How not to pass/tailgate another truck driver....

Me I like watching the idiots in traffic that go from lane to lane to lane and back again. Like omg this lane moved three feet! No wait that one moved now! And so on.

I have this issue all the time I never understood why people have to get inches to me then pull into the left lane.

 

I-80 in PA is the exception to the rule. Due to the constant up/down across the whole 310 miles. Personaly, it kills me to lift while going up hill when I get jammed behind mega carrier in the granny lane, trying to get out. Not to bad these days with a 500 CAT, ...but I obtained this habit back in the day when we all had 300 Cummins.

 

Danc, knowing for whom you drive, I was going to make a surprised comment about "what are you doing in Atlanta"...

I know it happens everywhere, but NEVER have I seen it so prevalent as it is in the Atlanta area. Whole strings of trucks - 5-10 of 'em, all in a freight train - barreling down the highway at 65 or so - with less than a car length between any of them. And the police don't care.

I'm governed at 62. If somebody crawls up my kiester, I give him a couple minutes (i.e. chances in traffic) to go around (yes, I AM in the granny lane). If he won't do it on his own, I slow down. Gradually. Often, my butt-buddy slows down with me. A couple times last week I was down to 40mph on the interstate and these jerks just didn't get the message.

Folks, when I look in my mirror and it looks like I'm pulling wiggles, you are too #### close. TDC happens before you get that close, but come on!

As for passing and wind resistance. Yes, I've seen that. But I've also been passing some losers who suddenly realize that a slow truck is "ohmygod about to pass me" and jump on it. I'm not talking a half an mph, here. I'm passing at a rate of about 2mph - when they wake up, they goose it to 70 and up.

Being governed at 62, I rather expect to get passed a lot - and I do. Heck, even Marten and Swift trucks pass me. I don't care. If a truck starts to pass me and discovers that he can't, I back off and let him go. He's got the ulcer to deal with, not me.

I've not yet had the joy Danc describes about being cut off for an exit... I expect I will, though. But why - especially with nobody behind you - do so many of you return to the right hand lane with less than a car-langth between my nose and your car-bar (DOT bumper)? You are passing me, yet you expect me to tailgate you?

I know most of you don't use (or possibly understand) flashing in.

We are constantly telling 4-wheelers not to pull back to the right "until you can see both headlamps of the truck you just passed". What makes you think this doesn't apply to trucks passing as well?

Sorry. I'm ranting. Danc694u said it better, but I needed to vent.

 

All this talk about tailgating and following too close is the driver and only the driver. I don't care if your truck runs 55 or 65 you've got to use defensive driving. How would you like me on your tail with 12,450 gallons of gasoline?? It's all senseless and goes right to the drivers driving abilities.

 

I hate when I have a light load and heavy trucks pass me only to have to slow down when they get to a hill or bump as you call them. Then I try to pass them up the hill and the hill goes back down and heavy truck hauls ### down the hill and then we rinse and repeat this for miles.

getting to the point now where i just go 5 mph under speed limit when this happens and grin and bear it. I do think the light truck should be able to lead as the light one can maintain a fairly constant speed as the heavy truck is going to be going slow and fast and slow and fast etc. Oh yeah I-68 sucks!

 

Absolutely!

And if you want to tailgate me, go ahead - you are closer to the gas than I am.

But I'll slow down and let you by, anyway.

{risque comment excised}

I know I'm gonna screw up. How bad, I dunno. Hopefully not bad at all, but I see no need to involve anybody else if I turn my truck into steel and fiberglass origami.

 

Letting that mad dog crazy driver get by me isn't going to ruin my day. Running up on a hazard and having nowhere to go to avoid the hazard just might ruin my day. Bumping my brakes and resetting my speed may cost me a few seconds or maybe a minute or two from my ETA. But I am alive to grip about it LOL.

 

the ones that get me are the ones who you roll up on running 70 and they they jump out in front of you at 60 62 so they dont have to kick there cruse off before they get to truck that they are following to close. and then take twenty miles to pass

 

Sorry not a chance. We are all trained in the Smith System and use our defensive driving skills everyday.