Big 10-4

The Lorry.

We Southerners know that as an 18-wheeler or a semi or a big rig. I could go on. Here in Belgium and who knows where else, it's called a lorry.

I've been driving now for about 35 years and where I come from, truckers rule the road. Probably because they also pay for it.

I was reading an article the other day about how the "smart" car (those little things meant for basic transportation and people like me to parallel park) fared when hit by a semi. Well, I really didn't need to read past the headline to know the smart car was no match for an 18-wheeler. Duh.

As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure my 4-door sedan back in the States wouldn't take that very well. No testing required.

Most all the cars here are small. Not all as small as smart cars, but small. I see a big SUV about once a month and I've seen a couple of pickup trucks this whole year.

You're probably asking yourself - so where do all the hunters keep their 4-wheelers? And - how do they haul all those dead deer around? Or - where is their rifle if not hanging in the rear window?

Good questions.

Construction workers, painters, etc. use vans, not open-bed trucks for their ladders and buckets. Probably 'cause it rains 342 days a year here. Sometimes more.

I've noted as we travel around, that lorries here are smaller than U.S. megatrucks, almost always have soft sides, remain in the right lane, and are rarely out on the weekends.

So, doing a little research I learned two things.

One, truckers have a somewhat lengthy and complicated rule book both here and in the States.

Two, I don't want to read it.

I do know that in the EU, speed limits on trucks are set based on the size of their load.

This makes perfect sense. If you're hauling cows as opposed to feathers, I can see why the cow hauler could speed.

Oh, and speaking of cow-hauling. I became a vegetarian for two years and I hold chicken haulers totally responsible. Thank goodness that's over and I came to my senses with the food chain and all.

But I do hope I can avoid two-lane roads behind a "chicken choker" with no place to pass. I don't think I can stomach the herbivore thing again. No offense to all you vegans out there.

Mercifully there are no visible chickens or cows or Wilbur's or Thumper's on EU motorways.

In the EU, trucks

- usually have 2 axles and 6 wheels

- drivers can go 4.5 hours before a rest period

- can drive a max of 9 hours a day

- must get at least 11 hours sleep a day

- can drive a max of 56 hours per week

In the US, trucks

- usually have 5 axles and 18 wheels

- drivers can go 11 hours before a rest period

- can drive a max of 11 hours a day

- must get at least 10 hrs sleep a day

- can drive a max of 70 hours per week

Now, aside from the EU not allowing truckers on the road nearly as long in any given day or week, here's the important part you may have missed way up there. Lorries stay in the right lane. That's right. Truckers are relegated to the right lane. Perhaps they can venture over into the left lane after midnight or something, but I've not seen it.

So, that, in a nutshell, explains why the "smart" car won't get tested with a semi because truckers don't rule the road here. 10-4?

Ja, dat is een grote 10-4.

I thought that was the only trucker lingo I knew, but as it turns out, in this 20-question CB lingo quiz, I got over 50%.

Just a decent guesser. I swear I've only seen Smokey and the Bandit once.