Diesel pickup trucks- dangerous, malicious drivers

[L_Sludger]

In the Cincinnati metro area including Northern Kentucky, there's been an issue I've experienced lately with people driving loud, usually diesel pickup trucks. It must be a game for them, because it's happened to me a number of times in the past couple months, all different people.
I'm driving along in the right lane, minding my own business, and going at least the speed limit. A guy in a jacked-up truck pulls up next to me while I'm driving along with my windows down. When my face is lined up with their tailpipe, they gun it, deafening me and sometimes blinding me with acrid black diesel soot filling the interior of my car and the road in front of me. Then when they're 75 feet in front of me sometimes they'll look over to survey the results of their heroism.

It's a small proportion of pickup truck drivers but they do tend to leave a bad image for the rest of them when this sort of thing happens.

 

[DemoFly]

Yep. There's a bunch of youtube videos of idiots smoking out anyone they feel like.

They call it "rolling coal" or something stupid like that.

Compensating.

 

[Drew99GT]

They do it here all the time. Diesels now a days are like the import racers of a few years back. There are a bunch of diesel hot rodders in my neighborhood and they drive around like it's the Indy 500.

 

[michaelluscher]

"Rolling Coal" seems to be like Swag for diesel pickup drivers who choose to be douchebags.
Hopefully this bane of the transparent air loving existence soon goes the way of Swag.

 

[jeepman3071]

The problem is everywhere. It happens to me very often and I can't believe diesel tuning equipment is still legal. The sensation you've experienced is called "rolling coal" by diesel enthusiasts who feel it is funny to blow excessive amounts of diesel smoke on other drivers.

I've seen them cloud up entire intersections, to the point where it has made it difficult for traffic to see. I've also seen guys do it to kids standing out for the bus. These idiots are the reason the EPA has mandated all the new emissions stuff on diesel trucks. Not that it matters though, all these fools just cut that stuff off with few consequences. These guys give all diesel pickup owners a bad rep. I know a few hard working folks who use their stock diesel trucks for lots of hard work. The "coal rollers" are usually 16 year old kids with more of daddy's money than sense, or D-bags who need to feel cool.

They are a real problem around here and are worse than the ricer street racers. I've witnessed these guys driving over private property, passing people illegally, and endangering other drivers. It doesn't help that their vehicles usually weigh a lot, so they have the mind set that even if they pass a car around a corner, the oncoming car will move for them.

Society has to be less tolerant of idiots like this.

 

[Maximus1966]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Society has to be less tolerant of idiots like this.


They frequently find their tires flat when they come out in the morning...and the filters quickly fill up with the water added to their tanks.

Seriously, get the tag number and you can get an address from DMV.

 

[Stelth]

I bet they have those big plastic testicles hanging under the back of their trucks. Probably chrome-plated silhouettes of naked women on the mud flaps, too.

 

[Dave Sherman]

Originally Posted By: Stelth
I bet they have those big plastic testicles hanging under the back of their trucks. Probably chrome-plated silhouettes of naked women on the mud flaps, too.


Ha, plastic ones? Try stainless steel ones, hanging from the hitch receiver. Any bets that's the only thing the hitch receiver gets used for?

 

[surfstar]

dashcam + civil lawsuit

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Yep - happens around here a lot. And they seem to wreck a lot too.

"Bro Trucks"

 

[rjundi]

Yes we have those losers around here.

At least karma gets one of them.

Sitting in car waiting for wife in grocery store I witnessed an old lady unknowingly scrape her beat minivan along the side of a poorly parked diesel smoker and drive off. Oops....

 

[ChemicallyChargd]

I as well see this frequently (Texas), idiots buy a tuner and crank up the fuel to the point of thick black smoke, not realizing this is the most obvious sign in a diesel that too much fuel has been injected. That's what the black smoke is, fuel that didn't completely burn, the engine looses power because the charge is simply too wet, the heavy soot builds up in the turbo, killing it, as well as the egr system. I always look for a trailer hitch, anybody that actually uses/needs a truck that big, will nearly always have one, and they don't remove it, who removes a trailer hitch just to remove it when they frequently use it? No trailer hitch, no scratches/dents, and the top leaf springs aren't clean on the ends(from bed being loaded down, or heavy trailer) means that guy just bought the biggest thing he could possibly afford. Has no need for a truck at all, it's a trend that makes every other country hate us, who can blame them? We call these drivers in large pickups, usually jacked up or had some "cool mod", King of the Road, stay out of his way as he is a danger to everyone around him, not moving out of the way "forces" him to be even more of a danger danger to others and go around you, usually letting you know you've upset him in someway. You can stay out of his way safer than he can go around you, yes it's very frustrating, but everything balances out eventually, and karma will run her course.
-srv

