{"id":46935,"date":"2021-03-22T20:40:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T00:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motor-junkie.com\/?p=46935"},"modified":"2024-03-18T05:16:49","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T09:16:49","slug":"truckers-share-the-weirdest-things-theyve-ever-seen-on-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.motor-junkie.com\/truckers-share-the-weirdest-things-theyve-ever-seen-on-the-road\/46935\/","title":{"rendered":"Truckers Share The Weirdest Things They’ve Ever Seen On The Road"},"content":{"rendered":"
Trucking is one of the oldest and most important professions around. When truckers spend so many hours on the roads, they run into a few weird stories. Over the years, there’ve been more than a few haunting road stories. We found some truckers who were ready to tell their weirdest tales. <\/span><\/p>\n You’d never think that things like this could happen when you are on the road, but they do. Most truckers are hard-working individuals that want to get their job done and go home, so naturally having an experience like this can be daunting. Read on below as we go through some of the weirdest trucking experiences ever<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n There is no denying drivers see some weird things while on the road, but one trucker got a cold feeling. “I once noticed a man standing on a bridge that I went under while on the highway. I took notice of him because he wasn’t walking. He was just standing there looking down at the highway, and I swear he was looking at me.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>. The driver wasn’t sure if this was a ghost or a real person.<\/span><\/p>\n We’re all too aware of suicides that happen on bridges all the time. Truck drivers<\/a> are generally the first people to see the after-effects of these tragedies. Every truck driver<\/a> is constantly aware of the surroundings, and the trip that took place here was no different. One can only hope that the person on the bridge didn’t take the plunge.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One trucker got the surprise of a lifetime when he was on a long-haul trip. “He had a car drive<\/a> up next to him and throw a pillowcase in front of his truck. Thinking there might be something in it that would pop his tires (apparently this happens somewhat regularly), he avoids it and pulls over to remove it from the road<\/a> so it doesn’t cause any accidents. Turns out it was full of kittens. All of them survived and he kept a kitten and it became his travel buddy for the remainder of his trucking career.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The fact that someone would throw a pillowcase full of kittens at a semi-truck in motion is irresponsible and dangerous. While it is heartwarming that the trucker got a driving companion, it still doesn’t negate the potential hazard of what happened. At least everything turned out for the better and the kittens weren’t hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You’re bound to see a lot of things when you are on the road during a long haul. But one trucker saw something rather unique. “On a long drive I accompanied my mom on, we saw a man standing on the concrete divider at about 10 pm. It was fall, so it was dark out, and pouring rain. He was dressed as a jester, and it was on a stretch of poorly lit highway. She flinched and asked if I saw it; I said that I did, and we watched as he walked slowly along the divider with his arms out a little to the sides. She pulled over because she was freaking out so bad and he started doing weird stuff; cartwheels and handstands and stuff. Weirdest thing ever.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n As drivers proceed along long routes, there are sure to be some weird sights. Whether in the desert of New Mexico or on the highways of California, no drive is going to be the same. This truck driver was incredibly focused on the road and still managed to notice the oddity going on beside the road.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, driving down any stretch of highway for hundreds of miles will lead to some strange encounters. One trucker shared a story his uncle ran into on the road year ago. “One night, the guy invited him back to his semi to show him something he’d built. This guy’s semi had a sleeper on the back, so it was pretty big. Once they were in the truck, the guy showed him what he built in the sleeper of his semi. It’s a big heavy-duty box. It had hydraulic arms on either side so he could open and close it with the push of a button. He said once he pushed the button, it sealed shut, can’t be opened. My uncle was kind of weirded out by this and cracked a few jokes about the box. <\/span><\/p>\n The guy started to get a little agitated. My uncle realized this and decided it was time to leave this guy’s semi. A few months later, he found out that the guy was stuffing people at truck stops into this custom hydraulic box. “That guy was massive,” he said. “His hand could cover most of my head. He could’ve stuffed me in the box and there’s nothing I could’ve done to stop him. Or maybe there was someone in there already!” He said he still has nightmares about it years later.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>. Needless to say, this was one of the weirdest trucking encounter to say the least.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the Mario Kart racing video games, players often see the banana peel used as a weapon. But there’s at least one example where a trucker almost hit an actual field of bananas head-on. “I was a young truck driver tooling down a long hill near Scranton, hauling 30,000 pounds of bananas. Missed a sign that I should have read to shift to a lower gear when I lost my breaks and flew down the hill. I sideswiped 19 parked cars, clipped 13 telephone poles, hit two houses, bruised 8 trees, and crashed, spilling the 30,000 lbs of bananas all over the road.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Trucking driving is a risky proposition because you are transporting such a heavy-weight trailer. Even the smallest road hazard could be catastrophic for an inexperienced truck driver<\/a>. Likewise, a 30,000-pound haul of bananas hitting the road is just as bad. You never know what type of hazards will be on the road and it’s more important for a trucker to pay attention.