When we're out on the road maneuvering through big cities and small towns, I suspect most drivers don't think too much of the footprint they're leaving behind. I never considered it early in my career, but I've since spent some time in areas where trucks frequent and I didn't like what I saw and subsequently changed my perspective.
I recently saw this bumper sticker in my home state of Virginia and decided to investigate a little. The sticker is from a private conservation group that is concerned about truck traffic and many other things through their beautiful county that spans the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you operate in the Northeast, you know I-81 is one of the busiest roads in the country as major east-west interstates feed into it and send all those trucks in to supply the densely populated region. However, if you don't live there, you might not understand the citizens fear of going on the interstate due to heavy truck traffic, not to mention litter, noise, pollution, etc. Please be considerate of these areas as it's more than an artery to get from point A to point B to the people that build their lives there.
I've often seen the "No Jake Brake" signs in towns and on interstates that parallel neighborhoods. I used to get offended by that until I spent some time in an area that was near a small hill where trucks used their jakes all day and all night long. It wasn't a mountain pass, but an area where engine braking was more of a convenience. The constant noise really grated on my nerves after only an hour. I couldn't imagine hearing it all the time.
Another sign I recently noticed was from a church just past an industrial park. They had to put up a sign that stated, "PLEASE, no truck turn around." The trucks would constantly miss their turns into the industrial park and go up to the church parking lot, turn around thus destroying the soft asphalt that was never meant for large trucks.
Please be considerate when operating trucks in these communities because people have to live there after we're gone.