Agriculture Trucks

Idaho's huge farm economy is on display everywhere you look this time of year... From equipment and fields going to harvest to the pesky commodity trucks on the highway. Agriculture abounds. So beware, especially on the roadways. Driving among big trucks takes patience says farmer Neil Durrant of Ada County. "Be patient and understanding. The trucks are slow to get up to speed and when they get out on the road with increased traffic, that's one of the biggest things we deal with is getting the trucks out on the road safely but understand that they do take a while to get up to speed and that we do slow down a lot sooner and some of our turning radius is are a lot more than their little compact car that they drive around." Cassia County truck driver Joe Robards says stopping a loaded truck quickly is impossible. "The biggest problem we have is trying to stop if somebody pulls out in front of us. You're weighing 50,000 pounds in one of these and anywhere between 80,000 and 100,000 pounds in one of the semi's, you can't stop." Farmer Durrant, farming amongst thousands of traveling neighbors in Ada County, has added new lights to his trucks. "Some of the safety things we have done is all of our trucks run LED lights so they are a lot brighter and easier to see. Were just trying to do our part so that people know what we are doing." This time of year it is beware around-the-clock. "In sugar beets we run off of the beet temperature. It is no longer a standard day. Sometimes we have to start earlier in the morning to keep our beat temperatures cool."