What Are They Thinking? Oversized Load
23. Oct, 2009 
2 Comments
I was taking advantage of the Indian Summer we are having and went for a ride yesterday. I planned my route so that I could pass some spots where I could do some train watching and photography. This meant that I would be on some narrow country roads. In some places instead of two lanes the road is only one and a half or one and three quarters lanes wide. No big deal on a motorcycle, right?
Well I was on one of those real narrow stretches when I saw a pick-up truck coming at me in the opposite lane. It was one of those heavy duty ones with the dual wheels in the back and it was pulling a trailer behind it. On the trailer was some kind of farm machinery. It wasn’t bad enough that the truck was so wide but an arm was sticking out the side of the machinery which was a couple feet in MY lane. Worst of all there was no red, orange or yellow warning flag attached to the arm to make it more visible. Even though we both moved over there was just enough room for me to pass it without going into the ditch or getting hit.
Now I understand that they probably weren’t traveling too far with the thing but still there’s a law saying you have to have a flag on oversize objects. Even if they were just going from one farm to the next they should have flagged it. What were they thinking?
I agree with you, but since I’ve lived in rural farming communities more years than not….I will tell ya, it’s not in their mind-set to do so. Never will be unless the sheriff found himself run off the road there, and decided to give em hell for it.
It’s just a given, if your a smaller vehicle than the approaching truck, you find your way off the road before he gets to ya. He will most often slow down enough for you to pick your pull off spot…but if you don’t get off or over far enough…too bad for you mister…cuz you be the smaller of the two! AND IT’S HIS ROAD! ( I know, I know…but he feels like it is…) Flags? That’s for sissys! ;(
Deer, roadkill, cell phone users, pretty women, …..and big trucks with trailers. There’s alot of distractions and obstacles on our roads. All the more reason to stay riding sober. Be safe and alert out there.