This post is just going to be a rant and a chance for me to let off some steam and reflect on a bad day.

So up until now, I've had the best driving record of anyone I know. Almost 7 years and nearly 100,000 miles with no accidents, no incidents, no bumps, no scratches, no nothing. I've always been a small-car guy though. Put me in a small car and I can twist and turn and bust in an out of traffic with precision. Unfortunately, today I had to move house, and guess who had to drive the moving truck.

So this was my first time driving anything larger than a small pickup truck, and even the pickup truck had made me uncomfortable in the past. For me, it's sports coupe or nothing.

So yeah, I had this big-___ moving truck with a 20-foot cargo box on the back. It was big, slow, lumbering, and extremely difficult to judge the length and the width of the vehicle when making turns. I had only been driving the truck for 10 minutes, and wouldn't you know it, I hit a parked school bus.

It's not as bad as it sounds. It was just a case of not leaving enough space on my passenger side to account for the wide vehicle and the extra wide mirrors. These mirrors jutted out an extra foot from the sides of the vehicle. So as I was passing parked cars and the parked bus, my mirror impacted the rear stop-sign thingy and the mirror of the school bus at 45mph. The impact sounded like an explosion, so I was glad to see only minor damage.

Of course, I pulled over immediately and then started wandering around looking for the owner of the bus. When I finally found him, I told him when happened and offered my information. I also took him back to the site of the accident to show him his damage and my damage. We pretty much agreed on how we were going to settle things and everything should turn out fine. He needs a new mirror and a new stop-sign, and now I am in the market for a new passenger side mirror.

Sigh...

After the whole ordeal was over and I was finished moving, it felt wonderful to get back into the nimble little tC again. At least I feel at home in that car.

Sorry, no pics btw. There was just some broken glass on the ground, that's all.

 

At least it didn't go worse than that. And props for stopping and taking responsibility for your own fault. But yeah, driving those big-butt moving trucks for the first time's really scary. I remember a few years ago I had to drive a similar-sized U-Haul truck. I couldn't judge the width of the rig so I had to drive much, much slower than the speed limit...yikes. People driving behind me were honking like crazy. Heheh...and the U-Haul ad said experience not necessary. HAH.

Then again, I'd love to rent one of those big-___ RVs for a road trip someday...

 

Yeah, "no experience required" my áss. To an observer, it looks like it would be really easy to drive a 20-foot box truck. However, being behind the wheel is a whole different experience entirely. What happened to me was due to inexperience.

 

and pay notice to the bridge height signs too

 

and that is why i never drive anywhere near rental moving vehicles.

 

when i moved, i wanted to make ONE TRIP and i made sure that is all i would have to do by getting a 28 foot moving truck.. it was pretty hardcore.. i fit everything in there and didnt have to stack anything HAHA.. i didnt wreck though i did fine.. it was scary at first i do admit. but i did do some funny ____ ...

OK SOO>>

it had a air ride seat.. and i didnt know it adjusted right.. well im 6 foot 2. so i am going down the highway and hit a bump and the seat goes down then up and BAM i hit my head on the roof.. it didnt really hurt.. but my ___ wasnt even touching the seat when it happened.. and i swerved a bit.. but i could not stop laughing at myself after that.. it was damn funny

 

Good call. I'm going to start doing the same. Now that I know how deadly one of these trucks can be with an inexperienced driver behind the wheel, I'll be staying far far away.

Btw, I really think this truck is cursed. I kept possession of it until this morning so I could fix the mirror on my own time and my own dime. Well, I left it parked outside my new home last night, and I came out to find a parking ticket. Apparently it's illegal to park a commercial vehicle over 20 feet with a logo in a residential area, and apparently my new street gets patrolled by Parking Enforcement on a daily basis. Damn it.

 

LOL wow!

u-haul! more like u-fail! LOL

get rid of the damm thing!

 

Yeah I'm trying to stay away from it. I just have to make one last drive back to the rental place later today.

One more fun fact: I'm driving it without insurance because I found out after taking possession of the truck that my insurance only covers vehicles with 4 wheels. The truck has 6.

 

I used to drive a delivery truck for a living. It was a 26' box, airbrakes, CDL and hazmat needed.

That was fun. It def took some time to get used to, but when i hopped from my truck into my xb, it was like i was in a go-kart LOL

 

YES! I just fixed the mirror and returned the truck. I am so glad to get rid of it.

 

yeah moving companies that rent out trucks should inform renters about trucks having to make wider turns, blind spots, more braking distance required etc etc.

but hey, driving big trucks aint THAT bad i drive this this every day, appox 800-1000 miles a week & its A BLAST

 

Doesn't it suck how accidents always seem a lot worse when they happen than what they really are?

My first accident I had was in my Jetta, and I didn't stop in time and rear ended this Grand Prix (at about 15mph or so)... I nearly crapped myself! Everything happened in slow motion, and I saw plastic flying everywhere and heard loud cracking. I seriously thought I was going to walk out and my front end would be in her trunk (giggity).

She just needed a new rear bumper, and my front grille was toast and front bumper got pushed in about 1/2". All that fuss for about $500 worth of damage.

 

Yea I drive for UPS and the way they train you to drive (if you follow the rules) there is little to know way YOU are going to cause an accident. Others around you thats a diff story. I also dont like driving a huge truck everyday but it pays the bills. And I drive at night and friday night in town is the worst people are drunk by 9pm and in a hurry kinds sux fridays I always have a story. Straight trucks (semi cab with a fixed box rear end) are even bigger I have only had to drive them on a few occasions but dang feel like ur taking up the whole road. Most days its a reg brown package car you see everyday around town, trust me they are alot bigger upclose.

 

First time I drove a moving truck was a 30ft Uhaul from western Oregon to Idaho filled with 300 chairs. And it was snowing through the mountain passes. I loved it. But I wasn't negotiating small spaces, just all freeway. I'm sure I'd hate it if driving around town.