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snow and icy conditions are enough to cause major weather damage, and one trucker saw a disturbing sight after a storm. “As I drive, I start to notice these large dark rock-like shapes sticking out of the snow just off the shoulder of the road. Tons of them, like one every 10-15 feet. “Strange,” I thought absently. I’d never been on that road so who knows what they could be. After a few minutes, I spotted one that was not-so-buried in the snow and the realization sank slowly into me. <\/span><\/p>\n They were cows. I drove past probably 40 corpses just off the side of the road, literally just past the shoulder. Made me very sad to think they all froze to death, wandering blindly in the snowstorm.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>. This just goes to show you that even after a significant storm has passed, driving conditions can be quite dangerous following a storm.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here we had a trucker who was working on a team rig and got a nasty surprise. “The driver here turned to me and said, ‘Hey can you pull over for a sec? I need to ward off the snake people.’ This is where my brain didn’t quite process this, and I said, “What?” He repeated the same line and here’s where my Spidey Sense told me if this guy didn’t ward off his snake people, I was going to have a bigger problem than this guy’s cookie getting flipped. So I pulled over and he got out. Now here comes the weird part. He did this dance in front of my headlights.”<\/span><\/p>\n While it’s not uncommon for semi-truck drivers to be paired up in a team, this time it turned out very awkward. Needless to say, the driver who was featured<\/a> in this story has been driving solo ever since. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being a truck driver means that you are going to be transporting big and expensive loads. Sometimes theft can happen that will derail the whole trip, here is one that went wrong. “My dad drove a long haul for years. One company he worked for had a yard right in the city. During the night, a sketchy person tried to steal material from a stack in the yard and pulled the wrong piece. Stack came down and decapitated him. They found his body the next morning.”<\/span><\/p>\n What this story goes to show you is that stealing from a truck driver is never a good idea. For a lot of truckers, this is their family’s livelihood and that load could mean the difference between a week’s worth<\/a> of pay and nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Driving a long haul in a semi-truck can be a daunting task and the driver is alone for most of the trip. Take a look at what this driver did to remedy the situation. “One of the guys at the company I work at got into a lot of trouble because he had a blowup doll in the passenger seat, buckled in and everything.”<\/span> The use of a blowup doll might seem a bit strange, but having some sort of company in that huge cabin can be welcoming.<\/span><\/p>\n We look back at the truck driver who decided to adopt the kitten as a riding buddy. Any type of companionship is welcomed when you are on a drive for the long haul. but a blow-up doll might be a bit extreme so a pet is clearly a much better option.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Driving for long periods can lead to hallucinations, especially if you’re driving across the county. “I remember hearing my friend yelling my name and waking up to find myself off in the grass with a cowboy on a horse right in front of me, roping a calf. He roped, dallied off, and turned to face me, and just as I hit him he disappeared. It was a hallucination. Scared me so bad I was wide awake the rest of the trip.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n While some drivers haven’t seen something as extreme as a ghost, hallucinations are very possible. It helps to have a partner along for the ride if you are going to be making an eight-hour-long voyage.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Driving from town to town for hundreds of miles is sure to lead you to some strange locations. The smaller towns are known for having some shady characters, as was the case with this story. “I stop at an offramp to stretch out and take a breather. A little girl from some direction I couldn’t figure out giggles and says, “Hi, mister!” My initial reaction was, “What on earth is a little kid doing out here at this time?” So I talk back and say hello. She then responds with, “My mommy says you’ll be ok, don’t worry!” Now utterly confused, I ask her what she means. No response. Then suddenly, I feel like somebody is standing next to me, but it doesn’t feel negative or bad. Just feels like somebody is right there next to me. <\/span><\/p>\n “Since it doesn’t have a negative vibe to it, I just finish my break and leave. Later on down the road, I realize that I forgot<\/a> to fuel up at my last stop when the warning light came on. I scramble to look at my GPS and find the nearest truck stop. I find one and set the course. As I roll up to the truck stop, my truck starts sputtering and I barely make it to the fuel line before the truck starts dying. I ran out of fuel right as I got on the fuel line. It wasn’t until I was fueling up that it occurred to me what happened at my last stop.”<\/span> This story goes to show that you can’t trust anyone on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Livestock haulers are a dime a dozen on the roads, but every once in a while, you see something unique. “I stopped for a refill on my coffee in Quebec. Backed into a spot, and in front of me was a livestock hauler. Well, they had stopped and opened the back, and out came one goat. A 53-foot trailer was hired to transport one goat for 600 miles. The goat was really cute, and they had taken him out to play with him. Yes, I got to play with him as well.