Driver Brandishes Gun In Road Rage Incident

Hanover Township / Lehigh County
Route 22 rush hour got a little scary Thursday for a tractor-trailer driver, state police said.

The truck driver, hauling a load of concrete, was westbound at about 4 p.m. when he and the driver of a gray Audi got into a ”road rage” incident, said state police at Bethlehem. The incident escalated to the point that the driver of the Audi brandished a handgun at the truck driver between the Route 512 and Airport Road exits in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, police said.

No further descriptions were available. Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 610-861-2026. From the Morning Call

A Trucker’s Prayer

Dear God Above,

Bless this truck I drive and help me keep someone alive.  Be my mortal sight this day, on street where little children play.  Bless my helper fast asleep, when the night is long and deep.  And keep my cargo safe and sound, though hours long around.

Make my judgement sound as steel and be my hands upon the wheel.  Bless the traveler going past and teach him not to go so fast.  Give me strength for every trip, so I may care for what they ship.

And keep me mindful every mile, that life is just a little while.

Amen

(author unknown)

The Law of the Garbage Truck

How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood?

Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day?

Unless you’re the Terminator, for an instant you’re probably set back on your heels.

However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly he/she can get back her focus on what’s important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab.

Here’s what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll be happy you did.

So this was it: The ‘Law of the Garbage Truck.’ I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over
me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?

It was that day I said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’ I began to see garbage trucks. I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off.

And like my Taxi Driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on. One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field.

He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Teachers and parents know that they have to be fully present and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here’s my bet. You’ll be happier. So..

Love the people who treat you right!
Forget about the ones who don’t!
Believe that everything happens for reason! If you get a chance, TAKE IT!
If it changes your life, LET IT! Nobody said it would be easy … They just promised it would be worth it and IT IS! 

~David J. Pollay

Many thanks to Mark Taylor for sending this to me to post.

Road Rage and the American Trucker

Road rage….. Life out on the highway is full of unique experiences and adventures.

However, the average day in the life of the American trucker is filled with trials and tribulations that come with hours and hours of driving in different cities and towns.

Gone from home for sometimes weeks on end, we worry about our families, how we’ll adjust to rising fuel prices….

The following on how to handle “road rage” appears in the March 2008 issue of Pilot Challenge Magazine:

Know if you have an anger problem.
If you are an aggressive driver, you can train yourself to be calmer. “Don’t think a fairy is going to tap you on the shoulder and tell you to slow down,” says Hall.
Learn how to share the road.
As a truck driver, sharing the road isn’t easy. The vehicles are so big that you may feel that you own the road. “If you have a Type A personality, this is something to work on,” says Hall. “If someone merges into your lane, think of it as an opportunity for growth. Take a deep breath. Memorize an affirmation, so you produce less cortisol.”
Make your vehicle a “Zen” zone.
Listen to music you like and make your vehicle a peaceful, happy place. You’ll be surprised how this can influence your mood.
If you are the victim of road rage, surrender.
Many Americans are Type A personalities and they feel the need to get even with others who hurt or offend them, especially on the road. If you are the victim of someone who does this, you must surrender. This is no place for arguments (do that on your own time – at home). Smile at the offender, no matter how loud, obnoxious or rude he or she may be. This may be difficult, but it could save your life. Frederic G. Reamer, Ph.D., a professor at the School of Social Work in Rhode Island, works with victims of assault, violence and road rage. He advises not to engage with the perpetrator at all. Reamer is also the author of the book “Heinous Crime: Cases, Causes, and Consequences.” “I would pull to the side of the road and hope [the perpetrator] would just go on their way,” he says. Be proactive, not reactive.
Enroll in a course if you know you suffer from anger issues.
There are tricks to staying calm, experts say. And those tricks need to be honed through repetition and counseling. You can think about the repercussions your anger could have. “Instructors try to help these people identify the trigger points,” says Reamer. “I really do believe therapy and courses reduce the likelihood of injury.” Courses that promote “rationally moti- vated behavior” are appropriate. There are several people Reamer has met with (in prison) who say they wish they had thought through the situation more carefully before they committed second-degree murder. He recalls an instance in which two people got into an argument at a gas station. One of them got so upset that he reached into his glove compartment, pulled out a pistol and shot the other man. If only the perpetrator had restrained himself, or considered the repercussions of such rage, he wouldn’t be spending 30 years behind bars.
Reward yourself for staying calm.
Human beings are goal-oriented, and rather than striving toward “getting even,” try to become a better person and stay calm. “Tell yourself you are giving yourself, say, $5 in the jar for staying calm,” Garcy suggests. “Just keep saving until you can get what you want.” This is a great way to turn a neg- ative situation into a positive, goal-oriented one.
Respect the other driver, even if he or she is angry.
This might seem like an impossible proposition, but sometimes you need to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, even if he or she is a raving lunatic. The driver might have had a bad day, or had a terrible time at work. Anger usually manifests because the person has other underlying issues, such as family trouble, stress, drug abuse or alcohol abuse. “When you get very angry, the typically logical part of your brain is switched off,” says Garcy. “The frontal lobe – the rational part of your brain – inhibits you from doing certain [rash] things.” When rage temporarily switches off this part of your brain, people tend to do irrational things. Once you understand this, you may be in a better position to forgive the perpetrator and understand where he or she is coming from. One of these “influencers” could be drugs or alcohol. In late January, police arrested a man in Connecticut who was throwing bottles at a truck. They found half a pound of marijuana in his car.

The most important thing to remember is you are not alone: Before your anger takes total control over your life, log on to Truck Stop Ministries or call their 24 hour prayer line at 1-800-248-8662

Chaplain Joe and his staff are here for you.