What are some of the unwritten rules among truckers?

This is actually how I do it whenever Ive got a driver that wants in front of me I'll holler on the radio and we work together to get the job done no harm no foul. The cars and trucks behind us usually work their way into the open lane and once we get near the merge the cooperating driver jumps in the spot I kept for him and the flow bumps up to near work zone speeds by the time we are at the point of no return. But sometimes you'll get that bone head that wants to cry foul like cooperation on the road to keep everyone a bit safer is the worst thing in the world.

 

Because the sign says merge.
I have never seen a sign that says merge after you go all the way to the front and run out of room.

 

Courtesy. Is a virtue

 

You haven't been driving long, then. These merge signs are appearing more and more. On densely packed roads, where there is no practical way to expect everyone to have time/place/desire to merge early, it only takes sense to utilize all the available space up to the final point, to keep the backup from extending many miles further back [if somehow you could expect everyone to remain in the through lane, like that's really going to happen]

 

I really do wish we could end this debate and do away with all the "traffic control super-truckers" who seem to exist in every crowd.

Zipper Merge

Zipper merge vs. early merge
When most drivers see the first “lane closed ahead” sign in a work zone, they slow too quickly and move to the lane that will continue through the construction area. This driving behavior can lead to unexpected and dangerous lane switching, serious crashes and road rage.

Zipper merging, however, benefits individual drivers as well as the public at large. Research shows that these dangers decrease when motorists use both lanes until reaching the defined merge area and then alternate in “zipper” fashion into the open lane. Watch a brief video of how it works.

 

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37 years driving so far....
You?
Although the signs you show are out there they certainly aren't the norm in the lanes I run.
These are the norm in my lanes

 

I see you got your zipper merge info from minnesota dot.
Aren't these the same dot geniuses that came up,with there fatigued driver program where you were put out of service for not making your bed and having a potato chip bag on you dash?
We all know that lasted less than ten seconds before the courts struck it down.

 

If you see a lizard, tell a lizard.

 

Whenever I encounter construction zone warning signs indicating a lane merger I move over as soon as I have read all of the signs. Waiting is dangerous, one has no idea how much time is left to adjust to the restricted lanes before reaching the work zone. Do not put yourself in an uncompromising situation because you think some idiot on the road may get upset because you moved into the left lane. See the sign, read the sign, make the move into the required lane. those signs are there for everyone's safety and are intended to get vehicles into the safe lane of travel, as stated. Anyone waiting until the cone squeeze is just another idiot jack-wagon.

The above applies to any vehicle being operated.

 

That's the way these discussions end up every single time. And they're discussed as if every lane closure scenario is the same and that we live in a perfect world where everybody is on the same page and everybody will have the same opportunities as you.

Private persona:
"Cut 'em off at speed!"; "That turn signal indicator is not a request, it's a statement!" ; "Put 'em in the ditch if they won't mind!"

Public persona:
"Safety and consideration is first and always"

SMH