We have a thing in Texas called the finger lift. Truckers always lift a finger or two to say hi to other truckers. At the quarry it's pretty much universal. Even that hot head driver you don't really like much, you still lift a finger or two and greet him. He'll do the same. And if one of us breaks down, you can bet at least one other driver will stop to help. But these last few years, things have changed around here. We have minority urban youth drivers in from a big city an hour away. And we have wimmin drivers (but very few at quarries.) Neither group really gets the waving thing. Here in Texas, we're over 40% hispanic but they've been here for many generations and most are Texans in their thinking, and they wave. I'm just wondering what it's like outside of Texas. Do you wave, and other drivers wave back? Have you noticed that the recent influx of auto trannies, women drivers, and urban drivers who aren't much like us has all affected camaraderie?
Here it is wave to those in the same industry, or to people you recognize personally.
Pretty much that^ One time though my buddy Pat rented a Cadillac and he thought there was a wave called the Cadillac Wave cuz he seemed to find that if you did this little wave other Cadillac owners would wave back. This was at least 25 years ago I thought it was hilarious!
In NZ it always the proper thing to do. Most trucks didn't have any communications like CBs so a wave was telling the truck driver coming towards you the road was clear, mostly of cops and DOT inspections. Giving the thumbs down let them know possible trouble was a head. It's also the thing with grey nomads out in the bush in Australia and it's easy to spot the driver's who won't wave, they have the new van and Ute and probably on the first trip out of the big smoke.
we give a pair of flashes of the headlights to warn of trouble ahead.
The one or two finger wave around here is normally from the rich guy-it's the {I acknowledge your presence} wave. It's not my job to warn people-if they are driving correctly they will see it. I don't wave at anybody {except the ice cream truck coming down the street}.
I live 80 miles from this town, so this should tell you how the folks are here. It's nice how friendly people are here, you stop for anything on these rock roads and someone is going to make sure you are alright since cell phone reception is non existent. https://www.broadusmontana.com/welcome-marquee#http/wwwbroadusmontanacom/reservations
Have a sticker on my service truck "horn don't work watch for finger". Bob
I hauled aggregate back in the early 80s and we have a state road, NY22 that runs north/south in eastern Dutchess County. There was a steady stream of trucks hauling aggregate from the pits and quarries in Dutchess County down to the concrete and asphalt plants in Westechester County, about 40 miles away. Nearly all the haulers waved to each other as they passed in opposite directions, didn't know any of them personally but recognized them from constantly passing them.
this was in the days before light switches were on the steering column and the dip switch was on the floor, young feller
Peterbilt still like that, the light switch is on the dashboard "somewhere" one of the many toggle switches the position of which was chosen by a blindfolded monkey throwing darts. Right in between the diff lock, mirror heat, air dump, Jake brake, city horn, cruise control switches the headlights are somewhere too. They do put the dimmer on the blinker now.
All of my R model Mack trucks have the tall "blipper" switch atop the dash to the left by the "A" pillar. Pulled back it illuminates the headlamps, pushed forward it temporarily shuts off the clearance, and tail lamps. I'm accustomed to getting the "two finger" wave myself. That is the middle finger on each hand for some reason.....
I don't. I enjoy that as I become more aged than the average driver I personally know, they give me the respectful whole hand wave. I do find that since I share the same motor pool with my son, I'm often greeted with a middle finger by mistake. First few times it happened, I was a bit disturbed. Evidently that is a form of friendly wave to some?
Yes, friendly, and it has been for some time.
They are just letting you know you are number one of all drivers, nothing offensive by it.
Whatever. You haven't lived till that crap shorts out and catches the floormat on fire
Log truckers usually wave to mechanics on the way in to the landings. Gravel and long haul not much. Motorcycles are alway waving, except the new guy wearing $1000 in gear and riding a new BMW. If his wife is on the back, she waves.
When I still had my Wing. I was on just a day jaunt not to far from home, came across this group of V twins. One had a flat rear tire or low tire with a nail in it. It was at a cardlock station in nowhere on a Sunday. I got out my tire repair stuff and a mini compressor-fixed it good enough to get them home. They were all dressed up in leathers and doo rags, demanded I take some money for fixing it. I replied {I don't want your money but you can do me a favor. The next time you see a group of Gold Wings coming down the road at you---Wave your *** off.}
My sisters said I was born middle aged. In truth, I was young once. Giving your best friend the finger is a new thing to me. Driving home just now from a long trip job, my son got a call from Kenny. Kenny is the most honorable, respectable fellow in town. He is 58, 7 years younger than me. He had a health crisis, doctors two states away, dealing with a computer was a bigger challenge than cancer. Seth solved his many problems, even to the extent of giving him a computer. While I have always considered the family to include me, I've never been so close. Seth's phone rings on the way home, Seth answers from the passenger seat: "What do you want?" Utterly unaffected, Kenny responds with pleasant dialog. He brought good news. Kenny is not young. Somehow he has learned the dialog of young people. Young people are cruel to him, as they are to each other, he doesn't skip a beat.
Here, it's snowmobiles. I don't know if anybody seriously cares, lots of conversation starters, insult the other guy's snowmobile. It doesn't seem logical, Highway bikes aren't so different. The boys have brought four Gold Wings here as home. I'll try anything. Honda motorcycles, I can't reach the ground. I am not tall! My wife is nearly as tall as me. I get in her car, ALL needs to be adjusted up! I've got short legs, but a tall torso. Gold Wings are a sweet bike, but I can't reach the ground! Harleys are lower.
Get some Elton John Shoes, I tell everyone riding a V twin that.
I wasn't there. A couple on a Harley at a filling station 10 miles from here. There is a bit of a ditch at the entrance of the Cumberland Farms convenience store/filling station. He stopped for highway traffic centered on the ditch, couldn't reach the ground, dumped it. His Mrs. left by ambulance.