Some traffic laws are straight-forward. When we’re behind a school bus, we stop every time the bus stops. We never go around. If we happen to find ourselves driving in front of the sirens and lights of an emergency vehicle, we safely pull over until they have passed. And if we don’t? On September 5th, a trucker driving through Virginia learned what can happen the hard way.
TikTok influencer @Iamkstdpdec recently posted a video detailing a traffic stop on a Virginia freeway. Their channel (bonehead trucked) has gained popularity due to its collection of CDL-centric road clips. This time, they unearthed a gem.
In the footage, we see a Virginia state trooper losing his cool with a CDL driver. The trooper is irate that the man didn’t pull to the side of the road in a timely manner. The trucker asks the officer more than once to simmer down, stating he simply did not see or hear the lights and the sirens behind him.
The officer responds with disbelief and anger:
You don’t notice for a mile? For a mile?… It’s ridiculous… You drivers are just ridiculous.
After the trucker hands over his license and his registration, the officer instructs him to be a better driver. He also requests that the truck is safely maneuvered back onto the freeway, before he makes a hasty exit.
Throughout the ordeal, the trucker does his best to be polite. Yet he can’t help exclaiming, “that was one very angry cop,” as soon as the Virginia state trooper is safely out of earshot.
Viewer Verdicts Split: Virginia Trooper Vs. Trucker
Viewers were quick to chime in with opinions. Some replies favored the CDL driver. One in particular gave a presumptive point of view:
“[Y]ou can’t hear hardly anything in a semi. I bet he was riding his bumper, out of sight of his mirrors.”
Other viewers sided with the officer in question:
CDL drivers are supposed to be held to a higher standard. Their vehicles are bigger death machines and have more blind spots. Not seeing lights or hearing sirens is unacceptable.
At least this one incident doesn’t appear to have caused a disaster. After all, the officer had plenty of time to hit pause on the way to whatever emergency had caused him to turn on his silence and lights from the very start.
