No trailer lights

Don't worry so much about it really. It happens from time to time. There is a separate switch for the night cruising lights on the trailer. Sometimes you just plan forget to turn them on. I am sure he noticed sooner or later when glancing in the mirror in a turn. Other drivers would notice this pretty fast. Thats why they were flashing him. But I bet he just thought they thought he had his brights on. LOL It happens. There is no real non CB message for this. But I would not recommend flashing lights to send a message. There are just TOO many reasons to pass such a message. It just blinds the guy in the end. Just FYI, I would never have called the cops on this. It would be too far down the priority list to care, or just begging to ticket the driver for being forgetful. Its just an accident. No big deal. For that matter, it could have been a defect that the driver new about and intended to correct at the next stop. May explain why the radio was off, he may have got sick of hearing about it. LOL

 

Drivers, is traveling at night without trailer lights "no big deal"... something that "happens from time to time"?

I can understand that a driver may forget to flip on the switch, but I would hope that he'd be alert enough to notice it within a quarter mile or so of his starting point. I'd hate to think that traveling with an unlit trailer is something to be dismissed as "no big deal" and "happens from time to time".

Please reassure me that most professional drivers are above such a casual attitude about safety on the highways.

 

No lights ESPECIALLY at night is a VERY big deal. I had a similar problem with a turd of a trailer (central trans) rolling to Indy at night. The trailer lights would keep going in and out, and it caused quite the stir on the CB. Luckily I had seen it before anyone else had to tell me, and I was able to drive with my four ways on till I got to a place to repair it (turned out it was the pigtail, had a short in it).

 

Sometimes I wonder if anybody ever looks in their mirrors anymore? Not just noticing lights but changing lanes as well... Everyday I have many trucks just pull out in front of me when I am getting ready to pass them...
You know the 1/2 sec look then pull on over.... (you know those people never check their mirrors) Not paying attention to the speed difference they may have between the two...


Anyways no light on TRL....
Well it is a big deal and has happened to me (pig tail come lose) some TRL seem to be harder to notice this than others cause you may only see one light (the rear marker light)
Far as alerting the driver?
Well you did what you could.... Calling the police? well I would not consider that a way to deal with the issue... That's me though.....

He may of already knew his lights where out and was on the way to get them fixed (still pretty dumb thing to do)... and if he was he should of had his flashers on...


Things happen pretty fast sometimes... just on my last trip I did my pre trip and know for a fact that both my headlights where working.... No more then 15 minutes later I had a lady ask me if I knew I had a headlight out.....

 

OK Professional Driver.... Lets be real then.

Driver forgot to put his lights on the trailer. His CB is off. He is ignoring flashing lights. Your in a four wheeler. What do you do? Thats the kids question. What do you do? He has already devoted all his attention to flashing and break checking the guy. What would you have him do to further endanger himself and everyone else on the road by giving his attention to this problem. What do you want him to do? Maybe slow the truck to a stop? Force the truck off the road? When I say no big deal, I am saying, its not a bid deal from his prospective because he had done all he could do, and if this driver did not get it, or could care less to find out anything further, there was nothing he could do. If he did anything more it would just create a bigger problem. The guy was ignoring the CB and flashing lights. When that happens on the road driver, which it does, do you turn your rig around and chase him down? When you do, what do you do about it?

So, no complaints when 4-wheelers flash there highs at you too. Lets just be real then. There is no saftey concurn there right?

 

Yeah, let's be real. The driver may have forgotten to put his lights on... he may have had his CB turned off... and he ignored vehicles flashing their lights at him. It sounds like the TRUCKER was the one not paying attention to what he was doing. And that's DANGEROUS when you're driving a big truck.