We all have bad days. The problem is, in this age ubiquitous video recording devices, the chances are very good that your bad day will be captured, posted, and spotted by the staff of the Dash Cam of the Week. And, in the case of this YouTube clip, the truck driver’s company saw it as well—and it wasn’t his best moment on the road.
Of course, we are not here to judge, and we don’t know all of the circumstances. But we do know, regardless, it’s never a good idea for a professional driver to let his anger get the better of him. No one benefits in this situation—except maybe lawyers if the angry party doesn’t know not to lay a finger on the other guy. This driver had that going for him, at least. Otherwise, we get the impression that he just doesn’t care. (Not suitable for work advisory: Those who don’t appreciate a stream of fundamental American invective (and even a little casual British profanity) might want to mute the audio—the video gets the point across.)
Perhaps more interesting than an angry truck driver are the comments about the incident. While there are plenty that follow the YouTube post, the somewhat more civil and informed discussion thread on Reddit takes several interesting twists and turns, ranging from whether the truck driver got out of the cab with the tractor still in gear, to a debate over safety technology like radar-controlled braking—and then a long discussion on speed limiters and elephant races (but don’t get us started, again, on that.)
Count to 10, driver, and move on. Or consult a professional (or at least professional resources: Here's a link to the American Psychological Assn.'s brochure, "Controlling anger before it controls you").
