Dumb things passenger vehicles do

I'm sure everyone has stories about dumb things passenger vehicle drivers do around trucks. I'd like to share a recent experience.

I was driving westbound on I-40 in New Mexico in the wee hours with cruise control set at about 62 mph for fuel efficiency. Traffic was very light and I was in "the zone". Then in my rear views I see a fast approaching set of headlights set on BRIGHT!!! Not your average, everyday bright, but retina searing bright. I thought to myself I'd only have to endure that until the fast mover got by me, but then the car came right up to tail gate me... and stayed there... weaving to the left and right to alternately sear my retinas from the passenger side and the driver side. He stayed in that position for about six miles, with absolutely NO traffic to prevent a pass.

I then decided that maybe I could give him a hint to move on. I turned on my 4-way flashers (without changing speeds) for about 15 minutes. He didn't move.

I then released the cruise control and let my speed drop to 50 mph, hoping he'd get the hint to move on around. I drove for about a mile at 50 mph. He was on me like a remora on a shark. He wouldn't budge, other than to keep moving right and left to make sure I'd appreciate his especially bright lights.

Then I signaled and moved over to the left lane, hoping that maybe he was one of these mindless drivers that put the pedal to the metal until they came up to a slower vehicle and then mindlessly tailgate. I drove in the left lane for about six miles at 62 mph and he never moved out of the right lane and maintained speed with me!? I even flashed my backup lights with no effect.

I then saw what I thought would be the saving grace, a slightly slower moving Swift truck in the right lane. I waited until I was a few truck lengths behind, then sped up to make a quick pass, then pulled into the right lane two truck lengths ahead of the Swift truck. For sure this would "rub off" the mindless tailgater, right? Wrong. AFTER I made the pass and got back in the right lane with cruise set on 62 mph (about 0.5 mph faster than the Swift truck) the car sped up around the Swift truck and pulled back right to tail gate me again!?

So I again pulled into the left lane, hoping the car would take the hint and pass me. He didn't budge...

... so I then sped up to 73 mph and pulled away. The car didn't stay with me this time. I waited until he was well over half a mile back, then went back to my cruise control speed. The next 20 to 25 miles were fine.... then there was a long downhill stretch and signs that road construction with a single lane at 55 mph was coming up... all of a sudden there are fast moving headlights zooming up to tailgate me again! Not another set of headlights visible in the rear view for miles.

I then slowed down and slowed down and slowed down, waiting the dufus out... I got it down to 30 mph (with 4 way flashers going) before he finally moved to pass me about 1/4 mile before the road narrowed to a single lane.

I couldn't help myself. I followed him through the construction zone and gave him a taste of bright beams in the rear view for a little bit. He then sped up to at least 70 mph through the construction zone. His brights were on the WHOLE time I ever saw him, including his fog lights. Oncoming cars were flashing their brights at him during the entire episode.

What was he thinking? Unbelievably mindless.

 

This was west of Albuquerque. I thought he might be drunk, but the "weaving" was much too precise and he was dead center in the lane for miles in the right lane, just off my trailer, when I was in the right lane. It's almost like he was purposefully trying to annoy... if it was a he...