I simply cannot leave this subject alone. Call it obsession. Call it a bad habit. Whatever it is, I seem to be powerless to stop it. This refers to counting Prime Semi Trucks. I used to count semis when I was on the highway. Very simple …count semis that you see going the other way. I would check the clock in my car then count to 100 and then check the clock again and see how much time had passed. I could then multiply that by the number of segments to determine the number of semis per hour and then multiply that number by any number of hours to get the quantity of semis for a given time period. Example, if I counted 100 in 10 minutes then that is 600 per hour or 4800 in an 8 hour period. Simple enough. Here is where it gets more complicated. Can you count them when there is only a tractor and no trailer. Would that be a half. What about a tractor that is ferrying three other tractors…OMG. That has to be worth something. Also, what about large motor homes or a pickup truck pulling a large trailer. They are not semis but they do take up a large amount of space on the highway. What about a bus? I guess you could limit your count only to buses. Maybe that is a thing. This all created too much confusion for me in my daily count.
The solution was to pick a certain semi and make that the one to count. The most common trucks are Prime Trucks, Wal-Mart Trucks, FedEx, UPS and Estenson Trucks (whatever that is) I decided that I would count Prime Semi Trucks. The only other issue is the small Amazon Delivery Vans. Should I add them to the count. Maybe a separate category, or add UPS and FedEx trucks to that count. Maybe just assign a number to the Amazon Vans…like 4 of those make one Prime Semi Truck. That could work. All of this has to be kept in your head. There are enough things to pay attention to on the road already so you don’t want to get too caught up in “the count”. Driving safely is always the top priority. One other problem. Well actually two. One is a stretch of highway where the oleander in the center blocks your view of the trucks you are passing causing you to potentially miss a Prime Truck. The other one is night driving. It is very hard to see the Prime Trucks at night so you either forego any nighttime counts or stop driving at night. I am now limiting my nighttime driving because it is safer to drive in the daytime. One last factor. Should you assign a different weight to different colored Prime Semi Trucks. There are three profiles that I am aware of. White with a blue swish, black with a blue swish and blue with a white swish. My experience suggests that the most common is blue with a white swish…so maybe these are counted as one. The other two are less common. Maybe in those cases you could count those as 2 because they are rarer. This all begs the question. 1. What is in those Prime Semi Trucks? 2. Does the color of the Prime Truck determine what is inside? Both are fascinating questions. We may never know the answer to either of those. I am postulating that the color of the Prime Truck does not determine what is inside. I also wonder if the stuff inside the trucks is largely stuff being moved from one warehouse to another, or stuff that is being transported to a redistribution center where the smaller Amazon vans then are loaded for delivery to customers. Again, I don’t know what is in the Prime Trucks so for now that will remain a mystery.
I am so sorry, I thought I was done, but this morning I passed a small box truck. Not an Amazon Delivery Van or a Prime Semi Truck. But a clearly marked Amazon truck with a swish. I have never seen one of those and the back was painted exactly like a Prime semi-Truck, now I have to consider trucks like these going forward. I have to conclude that these are very rare. Maybe a simple answer is to give them 3 or 4 points in the count. That would quickly elevate the count for that particular trip. It is unlikely that you will pass one, let alone multiple ones. I cannot believe that Amazon would go to a smaller truck…it just doesn’t make sense. I may write a letter to Amazon and find out what those small box trucks are used for. I don’t expect them to tell me. It is probably well guarded information. Certainly not available to the masses. (I know…they are moving drivers around… probably not) This is so frustrating.
Happy Counting. Also, I would be happy to hear from you about any thoughts you have regarding counts that you make on the highways. One last thought…I know I cannot stop counting… for your sake I am going to suggest that you don’t start because it is one of those things that is hard, if not impossible, to stop doing.
