Thursday, June 23, 2011

Truck Waving

I was driving along in the truck the other day, waving back at the other truck drivers I passed on the road who were waving at me. Sometimes I have deep thoughts while I'm driving. My deep thought the other day was a one I have pondered before but never really answered. Why is it when I am driving a truck people in other trucks always wave as we pass each other on the road? Is it assumed that all people who drive trucks are some kind of kindred spirits and were we to find ourselves standing in line at the convenience store together we would immediately start chatting?

When I had my recruiting company and was hating corporate life I went through the same phase that many people do, trying to buy toys to make myself forget about how much I disliked my job (I disliked my own company - that was successful!). Every year I would get myself a fancy new car, each one nicer than the one before. I was still unhappy despite whatever vehicle I was driving but I guess I was testing out the definition of insanity. You know, the one that says insanity is doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result.

Getting back to my point, I can state with authority that, for example, BMW drivers do not wave at other BMW drivers. The same goes for Infiniti drivers and Mercedes drivers, they do NOT wave at each other as they pass on the road, or maybe I should say they didn't wave at me. So why do people driving trucks wave at other people driving trucks? Anyone know the answer?


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I took this picture just because I love our new farm and I enjoy looking at it in pictures.


Lucky and O'Reilly hanging out


MyLight and Silky

Romeo and Gus


Fonzi


Winston and Faune


George


Rampal


Clayton and Stormy


Rocky


Cuff Links and MyLight


11 comments:

Funder said...

Hahha, I miss truck waving! People in Reno do not truck wave like they do in the south. Sad but true! Course there are even more trucks here than in western TN - I'd be waving all the time.

When G had his BMW, we would always *note* fellow BMW drivers. We'd laugh at the poor fools who bought the 318s (what were they thinking?) and snark at the 7-series drivers. But of course we did not wave.

Non-Stop Mom said...

It's not just trucks around here - it's pretty much an unspoken rule that if two vehicles are passing on a dirt road, they must do the 1- or 2-fingered wave. That is, raising 1 or 2 fingers from the hand that is at the top of the steering wheel, visible through the windshield. The hand generally does not leave the steering wheel, but a finger is raised (it's not usually the middle one, either).

If the two people know each other, then all 4 fingers are usually raised, but for some reason, they don't let go of the wheel.

Back home, everyone waved to everyone. It was crazy.

LuLo Designs/Blue Eyed Tango said...

Hi Melissa.....I just think truck owners are a friendly bunch that are usually farmers or cowboys (or wannabes). Sorry to say, the other car owners you mentioned are too much above a friendly jester as to a wave hello (or it would be beneath them). At least that has been my experience. One time I was in a store shopping and this lady pushed right in front of me to see what she wanted (I had kindly yielded my cart out of her way once before when she did this) so the second time around she was starting to annoy me...especially when she didn't even acknowledge me at all and kept pushing. Anyway I do remember thinking to myself, "l bet she drives a BMW"! Sure enough we happened to be walking out at the same time and she got in her BMW! Ok... I'm not proud to admit such a stereotypical thought but it seems to be true more times than not! I wouldn't drive any of those vehicles even if I could afford one! Oh by the way, there seems to be the same wave with Jeep owners......especially Wranglers....my husband just thought it was because he was good looking! Ha!

Jason said...

Well dang it. That's what I thought, too ! :)

If I had to guess, it'd be because gurls don't usually drive 3/4 ton diesel trucks and when one does it gets the boyz excited. It does me, anyway ! :)

EvenSong said...

Well...Based on Jason's logic, I must be one hot [grand]mama!
As with Non-Stop Mom, everyone in this neck of the woods usually waves at passing vehicles, as well as at folks working in their fields, on a tractor, irrigating, or whatever. It's just a "country thang."

lytha said...

no one ever waved at me when i drove my chevys around seattle: (

but if you're pulling a horse trailer, then you might get a wave from another horse trailer driver.

busdrivers wave at each other - is that universal? the odd thing here is the schwebebahn (suspended train), there are 28 cars that go back and forth over the river, passing each other every 3-5 minutes, and the drivers always wave at each other. that is a lot of waving.

Vivian, Apollo's Mom said...

When we first moved to rural Virgina from New York (an hour north of the City), people would always wave at us when we drove by. Pete, being an extremely jealous type, would turn to me and glare, demanding,"Who was that!?" apparently thinking that I knew that person and that's why they waved. NOBODY waves at one in NY. Eventually we realized that everybody waves in rural Va. In Florida where I live now, the only people that wave are the ones whom I already know, waving at me in the equestrian community where I ride. So I think it's a southern thing (not Florida southern) and a truck thing!

KarenTX said...

Truck people and Corvette people, those are the ones who wave! LOL Love going home, getting the one finger wave (and I mean that in a good way! LOL) is nice.

Candy'sGirl said...

I find this post funny! I have a Mini Cooper as my daily driver and all Mini drivers wave to eachother. It's in the owners manual (seriously!).

We also have a big 3/4 ton truck for hauling the horses. Everyone here in Indiana waves too. It's always odd to me riding in my husband's Honda. I always want to wave to either trucks or Minis and get kinda odd looks!

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

We do the finger waves around here too, just as Non-stop Mom described. We're too cool to pick our whole hand up.

Our village is so small that if someone waves at you and you miss it... glare in your eyes or looking the other way - when they see you in the post office they'll ask you why you didn't wave - thinking you might be mad at them.

Agree with Jason - I think it's girls driving trucks... powerful trucks, trucks filled with hay, or pulling horse trailers. Waves often happen for me near my hay dealers farm and my trainers farm where I don't know a soul :)

Bif said...

We mostly see motorcycle waves; here, they kinda do the hand off the handlebar point at the ground/two finger wave to each other.

I laughed really hard the other day at the stoplight. The oncoming motorcyclist had been spotted by the man in the car to my left... who did the finger wave to the biker when the light changed. Then realized, when the dude on the bike didn't wave back, that he was in a CAR. It was kind of fun to watch.