psi will build up extreme heat very fast from the sidewall flex coupled with the heavy load being hauled. The tire starts destroying from the inside out from heat that is being built up untill the point of sidewall failure and your eventual "explosion"
If our truckers would be doing their pre & post trip inspections as they are required, this would cut down on most of those "gators" on the road.
Ever notice more "gators" in the southern hot states than the cooler northern states? Temperature has alot to do with the rapid heat build up in tires being run low on air pressure.
oh...by the way, our bike tires will blow out for the same reason, but by the time they get that low on air pressure, we probably should notice that the bike isn't handeling right and pull over to see why. We only have two tires to worry about...our trucker buddies have 18.
That's my truck tire 101 rant
Tex, don't take it personaly, this isn't directed at you. I just seen alot of people on this thread blaming truck tires when they should be blaming the operators of the truck tires.