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

I find myself in this situation an awful lot, governed at "65" which according to my cruise is actually 64.6 mph... However, sometimes a little "acceptance" can really ease the situation... if the truck is only doing 1/2 mph slower than me, I will simply set my cruise at my max speed, and let my truck "adjust its speed" to the exact speed of the lead truck allowing a 3 second following distance. One of those times I find all those gadgets (radar units in the front bumper) usefull... so I lose 1/2 mile an hour for a bit, big deal... nobody gets mad, my stress level goes down, and the the balance of the universe is stabalized

 

Geez all this garbage about speed...
Here is some more pro's and con's for you to think about:

I see a lot of trucks out there going real slow, to the point of lugging the engine quite well. The added vibration tears things up, too. Did anyone ever think of that?

They say you can save a ton of money on fuel. The reality is that you don't get the miles, and therefore, the pay that goes with it. I drove pizza for ten years, are they saying that by reducing my speed and taking half of the deliveries I'd make more by going slow? Are they saying that by running a solo load with a team that travels at snails pace I'll make more money? Who are they trying to kid? But there is more...

So set the things to do sixty, and what happens? Welll, even the Federal Government in all its devine wisdom had to be slapped until their brains rattled about the 55 mph speed of the seventies-early eighties. More drivers were causing accidents by falling asleep at the wheel than any other cause, and this was in cars. Now the insurance companies are trying to throw is back to the same place, and they get away with it? I have more chance of falling asleep at the wheel at a slow speed, because there is the old foible of human nature that we all get, its called boredom. Go slow, not much to pay attention to, >yawn<!

When I do buy my own truck (possibly this one) I'll open it to a nice round seventy. If some insurance wag says I'll save a few dollars a week on insurance, I'll just ask him if they have a $50,000 rebate check at the end of the year. A solo driver when given 5 mph can make up to 18k more, a team can make up to 36k more per annum. Not to mention the wear and tear on the lower end, the damage to the other components due to the exacerbated vibration, and the lost wages for down time while the truck is in the shop. (I was down for a week this year for some $4,000 in repairs because of the vibrations incurred. The wiring harness had worn clean through in several places.)
All this adds up to just over the 50k mark.
Falling asleep is my main concern, and there are some loads you simply do not have the luxury to stop and get some rest, or even to stretch. If you have a truck that runs that fast, one would hope that you use the speed wisely. Use it where you can, know where you can't.

Case in point for toys:

I drove around with a radar detector for years, never even bothering to put the hammer down in my car. I was talking to a local cop, he says "You have a radar detector!" I said, "So? Just because I have one doesn't give me licence to scream through a residential neighborhood seething with kids. It's a toy, and I treat it that way. Just a gadjet that makes noise. When I need you guys for something, how do you think I can find you so fast?" I knew the officer quite well, and I have had many occasions to request their services on others behalf, he knew it. You can guess the rest.

The point is, there are a lot of drivers out there that have not the respect for the dangers of the road, and will abuse the equipment if given the chance. On the flip side, I like my toys, and even If I cannot use them all the time, its nice to know they are there. My car could do 170 mph. Did I travel that fast with it? Don't be silly. How do I know it would do it? Controlled environment, a TRACK. A fast one at that. All alone, inspected, helmet, flame suit, the works. Little iffy on the roll cage issue, signed some papers, but got to go FAST. The car was capable of going faster, I WASN'T! (Started losing my nerve around 150!) Would I do it again? As long as I'm on a track, nothing to pass, no oncoming traffic.

I know I can handle a truck doing 70, but after that, one has to consider; if I CAN go faster, should I? What if I blow a steer tire? Most of the gators on the road are from virgin casings, and steers are virgin. 80,000 pounds at seventy is not going to be easy to control. I've blown my share of duals, and then slow down and limp to a shop, big deal...

The best I can say for ALL of you (read US) out there, is to KNOW YOUR LIMITS. Respect your vehicle, even if others don't. The instant you lose respect for it, it will kill you without warning. YouTube has TONS of stupid driving tricks out there in living color.

Fortunately for me, I never like learning things the hard way, too expensive and painful. I'll let sombody else be the example. I just hope there are more like me out there! I'm out here to make money, not kill myself.

 

Yeah, that's the truth! I got all excited when I got assigned a reefer and told I could pick up today and deliver Wednesday morning in GA. But now I can't load until Monday. On the plus side I get a 34. On the minus side I gotta get truckin' Tuesday! And I don't feel so good when I have to really hump it.

 

very much agree. as a governed truck, i often find "truck b" beside me. it isnt hard and it is a courtesy to other drivers on the road that i tap the clutch and let b on in. generally it takes about 3 seconds for him to get back in and i have my safety cushion back rather quickly.

 

KISS. Keep it simple s----d. I never let a truck run along side me for very long, I'll back off almost every time. Might drop down a gear or two and get pushed back some, but that's how I roll. Ill keep my foot into it when a convoy is rolling up from behind. Lost track of how many pro drivers iv seen turn the highway into a horse race. Love horse racing, but only at the track.

 

Here's another how-not-to I've been running into a lot around the northeast.

Truck A is merging onto the highway.

Truck B (governed at 62) moves left to let him in, upon which Truck A says thanks and hot-foots it away (ungoverned, or set higher).

Truck B STARTS attempting to move right, since he's slow, and wants to get out of the hammer lane before Trucks C, D, E and F run him over, as they're obviously late for something.

Upon seeing Truck B's turn signal, Truck C decides it's a sign HE should pass on the right, and is immediately followed by D, E, and F, along with a string of cars. Now B is stuck out in the hammer lane in a governed truck, getting hollered at for being there.

Quit passing on the right, let the slow truck move right and go about your business. Northeast trash haulers and containers are especially guilty of this, as are triaxle dump trucks in NJ.

 

I do this all the time, i thought i was the only one, i guess theres one other guy too lol

people just dont get it, do they............

 

I always let the two governed trucks in front of me battle it out and stay back out of the way.
No big deal unless it lasts for 15 miles or more....It is a shame when the guy in the right lane being passed can't let off the throttle for one second.
If this keeps going on in front of me it does get frustrating.
I'm glad i got full pedal in top gear.....Once everyone gets settled back in the right lane i will get by all of them.

I drove a 65 mph truck for a week one time........BORING! I don't see how some guys do it.
Back when i ran west coast our slowest truck ran 83 mph.