Uber Observations: I Saw A Truck Dog Tracking or Crabbing... Huh?

I'm 48 years old. I've driven across the country several times. I drive for Uber and Lyft. But... today was the first time I ever saw a truck dog tracking down the highway, or as it is also known, crabbing down the highway.

Have you ever seen a vehicle dog tracking, or crabbing, down the road?

Let's set the scene:

I picked up a couple from DFW Airport this afternoon. We were on the way to Uptown Dallas. It was on I-35 when I noticed the crabbing pick-up truck in my rear-view mirror. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

I slowed and moved one lane to the right, allowing the truck to pass me. I watched it go past my Kia, realizing that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. It was going "sideways."

I drove silently for a handful of seconds. I broke my silence.

"Is that truck going sideways, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?" I asked the couple in the back seat.

They looked up and their reactions confirmed it.

"I've never seen that before," the man said.

"Oh, my gosh!" the woman said.

"That truck needs some serious re-alignment," he said.

And... that is exactly what that pick-up truck needed.

When I got home, I started googling: "What makes a truck go sideways". And I found a lot on the matter. According to what I read, this dog tracking, or crabbing, is caused by a misalignment of the rear wheels of a vehicle.

I would never have known such a thing existed unless I had seen it with my own eyes. Now... I may have to create a character in one of my stories whose vehicle dog tracks. Write what you know... Now I know about dog tracking, crabbing cars.

All you aspiring writers out there. Pay attention to what happens around you. Interesting details are out there. You never know what you may encounter which could enrich your knowledge as a writer and ultimately, your writing. Keep a notebook and pen handy. I had mine and jotted down all I saw.

NOTE: I was writing in my notebook while driving for a few seconds... but I did it while keeping my eyes on the road. I scribbled on the page without looking at my notebook just to get the initial thought down.... It was messy looking at it later, but... better to stay safe. Don't take your eyes off the road. Once I dropped off my passengers, I pulled off to the side of the road and took a moment to write down all of my observations.

Here are a couple of links to give you more about dog walking/crabbing. One is a YouTube video someone else shot of a vehicle crabbing. The other is an article that ran in The Globe And Mail.