why are trucks driving in the middle lane(s)?

The speed has to do with many trucks being governed for max speeds of 64-70 mph these days (lowers Ins rates and improves fuel mileage---reduced tire friction on 18 whls); but heavy trucks that are going thru an area (thru traffic) stay in the middle lane if there is one so as not have to deal with poorly merging traffic that takes away there speed and momentum, not too mention providing more opportunity for possible accidents!

 

The most common problem truckers face is with merging traffic---or rather, 'poorly' merging traffic!! Happens almost daily!! A heavy truck weighting up to 80K lbs (40 tons), or more if a heavy hauler, at lengths of typically 70-75 ft long (longer/wider if 'Oversized), are going past an entrance ramp with traffic coming on. It's up to that traffic to successfully merge!!!! Many times, a car will come on, not adjust speed to merge either ahead of the truck, or after, and meet that truck at the 'end of the ramp!' Many cars expect the truck to do 'something! The only option that long, heavy truck has (if traffic on his left side in adjacent lane) would be to slam on their brakes and let that poorly merging car in. That would not only damage the cargo inside, but also pretty much cause an accident taking out many vehicles!! If I see other trucks or RV's coming on, or multiple cars in rush hr traffic, I will slow my speed down to let all merge at 'my expense' of losing speed & momentum! This is a very dangerous situation that happens almost daily!

BTW, L.A. rush hr drivers are the 'best mergers' of any place I've driven---they get on at a good speed, usually ahead of the truck, since they know the successful way to drive in heavy traffic! They also let trucks into traffic cause they know that they will need the 'wall of trucks' to let them in/out when exiting/entering....

 

10-4 On and Off ramps are a dangerous place for trucks during medium and high traffic times. Not always safe during slow traffic times. Too many people will run around a truck and slap on the breaks rather than slip in behind and exit properly/safely. Also, many will attempt to come onto a freeway slower than the posted speed and many will run up and slam on their breaks and a driver has to guess what to do next. If there is traffic to his/her left, often times the truck has no place to go. Thus, the middle lanes are the safest places for trucks and for the good of the 4 wheelers who tend to get in the way.

Always watch the ramps drivers, and don't forget the fact you can go down a hill many times too slow, but only one time too fast!



Thanks Cybergal. You do good work in here.

 

How about daily, all day long around the world. Yes, LA is one of the best cities to drive in. Sure beats Oakland and Philadelphia, as well as other places. The word out is the Spokane has the safest drivers, but I live here and I don't see where they got their information. Good post pal.

 

As mentioned, although very annoying (especially in the states that have "no truck in left lane law) trucks drive in the middle lane due to the fact merging traffic is done very very poorly. Example: you have cars trying to enter the interstate at 45mph when traffic is moving 65Mph. You have (90% of people merging and not looking at traffic they will be merging into till they hit the bottom of the ramp and expect a big truck to move right over for them.

I wrote a posting about what truck drivers like and don't like (general safety) and this is the section on merging.

Majority of truck accidents are due to lane changing.

You or anybody else for that matter will not understand unless you take a ride around a major city during rush hour in a big truck. This would give you knowledge on the idiotic things people do around big trucks and have no clue how close they just almost became another statistic on the road. You would need to feel how the a truck breaks different and get the feel for how long it takes to make sure when you change lanes it is safe to do so, and even then it still isn't because you may have some idiot 4 wheeler jump out behind you and cause you to swerve back into the lane or somebody from the 3 rd lane try to beat you for that lane......


Truck drivers have been talking about making the 3rd lane for slower trucks and middle 1st 2nd lane for cars. this would help the flow of traffic keeping trucks out of the merging lane.

 

..a 4-whlr who is being 'inconvenienced,' not as a trucker doing his/her job of getting the products (that you want to buy) to the stores!! Nothing gets to stores/builders/fuel/utilities, etc. without it being on a truck at least once in its lifetime! When you see all those big trucks on the road, it means the U.S. economy is doing good!!

 

you also need to rember that car that you are driving came in on a truck. It may have been first on a train but utmatily it gets to the dealer on the trucks that you complain about.
If there were no trucks there would not be anything to eat, drink, wear etc.

If you do not like big trucks then go to a little rock in the middle of the ocean. But then you will be complaining about all the ships, barges etc.