to drive in a deuce-and-a-half

[blueeye]

Please, can anyone help me with the following passage, particulary with the highlighted part:

He wanted to get away from the sidewalk. He put his
turn signal on and forced his way into the next lane. The
driver behind his shoulder wasn’t happy. Don’t sweat it,
he thought. I learned to drive in a deuce-and-a-
half. Time was when I would have rolled right over you.




Thank you very much.

 

[SoothingDave]

M35 2½ ton cargo truck - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I've never heard of it, but apparently it was a US Army truck.

The

M35 family of trucks is a long-lived vehicle initially deployed by the United States Army, and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. A truck in the 2½ ton weight class, it was one of many vehicles in U.S. military service to have been referred to as the "deuce and a half."

 

[emsr2d2]

I think it refers to a "two-and-a-half ton truck".

 

[Grumpy]

A "Deuce-and-a-half" was the slang name for a military 2 and a half ton truck: the M35. "Deuce" meaning "two"; a card playing term for the 2 of any suit, presumably from the French "Deux". Had the author indeed been driving such a large vehicle, he could certainly have driven right over the top of a normal-sized car.