Tall trucks and low bridges

Warning - rant and rave follows.

OK, so here goes, my first post as Don't Bug Me, since someone really bugged me yesterday. I was trying to get to work. This is normally a 30 minute commute, mostly down a highway. Just as I get on to the highway, traffic grinds to a halt. This is never a good sign. I sigh, turn the radio up and prepare myself for a wait - why worry, I can't change anything, I have lots of time, just keep clam, you will get there, eventually. All this is just a futile attempt to stop my blood pressure going up as I sit there and fume and wonder what the hell is going on up there. I sit there and I watch the lane next to me. Is it moving faster? Should I move over? There is a gap..... I didn't take it, and now that lane is definitely moving faster - why didn't I move over? Deep breath - remember your blood pressure.....

I really need to know what is going on, so I tune my radio to the traffic channel. Once I find out the answer, there is no stopping the ever increasing blood pressure. Some numb nut tried to drive his too tall vehicle under a too low bridge! Apparently large chunks of concrete are now covering the road and the bridge has a large hole in it! Now, I am no truck driver, I do not own a large haulage company and I have never even set foot inside a large articulated lorry. However, I do know that a truck that is taller than a bridge is high is not going to get under said bridge. I also know that any decent lorry driver should know the length, width, weight and HEIGHT of his vehicle. I also know that when carrying a load that is abnormally wide or high, that it would be prudent to check your route for narrow lanes or low obstacles, such as bridges!

So, a big THANK YOU to the driver of that abnormally tall load that apparently did not know the height of his vehicle - I had a wonderful time, sitting on that highway thinking of all the ways that you should get punished for being such a numb nut. How about standing on the side of the road and holding up a sign apologising to all of those drivers you delayed? No, that wouldn't work, since all the rubberneckers would have to slow down to read it and hold everyone up again! How about dangling you from the bridge over the highway, so you can get a sense of how high it really is? Suffers from the same problem as the first suggestion. How about handwritten letters of apology to everyone you held up - assuming you can read and write? Oooooh, I've got it - how about a honking big fine and a bill for damages!

Any other ideas for a suitable punishment?

While I am on my rant and rave about unprofessional truck drivers, here are a few more issues:

1). Overtaking other trucks on a hill and holding everyone else up - OK, so you may be going 2 kph faster than the truck in the slow lane, which means you are now going 72 kph instead of 70kph. Well, the rest of us can make it up the hill at the speed limit, so PULL OVER!
2). Try actually stopping at red lights and stop signs - barrelling through them because you are going too fast to stop is really not a good excuse. You will probably walk away from an accident with a car, but I suspect the driver of the car will not be so lucky!
3). Just because you want to pull out into the lane that I am actually in and just because you slap on your indicator does not mean you can pull out if I am already there! Wait until I have gone past and there is actually space for you to pull out. I really don't appreciate nearly being pushed into the concrete barrier or ditch at highway speed.
4). Don't sit in the fast lane when you are not overtaking - pull back over!

Now, any truck drivers out there please don't take this the wrong way. I am sure that there are a lot of very good, professional truck drivers on the roads. I also understand that there are a lot of really crappy car drivers out there that haven't got a clue and probably drive you nuts by cutting in front of you, slamming their breaks on etc etc. But remember this - you are the trained professionals and you have the bigger vehicle.

Oh, one more thing that really bugs me - truck drivers are so high up in their cabs that they can't see all my rude gestures and it is not very satisfying making such gestures if they cannot be appreciated by their intended audience!