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n As you can see this goat was riding in style, and if an animal is special to the owner there is no end to the lengths that they will go. <\/span>There is no doubt that taking care of your animals is important and this goat certainly had the best ride on the freeway. Depending on the application, livestock haulers come in a variety of sizes and shapes.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The number of tragedies that you’ll see on the highway is numerous, so naturally, when a trucker sees something out of the ordinary it attracts their attention. “I once noticed a man standing on a bridge that I went under while on the highway. I took notice of him because he wasn’t walking. He was just standing there looking down at the highway, and I swear he was looking at me. I was not far from my destination, so it wasn’t long before I came back by that same bridge going the other direction. Sure enough, he had jumped. It messed with my head for a while.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Could something have been done to stop this guy from jumping off? Probably not, and most truckers will live with the guilt of seeing something like this happen. Nevertheless, there’s no shortage of strange occurrences for truckers on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you step into a big rig, most of the popular models have a sleeper in the back. Sleeping in the front seat can turn out to be a nightmare for several reasons. “My dad told me a story about one time when he was sleeping at a truck stop. He didn’t have a sleeper, so he was in the seat. Another trucker was pulling up to spend the night, so the trucks were nose to nose. He woke up in the driver’s seat of his truck with a truck with its lights on looking like it was coming head-on. Said he almost pooped himself.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Obviously when truckers are tired, anywhere will do to take a rest, but this trucker had a bit of a rude awakening. This just goes to show that sleeping in the front seat isn’t always the best option for most truckers.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trucking is a dangerous business and accidents can be fatal. “In high school, we had a class called career seminars, where we got to listen to people tell stories from their jobs. One day, a truck driver was telling us how he struck a car and the occupant passed away. We asked what made him decide to stay on the road, instead of swerving. “If I can see into the car, I look to see if there’s a family, children. If there’s not, I’m not gonna swerve off the road for one guy.” So naturally, I work in an office and stay away from semis.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n This story just goes to show that while most truckers have a conscience, if you’re going to be stupid then you’ll probably get hit head-on. A family wouldn’t be making the same kind of reckless mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n No doubt about it, trucks make the world go around. You never know where you are going to deliver special goods to. One person told a story of his truck-driving mother delivering to Area 51. “My mom made a delivery to Area 51. She doesn’t know what she delivered and wasn’t allowed to look inside the trailer. When she got there she asked to use the bathroom and everybody got all serious and whispery. They finally agreed to take her but with an armed guard who waited with her inside the bathroom. She thought it was so cool.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Although Area 51 is off-limits, this trucker was granted access to make a delivery. Every once in a while you’ll see a situation like this arise. The best thing for truckers is keep your mouth shut so that the experience can happen again.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Look, truckers aren’t always going to stop to use the restroom. That’s understandable, but when it comes to deposing of the goods some drivers prefer to litter. “I once got hit by a gallon jug of pee following a large semi on the trans-Canada. The guy realized what he did and offered to pay for a new windshield in exchange for my silence.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>. Most drivers would be very angered if something like this were to happen to their vehicle.<\/span><\/p>\n But most drivers would also take the right cash price to not say anything about it. Truckers are under all kinds of constraints from their employer, and any kind of a ding on their record can impact the ability to make revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Road rage is not a funny thing no matter which way you cut it. A trucker told one strange story about an overaggressive driver. “I was making my way through Ashland, Virginia, and a frustrated driver overtakes me, and in his manic state, he swerves his car into my lane. He jerks the wheel so hard the back wheels came around and I watched this guy flip at least six times through the air. Miraculously, the driver walked away, though he was shaken up as one would imagine. His car was a ball of scrap metal torn to pieces. Every time I go through that area I now get flashbacks of that night.” – via <\/span>Money Awaits<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n As you can see here, even a knee-jerk reaction to something can cause an unnecessary accident. Road rage is a growing problem and as drivers become more stressed out it will only get worse. Truck drivers have to deal with the worst of this because they are on the road constantly.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n25: Something’s Not Right<\/span><\/h2>\n
24: The Mysterious Kitten<\/span><\/h2>\n
23: A Roadside Attraction?<\/span><\/h2>\n
22: Weird Roadside Nightmares<\/span><\/h2>\n
21: Real-Life Mario Kart Banana Accident<\/span><\/h2>\n
20: A Deadly Blizzard Aftermath<\/span><\/h2>\n
19: Why Some Truckers Prefer To Go Solo<\/span><\/h2>\n
18: Don’t Steal From A Trucker<\/span><\/h2>\n
17: The Silent Passenger<\/span><\/h2>\n
16: Ghost In The Road<\/span><\/h2>\n
15: Don’t Get Caught By a Con-Artist<\/span><\/h2>\n
14: Goat Riding In Style<\/span><\/h2>\n
13: Bridge Jumper<\/span><\/h2>\n
12: Sleeping At The Rest Stop<\/span><\/h2>\n
11: Kids Come First<\/span><\/h2>\n
10: Area 51<\/span><\/h2>\n
9: A Stinky Mistake<\/span><\/h2>\n
8: Road Rage Is Deadly<\/span><\/h2>\n