I really screwed up today.

[Reb]

Well, working on township roads today for 10hours in 100 degree weather was worse enough. At the end of the day I was headed back to the township building to park my tandem dump truck and head home. I just turned off a freshly oiled road and was slinging rock chips all over hell down Highway 16, when an older couple on a 900 Vulcan come by the opposite direction. I wasn't even thinking, but sure enough they got blasted by rock chips. Once I get back to where i park the truck. The couple pull in behind me. I already new what I did. Before the gentlemen could even speak i started apologizing. We walked around his bike and thank god there was not any apparent paint chips or cracks. I was really surprised the gentleman wasn't as pissed off as I thought we would be. I was more pissed at myself. Luckily he didn't get hurt. We talked about bikes for a little while and he went about his business. I'm pretty sure they are not members of the VRCC, but if they are I am truly sorry about what happened.

[Jabba]

What SHOULD you have done to not do what you did?

I mean, was it avoidable?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Jabba

[eric in md]

reb, my girlfriend said she will rub your arse again if it will help ya trucker

[Reb]

I could have reduce speed to stop rocks from flying. I was doing about 30-35mph  For them there was really no avoiding it. I just wasn't thinking, I was ready to just get home from work. Lesson learned.

[BudMan]

In flying we call that mind set "get-home-itus".  It is really hard to keep the desire to get home from someplace from impacting your decision making process.  It is something every pilot is told over and over to guard against, but the situations are really hard to see...except in hind sight.  And before you ask, yes, I've fallen prey to it as well. I was just lucky enough to get away with it only relulting in a good "lesson learned".

[Valkahuna]

Hey Reb, I think you are being a bit hard on yourself. If you would have gone really slow, you could have been a rolling road block and got hit from behind, or someone in trying to pass you, could have run into that couple on the Vulcan. Hindsight is always 20/20.

[MP]

What SHOULD you have done to not do what you did?

I mean, was it avoidable?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Jabba

Slow down!

MP

[Varmintmist]

Reb, if you were not over the speed limit, and you were on your side of the road, stop beating yourself up. If stuff came off the back because you didnt tarp your load or clean your gates, thats a different ball of wax.

As a former dump truck driver I know that there are times you go out of your way to be nice, but that is just it, you go out of your way. Stuff happens. When I first got back on 2 wheels, I took a 3B to the chest from between a set of duals heading my way. Figure about 100 MPH combined speed. Hurt like a mother......, but I know better than to try to bust the drivers chops. Stuff happens. 30-35 on a tnsp road is not a unreasonable speed to run.