Feedback on trucks using I-5's emergency lane on long climbs

When a truck is running....LOL, running, should be more specific, crawling) up these grades and using the shoulder, they are doing 20-25 mph (or less). Other trucks while not at full speed (remember 55 is legal) or a bit under are usually in the regular traffic lanes. If the boys (and girls) driving the shoulder at 20-25 can't see ahead far enough to see a broke down, or slower truck, and time a move to get around....in my opinion...they shouldn't be driving a big rig in the first place! At that slow a speed...shouldn't you be able to "react" to "oncoming" slow or stopped vehicle?

 

i won't do it, riding on the shoulder is freekin stupid ! Courtesy or not it's putting you and someone stopped there, in harms way i'm glad Oregon is only place foolish enough to let that happen

 

Just geting on the road is putting you and somone else in harms way. And I agree with the otherhalf, Its done perfectly in oregon. The people using the shoulder (a very wide one) are generaly only going 20-25mph. At those speeds on that grade your stoping distance is probly down in the double digits. So if you hit somone that is broke down, It probly did not matter you where on the shoulder as you probly would have hit somone anyway. I would even go as far to say it makes the roads even safer becouse now this vehicle is not blocking the two primary travel lanes.

 

If everyone stays alert, and runs like they should, the use of the "breakdown" lane in the hilly area along I-5 in Southern Oregon does indeed work very well.

The law says "Slower Traffic Keep Right", and in most places, the "Left Lane Is For Passing Only".

So many people seem to ignore this, and camp out in the hammer lane (mostly 4 wheelers) and in the area we are talking about here, the granny lane (truck drivers).

The problem comes when some dipstick is crawling along in the right lane when they should be all the way to the right. Then, a driver in a rig moving considerably faster, but not really fast enough to take the hammer lane, or not able to move there because other traffic is there, is forced to make a choice. Drop a gear, or more, and assume the travel speed of the dipstick and lose the head of steam that has been built up, or take the "breakdown" and continue on.

Additionally, this dipstick crawling along in the granny lane, refusing to keep to the right so faster traffic can continue, is creating a safety hazard.

Some here have mentioned traveling through this area and seeing vehicles stopped in that "emergency lane". I have seen that too. Often there is room for the vehicles to move to the unpaved shoulder, rather than stop on the paved area, and they should. Getting as far off of the traveled portion of any interstate highway is always a smart thing to do. People are so wrapped up in their tiny little world that they fail to stay focused on driving.

I also see far too many truck drivers simply stopped along the interstate looking at a map, etc. Again, very unsafe, and not a wise thing to do. Go to the next off ramp and get off of the highway. Here is an idea, plan the day better so they don't have to stop along the shoulder where it is unsafe to do so.

We all have schedules to keep, and everyday, all day long, we do many things to maximize our time to be as productive as we possibly can. Every minute that can be saved will add up and at the end of the day can make the difference. Minutes can add up to hour(s). If an hour is lost, it can mean the delay of delivering or picking up a load by a day. Delay too many picks or drops, and we earn less money.

And that is what it really comes down to, is our earning potential.

Sometimes we have to work together and cooperate with each other so as to not create situations that can affect the ability of us to earn a living.

 

Well in washinton & oregon on I-5 there are signs that tell you that slow trucks must use shoulder.... beside that if you are traveling below 40 mph you are a hazzard on the interstate therefore you should travel the shoulder until you reach a safe speed for interstate travel.... also there is NO federal law regaurdingdriving on the shoulder, laws such as law restriction and access to a controled access road or public road are set by local state government!

 

I run I-5 through Oregon 2-4 times a week. I know there are no signs requiring slow-moving trucks to use the shoulder, but I did see a newspaper article posted in the N/B Ashland POE Registration Office some years ago. The article related that although there was no law permitting drivers to use the shoulder, law enforcement (OSP) generally allowed the practice as long as the driver was operating in a reasonable, safe manner.

I use the shoulders of Ashland, Sexton, Smith Hill, Stage Road, and Canyon Creek passes when going under 30 mph.

 

There's a stretch of highway between Del Rio and Laredo that's two lane with a truck lane AND allows passing for the uphill climb left of the yellow line, kind of a rare occurance.

 

Actually, the term in "may" not "must"

I never use the shoulder because the 4-wheelers like to make it very difficult to get back into the right lane. I've been screwed over enough times by them that I no longer care about their commute times, they can stare at my bumper as I climb the hill at whatever speed my truck will go.

 

I decided to stop in at the NB Ashland POE yesterday and talk to Officer Frazier, a motor carrier enforcement officer who was manning the scale house at the time, about trucks using the shoulders in Oregon. He said while there's no signage permitting it, "it's encouraged because it reduces accident-causing congestion on the grade". But he cautioned that you cannot use the shoulder to pass another slow truck. If the slower truck wont use the shoulder, you must either pass on the left or remain behind it.

Oregon is slated to add "climbing lanes" on I-5's Stage Road Pass, Smith Hill Summit, and Sexton Mountain Pass, starting in 2013, funding permitted. They are also closing most of their permit offices, including Ashland, in the next 12 months due to budget cuts.

 

HAH!

Now who can I point my finger at while I utter those famous words my wife uses so often: TOLD YA SO!!!!!!