It’s quite a normal thing here but when I visited the US, I flashed my high beams when the back of their trailer was in front of my car but the trucks didn’t seem to respond.

25 comments

  4. You dont do it behind them, you do it when youre in the lane they want to enter and leaving the room for them to enter.

    Even then trucking is being entered into by a lot of new folks who dont know the signs.

  5. Yeah, absolutely. When they have their turn signal on, you flash your high beams to let them know they’re good. They almost always flash their trailer lights as a thank you.

  6. Yes! Its also a thing to flash your high beams to warn passing cars of upcoming speed traps. Gotta help each other out!

  8. Yes. Flashing lights or high beams a couple of times is universally understood to mean “go ahead” here (to merge, to go at a stop sign, etc). It isn’t specific to trucks, but probably most common with them.

    I learned the hard way that isn’t true in Iceland, though…

  9. Yes, it’s a thing.

    > I flashed my high beams when the back of their trailer was in front of my car but the trucks didn’t seem to respond.

    Short answer: they didn’t need to merge.

    There’s a few things to this:

    1) If you are directly behind the semi: if you can’t see the cab’s mirrors, you’re in the truck’s blind spots. The truck driver can’t see you. Also, you don’t flash high beams at people if you’re directly behind them to tell them they can merge over to the other lane.

    2) If you are in the lane next to the truck: if you are closer than the 3-second following range of the truck, you likely are in blind spots. Trucker may not be able to see you.

    3) (Good) Truck drivers will wait to merge when traffic is as clear as possible. Unless there is a stopped vehicle or hazard, they’re not going to merge in front of you. Especially if there are no other cars to be seen coming behind you.

    4) If the truck hasn’t indicated they want to merge (and the lane isn’t closing, has hazards, stopped vehicles, etc.), good drivers are not going to merge.

    5) There may be other factors that may not allow for a truck to merge in front of you. Just continue on your way.

  10. Yup. We flash lights for all different reasons. To merge. To slow down for animals and to warn of police activity ahead. But yes it’s a thing that you described.

  11. It’s a thing but a truck driver isn’t going to rely on only that as a means to determine it’s safe to merge. (Hopefully)

    Everyday people are the worst traffic directors.

    It’s a world of difference if you watch an amateur directing traffic vs a cop or someone with training

  12. As a truck driver, yes it’s a thing. It’s a dumb thing though. While I’m glancing in the mirror to see if I have enough room to move over, you flash your lights and sear my retinas. The better thing is to turn your lights off and on again quickly. Most trucks are equipped with a button to do just this—conveniently placed and separate from the regular on/off switch.

    And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t flash your lights while you’re passing me to warn me you’re there. You’re headlights are already on. I can see you’re there. Flashing your lights just makes me wonder why you’re flashing your lights when you’re right beside me.

  13. It’s definitely a thing not just for trucks, but to signal at any driver on the road. Heck, I’ve seen people put their high beams on for a few seconds instead of blaring their horn to tell the person in front they’re going too slow or otherwise inconveniencing everyone

  14. I was taught by truck drivers that the proper way to signal to a truck that’s its safe to pass you is to flick your lights off and on. When they merge they usually do the same as a thank you.

  15. And to let the lead cat know you’ll lead for a while in the speeding train formation.

  18. Yeah, it’s a thing.

    It’s not officially taught, but it exists.

    I never learned about it in Driver’s Education in school, or from the official Driver’s Manual. . .but my father freaked out when giving me driver’s lessons and I didn’t do it.

    Apparently he always did it and thought it was normal and was rather surprised when I showed him my Driver’s Ed textbook and my official Driver’s Manual and it didn’t mention the practice.

    So, yeah, it’s a thing and it’s done. . .but not everyone knows about it because it’s not officially in any rulebook.

  19. Not high beams. Turn them off/on (or on/off in the daytime). I do it all the time, and usually get a taillight flash “thank you” in return.

  20. It’s customary to turn your headlights off and back on, not flash your high beams. The truck will then merge into your lane, and will do the same with his trailer lights to signal “thank you.”

    Unless he doesn’t actually want to be in your lane, in which case he’ll ignore you. It’s also possible that he might not be looking at his mirror when you flash your lights, so he might miss it.

  21. It’s not as big of a thing as it is in Europe.

    I know truckers do it to signal to one another but normally passenger cars don’t do it.

    Personal anecdote: I almost died learning that its a thing in Europe. I was cruising down the autobahn at whatever speed at night. As I was passing a line of trucks, I see one flip his turn indicator. Now European truckers had cut me off several times by this point. My mind immediately goes to “make sure he can see me.” I started flashing my high beams.

    Terrible mistake.

  23. Lights off and on again just means “Hey, I’m giving you an ambiguous signal.” …and you have to figure out from context what it is I’m trying to say.

    A police officer told me that I should never wave anyone in/through. If I just leave a gap for them to pull in front of me or whatever, and steadfastly keep doing it until they use it so they don’t have to wait for one of the million cars behind me to do it, them using it is at their own risk. If I wave them in, and they pull in, and they somehow end up creamed by a drunk Ford F150 pilot or they pull into the side of a BMW that suddenly decided to switch lanes? I waved them in. I’m culpable.

    So, a nice ambiguous signal is useful, and ignoring it if you can’t verify is also not a bad idea.

  24. I do it, my family does it, and most drivers will respond if they’re paying attention or want to. Most truck drivers probably feel they are cutting you off, because flashing your beams is also a way of cussing someone out

  25. I turn the lights off and on quickly. I also do that after getting by a semi if he lets me in on a merge or something as “thanks”.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like