[SteveFromNY]

John, I am sorry about your colleague. I hope she fully recovers.

I too have noticed truck drivers that act as if they are driving sports cars around a race track when on the road. I commute via the NJ Turnpike and I-78 back and forth to work each day, 30 + miles each way. I see a lot of trucks on the road, and have developed the follow biases:
- Dump truck drivers working on the eternal construction on I-78 are the worst drivers. They speed, tailgate and change lanes as if their lives depended on it. They are incredibly aggressive and act as if they own the road.
- "Covered Wagon" drivers are next on my list (semis where the trailer is for garbage or some other loose substance with a tarpaulin over it). As fast as they can go, always in the left lane, barrelling down the highway. Get out of their way!
The above 2 are part of a larger class of drivers (in my mind) I call the day-drivers - those without a sleepover portion on their cab. I judge these drivers as always in a hurry to get home and that's part of why they drive so aggressively.
- Next are the long-haul truckers with the sleep-over cabs. They are often agressive, but I've found them to be much less trouble than the ones above.

Yesterday there was an accident on I-78 where a west bound truck leaped the concrete barrier (taking about 1/2 of it away) and crashed head-on into a semi going east. Both trucks burst into flames and both drivers were killed. Miraculously, they were the only 2 killed. They drive too fast!

I drive a Winnebago (35') and to some degree can sympathize with truckers and their difficulties on the road though. I can't tell you the number of times a "four-wheeler" has pulled in front of me to exit immediately because they couldn't stand being behind something that moved slower than they were capable of moving. I'd have to slam on the brakes, and luckily haven't crashed yet as a result. These incredibly stupid actions on the part of automobile drivers doesn't help (and doesn't defend high rates of speed on the part of the truckers), but I am sure is a contributor to some of the accidents, and probably some of the attitude, that trucks and truckers have.

I agree that driving defensively is the only way to drive!