Stupid Guest Tricks

Yesterday I saw a commercial truck with its third brake light out and wrote down the "how's my driving" number on the back to call in later (I was driving the store's truck and never talk on my phone while driving it Didn't have my hands-free and couldn't get to the phone easily anyways). Well, I call it in and get a damn machine and have to punch in a bunch of numbers (vehicle number, time and date, etc.) and record messages. The message at the beginning even states that if you're on a cell phone to call back later when you can punch in numbers.

Normally when I call one of these hotlines I get a human, which is a whole lot easier to report the issue to. After getting the machine I remembered I once called this hotline before and hated it.

Well, I'm trying to track down this company so I can complain but Google, reverse lookup, nor the phone message are any help. The number is 1-800-SAFETRK and the message says "Safe Track" (one or two words I don't know. I'm hoping someone here might know someway of tracking down this company. I'd rather send an email or snail mail letter instead of leaving a message for some anonymous representative on the phone (which is one of the options).

I try to always report stupid drivers or vehicle malfunctions on commercial vehicles (not so easy to track down private ones naturally) to the safety line if there is one or to the company itself so the problem can be fixed. Evey other hotline I've ever called gets me a human right away, not some damn machine.

Seeing stupid drivers in an identifiable vehicle doesn't happen that often, I guess because knowing anything they do can be easily reported helps keep them in line. I know when driving the store's truck I watch my speed and all even closer than I normally do because of the "how's my driving" sticker on back. I'm not going to do anything that could cause me to lose my driving privileges (I enjoy getting out of the store sometimes) or might even cost me my job.

The stupid driver I've reported that pops to mind was a lube truck from a construction company (carries large tanks of grease, fuel, oil, etc) that had flammable placards on it that went over a train crossing without even slowing down, let alone stopping, even though a sign on back says it stops at all RR crossings. I called the company direct (no safety line) and while it took a minute to persuade the woman who answered I knew what I saw I reported the issue. At first she apparently thought I was talking about one of their dump trucks and was saying she knew they were all in the yard. I clearly said "lube truck" but she didn't hear that part I guess. Now, this is a crossing that is regularly used, it's not like it was an abandoned crossing or anything like that. A dump truck not stopping would bother me so much (I've never seen one with a "stops at..." sticker anyway) but a truck carrying flammable stuff is a different story.

Kind of funny to call in taxis to their company. They always answer "'Whatever' Taxis, what is your address?" or something along those lines. I reply along the lines of "I don't need a ride, I'm behind taxi 123 and it's left brake light is out". Of course 123 is the taxi's number and the last part is whatever is wrong.

Whenever I call in to one of these lines I'm either stopped somewhere or using my hands-free and making the call short and sweet.

I've done that myself, Shorty - calling the 800 number on the back of a truck to tell them their idiot driver is speeding and cutting people off, or hogging the left lane and piling drivers up behind him. I've also called in a couple of what appeared to be extremely courteous drivers, who actually let you into traffic, or pull over so you can go around them, or whatever.

I used to see a local produce truck (from Baldwin County, Alabama) racing around Pensacola driving like a maniac, and I called the produce company and the lady said it was probably the owner's son who was driving, and she would pass the message to the owner. Well, I've seen the same truck since then and his driving hasn't improved any.

We've sure got a lot of bad drivers in the Florida panhandle, but people in other parts of the country say the same thing about their own area, so we know it's nationwide.

We were behind a real doozie coming back from our trip to WDW only about 1/2 from home. This stretch of road we were on is very windy (twisty not blowing weather) with lots of blind corners, 2 lanes and posted signs to watch out for Amish buggies. There are a lot of no passing zones with no shoulders and tho everyone drives stupid on this road they are very corteous to the Amish.
It is daytime. So this moron in a full semi /18 wheeler (whatever you want to call it--it was big) is in front of us. They are not uncommon on this road but I have never seen one do what this jerk did. He starts slowing down (and other cars in opposite direction were flashing their lights--they do this to warn you that you are coming up on a buggy) so we figure there is a buggy in front of him and he cant pass. We are only following this way for less then a mile when the idiot decides he is in a BIG hurry and hits his horn full blast . Not a short toot but a full on OOOOOOOOGGGGGGGGAAAAAAA! This point where he decides to do this is on a very dangerous corner on a hill where you CANNOT see what is comming the other way at all until you pass the bend.

HOW FREAKIN ASS STUPID CAN YOU GET! We were livid at this guy. Not only could he have caused the horse to startle overturning the buggy but he could have caused a major accident if the poor animal had decided to bolt across the road.
As we passed him later on down the road (we made sure to so we could get his cab number and description) he is lucky I wasnt driving or I would have probably stopped in front of him and got out to bitch him out for doing something so stupid.

I did call him into the drugstore company when we got home (before unpacking even) the woman on the phone was very shocked and apologetic as to what happened and you could tell she was ticked and said he should know better since he was a regular on that route.. I had actually got the office the doofus was out of so she actually knew the driver in person and promised that he would be reprimanded for it. I did suggest to her as punishment he should have to shovel out some stables. She said if she could have arranged it she would do it. She was very nice and asked what she could do to make that up to us. Nothing thank you other telling him off.

Ok I am done ranting now

http://www.safetrakusa.com/

mechurchlady wrote:http://www.safetrakusa.com/

Thank you very much.

I've done the opposite, too. One time a school bus, which was obviously empty at the time, slowed and stopped rather quickly in front of me and put its red lights on so no one could pass. I looked ahead and saw a toddler, maybe two years old at the most, at the edge of the road, with her mother frantically running after her. The bus driver's quick action stopped all the traffic on the road in case the kid had made it into the street!

While I was sitting there I called it in. I think the dispatcher was a little stunned to receive a compliment on a driver, but she promised to pass it on.

BRWombat wrote:While I was sitting there I called it in. I think the dispatcher was a little stunned to receive a compliment on a driver, but she promised to pass it on.

That gets you a...

These 800 numbers are often not to the company that owns the truck, its a company that provides the service of allowing people to complain about your drivers. We have them on our trucks, its supposed to give us a lower insurence rate. We get a report ever month if we have no complaints and a fax, usually next day if someone calls.

svickersart wrote:These 800 numbers are often not to the company that owns the truck, its a company that provides the service of allowing people to complain about your drivers. We have them on our trucks, its supposed to give us a lower insurence rate. We get a report ever month if we have no complaints and a fax, usually next day if someone calls.

Yeah, I know that. They're a good idea as it provides an easy way for people to complain about bad drivers, compliment good drivers, and report vehicle problems. Especially good for otherwise unmarked vehicles.