YouTube screen capture

YouTube screen capture

I could have used a few other adjectives to describe this character; most inconsiderate or selfish. Dangerous would have worked too. All those descriptions would work in this case, along with a whole lot more that we can't use in polite company.

When you watch the video you'll be astounded, not only by the stupidity of what this driver is doing, but by the fact that he posted in on YouTube.

This wasn't some private bit of video footage lifted from a security camera, or surreptitiously taken from a passing car. No sir, somebody in very close proximity filmed this clown for about a minute and a half, and then posted it to YouTube for all the world to see.

And before you jump to any conclusions, I'm pretty sure this video was filmed in the US of A. It's clearly a North American truck, the speedometer is calibrated in miles per hour and if you look closely -- if you can draw your gaze away from the central action -- you'll see a few easily recognizable carrier names going by in the opposite direction. I'm afraid, dear readers, this is locally produced content.

In some other place and time, this stunt would be right up there with running with the bulls, getting shot out of a cannon, walking through a pit full of venomous snakes or going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Except here, this moron runs a pretty big risk of taking somebody else out with him -- somebody other than the photographer, that is.

It saddens me to watch the lengths FMCSA, DOT, NTSB and all the other agencies go to get bad drivers off the road, and then keep them off. This guy illustrates the folly of that whole process. Nothing bad happened to this guy this time, so he got away with his stunt. He was kind enough however, to leave us this little video clip as a testament to stupidity.

I certainly hope someone can step up and identify this putz and bring him to the attention of the appropriate authorities. And if you're the carrier who hired him, I suggest you try to tighten up your hiring practices -- and make sure your insurance is paid up.

 

About the author
Jim Park

Jim Park

Equipment Editor

A truck driver and owner-operator for 20 years before becoming a trucking journalist, Jim Park maintains his commercial driver’s license and brings a real-world perspective to Test Drives, as well as to features about equipment spec’ing and trends, maintenance and drivers. His On the Spot videos bring a new dimension to his trucking reporting. And he's the primary host of the HDT Talks Trucking videocast/podcast.

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