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"Rolling coal" caught on video during yesterday's ride

25K views 128 replies 46 participants last post by  thalo 
#1 ·
I'm sure most of you have heard of diesel trucks "rolling coal". For those who haven't, it's when the driver does something to cause the truck to belch out a thick cloud of black, carcinogenic smoke. The bullies who do this like to smoke out cyclists, pedestrians, and even other motorists. Yesterday it happened to me while on a group ride in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

We had just started our ride in downtown Colfax, so we were going pretty slow. After making the video from my helmet-mounted GoPro, I grabbed a screenshot off the raw file to try to get the license plate number. I am able to decipher all but the second digit. Here in California that digit is usually a letter. It is either an "X" or a "T".

Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel 'rolling coal' on road group ride 8-30-14 by freighttraininguphill, on Flickr

Here's the video.

Dodge Ram 'rolling coal' on our group road ride 8-30-14 Video - Pinkbike


I have noticed that the dbag behavior in the hills seems to happen most while on group rides. When I ride solo I have almost zero issues. I also "dress down", meaning that the only cycling-specific clothing I wear is the shorts. I wear regular clothing up top. I have found that motorists treat you better when they think you're using your bike for transportation instead of "playing" on "their" roads. Sad, but true. Other cyclists have reported the same thing.
 
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#107 ·
Listen, every diesel truck, big or little built since 2007 was sold with a DPF. If is was removed, and it probably was the truck will smoke on acceleration. With a functioning system the black soot is at near zero levels.
With a SCR system in place (2010 and newer) even the CO and NOX emissions are near zero.
A EPA13 engine is cleaner yet due to a reduction is ammonia emissions caused by overdosing the Urea during the SCR process. A new diesel is cleaner than a new gasoline car.
If it is not, it has been modified and that is illegal.

http://cumminsengines.com/uploads/docs/4971351.pdf
This is for the 2007 YM engines.
 
#109 ·
I'm late to the party here, but have any of you guys ever dealt with the train horns on pickups? The whole smoking thing is annoying and not good for your lungs, but I've had at least a couple pickups sneak up behind me on 2 lane roads, pull out to pass, and give me the full on air horn blast that sounds as if they stole it from the CSX stockyard. That, to me, is more dangerous than smoke because it's incredibly startling. The first time it happened I actually went offroad into a ditch and lost my grip on the bars, but somehow managed to end back on the pavement without going down. I had to stop for a few minutes to regain my composure, though. Total d!ck move.
 
#116 ·
I'm amazed that no one has mentioned asthma. Many cyclists (including me) suffer from asthma, and it so happens that diesel exhaust (or the irritant chemicals in it) are one of the major triggers for my asthma attacks. So, at least in my case, someone "rolling coal" is directly, and immediately threatening me and endangering my life. Not a whole lot different from someone coming up behind me and putting a plastic bag over my head. Would you call 911 for that?
 
#117 ·
nope, I wouldn't.

I'm asthmatic...I don't call 911 when I have an episode, regardless of what prompts it. the most common trigger is inhaling cigarette smoke, I can imagine the response I'd get for phoning that in...

I just hit the rescue inhaler and carry on.

don't get me wrong, I'd like to shoot douchebags that roll coal in the face, but I don't involve 911 over their juvenile antics.
 
#118 ·
I was referring to someone putting a plastic bag over your head, and I suspect you would call 911 for that.

Please distinguish the elements of intent and physical harm between the two cases (rolling coal and plastic bag).

Seems to me that both fit the legal definition of assault and perhaps even battery (no physical contact but neither does shooting someone with a gun require physical contact and that qualifies as battery).
 
#119 · (Edited)
This same thing happened to me last summer. Southeast of Saratoga lake in NY.
It was a group of 5 trucks, and the 2nd one turned on the smoke as it passed me.
Really p!ssed me off, like WTF did I do to deserve that? The first truck had a bunch of folks, including KIDS, pointing at me and laughing as it passed. Huh? Do I have a big hole in my shorts? Then came the smoke.
Dumbest thing was the 3 trucks behind also had to endure the black diesel fumes.
I had no idea what this was about, then did some net poking around, and read articles like this http://www.newsweek.com/coal-roller-257884
and this
Conservatives Purposely Making Cars Spew Black Smoke - Business Insider
It was quickly apparent someone thinks I'm an environmentalist, or liberal, because I ride a bike. And this is their way of "giving the finger" because of that assumption. Or they are just getting some amusement at our expense.
And as you may expect, doing this mod is both illegal for the mechanics and the trucks owners. Also, it can greatly shorten the life of that expensive diesel engine - see post 4 here - most the truck guys on the ford truck forum think it's a dumb idea too
how to roll coal - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
Yep, the people doing it are pretty much lacking any brains. Wasting expensive diesel fuel, risking tickets and fines, and shortening the life of the engine.
 
#120 ·
This same thing happened to me last summer. Southeast of Saratoga lake in NY.
It was a group of 5 trucks, and the 2nd one turned on the smoke as it passed me.
Really p!ssed me off, like WTF did I do to deserve that? The first truck had a bunch of folks, including KIDS, pointing at me and laughing as it passed. Huh? Do I have a big hole in my shorts? Then came the smoke.
Dumbest thing was the 3 trucks behind also had to endure the black diesel fumes.
Did you try reporting them to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office? Those guys are normally good about things like that.
 
#126 ·
I'm in Phoenix. It's not a city. It's the biggest Tea-Billy-*******-Jacked-Up-Pickup-Doofus-Gun-Carrying-In-Grocery-Store-Yahoo town in the world.
 
#128 ·
This is common place down in the dirty south. Some of it is accidental and other times is much more obvious that it was very intentional. At least the driver didn't roll past you at WOT. The surprising thing is that I can't believe that the pass had more than 3' of room. I need to double check that video and then I will take a look outside for pigs in the air.
 
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