How do semi-trucks flash their brake-lights ("thanks for letting me in" ?

We've all seen it, I'm just saying it out loud. How do the big rigs flash their brake-lights at you after they return to the slow lane (as if to say thanks) ? I would love to have this capability on my Tacoma Sport. Any and all comments greatly appreciated (yes, even the smart a$$ comments).

 

hazard lights flashing couple times I assume?

 

Dude you hit your hazard button for a couple of blinks.
You 3rd Gen guys have all the good questions!

 

By touching the brake

 

Switched.

 

You can also just gently tap the brake. Don't get too enthusiastic with it. There is a very good chance you will send the wrong message.

 

We have an interupt taillight button, also for headlights as well.

 

When I drove a semi we would flash our hazards. Usually it was after the vehicle in the lane we want to go into has either flashed their headlights or switched on/off to let us know it is safe to merge. We then would flash our hazards to thank the person. Some semi's (like mine) had a momentary switch on the dash we would use to flash the trailer running lights at night. That is all it means and how we do it.

 

No no no. It's the complete opposite. "Tapping", "standing" on the brake is not what I see. I've done that many times without duplicating what the big rigs do. If their running lights are on, they do something that makes them "blink", which turns off the brake light entirely and it "blinks three or four times and then its business as usual.

 

It's it just me or do truckers no longer understand the "safe to move right" signal anymore?

Used to be as soon as his rear bumper cleared your front you flashed or turned on your brights. I've noticed over the years that fewer trucks would respond to that, or at least say thank you.

 

It is the momentary switch that lets us turn them on/off and we flick the switch a couple times.

 

The old timers know this. The younger generations don't know or don't care.

 

Honestly when cars or other big trucks flash their high beams at nighttime they temporarily blind you, so most drivers won’t even look until they are a good distance away.

 

@jake72 has a good point. That is why I always just turned the headlights off so I didn't blind the other driver.

 

Troof.

My office is next door to a grocery distributor warehouse. We can't have nice landscaping at all. Wheel ruts and Gatorade bottles filled with a mystery yellowish fluid.

The number of times I've seen a 53 foot reefer turn left across a four lane without even bothering to check for oncoming traffic...

 

Dude, their lights have an interrupt switch. Push a button to get them to flicker.

 

With almost 20 years in the trucking industry they flash the hazards as stated above as a thank you.

that said let’s face it general courtesy on the roadway from all motorists has degraded over the years.

 

I’ve been driving almost 30 years and find it best just to stay out of everyone’s way. Driver courtesy stopped over 20 plus years ago.

 

I was taught to signal by blinking off at night, brights during the day.

 

"Dude", where can I get this thing called an "interrupt switch" ? I really think this is a cool feature I would love to add to my Tacoma "sports car".