 

[kschachn]

They also remove the intake silencers to make the turbo whistle louder. Don't get me started on these morons, my area is loaded with them. They seem to get most of their self worth from their vehicle.

I also think the size of their trucks is inversely proportional to the size of their... no, never mind.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: ChemicallyChargd
I as well see this frequently (Texas), idiots buy a tuner and crank up the fuel to the point of thick black smoke, not realizing this is the most obvious sign in a diesel that too much fuel has been injected. That's what the black smoke is, fuel that didn't completely burn, the engine looses power because the charge is simply too wet, the heavy soot builds up in the turbo, killing it, as well as the egr system. I always look for a trailer hitch, anybody that actually uses/needs a truck that big, will nearly always have one, and they don't remove it, who removes a trailer hitch just to remove it when they frequently use it? No trailer hitch, no scratches/dents, and the top leaf springs aren't clean on the ends(from bed being loaded down, or heavy trailer) means that guy just bought the biggest thing he could possibly afford. Has no need for a truck at all, it's a trend that makes every other country hate us, who can blame them? We call these drivers in large pickups, usually jacked up or had some "cool mod", King of the Road, stay out of his way as he is a danger to everyone around him, not moving out of the way "forces" him to be even more of a danger danger to others and go around you, usually letting you know you've upset him in someway. You can stay out of his way safer than he can go around you, yes it's very frustrating, but everything balances out eventually, and karma will run her course.
-srv


I always found it funny that they don't understand a diesel really shouldn't "roll coal". Although, sometimes it may be a bit beneficial as overfueling can cool down EGTs.

Some older trucks in the mountains used to have mirrors pointed at the exhaust to make sure they weren't lugging too hard and smoking on hills.

Diesels shouldn't smoke any color if they are running right other than maybe a puff of black smoke once in a while.

 

[rshaw125]

Smog test or no smog test its still improper equipment. You can get pulled over and ticketed.

 

[kschachn]

Here they just leave their mirrors extended even when not pulling a trailer, so you can be impressed with the size of the mirror

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Some older trucks in the mountains used to have mirrors pointed at the exhaust to make sure they weren't lugging too hard and smoking on hills.

 

[ChemicallyChargd]

Remember these drivers, Mr.King of the Road, he believes exactly that, that's where the name comes from. Are very dangerous, and have absolutely zero care of other drivers space and certainly no courtesy. Just move over and when at a stoplight I try to avoid as best I can pulling up and stopping so their exhaust isnt inline with my window. It's also frustrating seeing this so frequently in big rigs, black smoke upon acceleration, too much fuel injected, all they'd have to do is dial it back a little, it would prevent thousands upon thousands of gallons of diesel to be wasted simply because too much fuel was injected. I hope we all remember, someone upstairs is keeping track of everybody of fuel you and I waste, by driving a larger vehicle than you need, running your a/c, is a little comfort really worth a dirty conscience, that's all you've got to show for it.
-srv

 

[Danno]

We have smog testing in the south part of Ontario and I have seen one pickup in the past year "rolling coal". I rolled up the windows, moved the vent system to "recirc" and let the coal roller by with zero eye contact.
High fuel prices in Canada ($5.50 a gallon) and annual smog tests in Ontario tend to minmize the coal roller fad.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: Maximus1966

They frequently find their tires flat when they come out in the morning...and the filters quickly fill up with the water added to their tanks.


Why do that when one could add dyed off road diesel then call the tax man?

 

[friendly_jacek]

Fortunately, high diesels prices and atrocious MPG means those idiots will bankrupt and had their trucks repossessed sooner than later.

Clearly a menace to society, but I fortunately don't see a lot of this in my area. I like to drive with my windows open, too.

There are always sociopaths in the society. Some of them do drive-by shootings, some do rolling coal, some do even worse things.