Do you really need to pass?

Nope not me! I give ample space between the back of my trailer and the front of the tractor I'm passing.
But I'm not usually calling people names or bitter towards people I'm passing.
I'm on the road to get my job done and home to my family in one piece.

 

Because I was going the speed limit. What is safe about cutting over in front of someone's bumper?

 

I am with you, I have a job to do too. I have tons of videos of truckers passing me often illegally against double yellow lines or speed zones like the Louisiana 55 mile per hour bridge, I was going 56 miles per hour , 3 trucks illegally passed me.

 

I'll slow down and if I have to keep slowing down, I will pass. It aggravates me, when I am trying to pass a truck, they know I'm going to be able to pass them, yet they don't slow down to let me over. So I'm not tying up traffic

 

Do you ever try to pass by exceeding the speed limit?

 

Nothing.

Then again there's absolutely nothing safe driving side by side for miles.

Exactly what is it that is preventing YOU from back off a few miles per hour to allow another truck to pass quickly and avoid holding up traffic? Pride? Irritation? Get past that.

Once a slightly faster truck pulls out to make a pass I immediately tap out of cruise control and slow at least 3-5 mph. The pass is accomplished quickly and it is a rare event for someone to come over right in front of my hood. I hold the slower speed to build a safe following speed, then get back to cruise control.

Backing out of cruise control isn't really a difficult thing to do. Try it sometime. Maybe even post a video and comment about how you are choosing to do that because you aren't the most important person on the road, and you are helping a fellow driver get past you safely and keeping traffic flowing. It might make some worthwhile viewing, for a change.

 

Trucks that are closely matched - if I am gonna pass a truck that's slightly slower than mine, I chill behind it for a while and watch its speed, (the one single thing the Freightliner front radar gadget is good for). I am governed at 65, pretty high along the governor margin of error, more like 66ish. If he is going 65 but fractionally slower than me, I just let the radar follow him and cruise along. I don't need to be inching along next to him at a 1 foot per minute speed difference, slowly counting his trailer seams. If he is going 64, I give him a dozen miles to make sure he is indeed consistenly slower than me, see if he is heavy or light, wait for a clear left lane with noone behind for a mile or two, and then go for it.

When someone a bit faster goes to pass me in the same manner, i drop the cruise by 2-3 mph and let him get ahead. It's less stressful that way for everybody, riding side to side is definitely not a relaxing time. And the trucker always gives me a grateful wave when I do that. Everyone is happy. But after they pass, they better start slowly receding into the distance instead of slowing down in front of me because the wind changed direction or something. They won't be getting any friendly waves from me in that case, they will get the other hand gesture.

I think those are pretty good rules for us governed trucks - Don't try to pass unless you are sure you're definitely faster. And don't turn it into a pissing contest - if someone is definitely a bit faster than you, just slow down for a minute and let them go.

 

No, I try to avoid speeding tickets, prefer to think about everyone else on the road not just me

 

Of course. Very few drive the exact speed limit. Most drive over the speed limit.

It would be nice if the 'limit' actually was the maximum speed you could drive without expecting a ticket but we all know that in most places that is simply not the case.

 

help me put it together here--

I, going the speed limit must slow down from said speed limit to accomodate speed limit law breakers.

See you guys keep throwing out there- 'be the professional one and slow down...' but make no such advice for princess speeders who want to exceed the speed limit illegally. It is almost like you admire outlaw antics and despise law abiders.