bad habits to avoid

The passing thing has been a big problem since insurance companies started raising rates or threatening to raise rates of coverage if companies didn't regulate their trucks to a maximum "safe" speed. That "safe" speed being defined by folks that knew nothing about the industry...this really started getting bad in the early '80's and has only gotten worse over time. It's like the restricter plates in NASCAR racing...all it does is jam a lot of slower vehicles together , making tempers flare and eventually causing the "big ones". The best and really the safest way to counter this problem is for the guy that has 1 mph advantage to just stay behind the slower driver , feather the foot valve , don't tailgate and enjoy the increase in mpg's he's gonna be getting , by letting the slower truck's wind wash "pull" him along.

That's the big thing wrong with today's drivers..... IMHO anyway....too many have the I.... Me.... attitude , and have to be first in line at fuel island , the buffet , the showers , just everywhere. You new guys need to chill a bit , slow down , and not stress over a truck that's "holding you up" you'll both get there....funny thing....when I did run OTR a long time ago....had a fairly decent running KW , would run like a bat out of you know where , stop for coffee , with another driver...then get back in the seat haul ### again....usually passing the same "big R" , P.I.E. , "yellow" two or 3 times in a shift.....so don't tell me fast is always better.....it ain't ...slow down enjoy the ride and don't fuss about the guy running 1 mph slower than you are...he isn't under any obligation to "let" you pass him.....Grow-up...be a pro....

 

I guess there is a fine line between courtesy & patronizing, sometimes. there have been time, just like yesterday as a matter of fact, where some one was trying to pass me starting on a long grade. I think he must have been loaded heavier than me, cause he got to my trailer tires & then started gradually falling back. now I am not going to drop a gear to let him pass, just so I can come around & pass him. some times I think I have enough ommmph to pass & find I dont & I hold up traffic in the left lane. when I DO, it is MY bad & I don't do it often. it just happens, but still MY bad. what is unprofessional is when I am doing 68 or so m.p.h. & a truck in the right lane has an opening to get out, but waits till he has just enough room to jump in front of me driving 15 m.p.h. slower. I look in my mirror & can usually tell if the vehicle in the left lane is moving fast enough to get behind him or in front of him. you can see how fast he is gaining, that should help determine when you pass.

 

On the bright lights, oh yeah don't turn yours on to show the driver what it's like, so he remembers to keep his off. just let him go blinding drivers in both directions. if some one behind me has there brights on, I WILL quick flash my dock lights to let them know. I am not going to be blinded just so that I may not hurt someone's feelings. A lot of these drivers have no c.b. on & there is no way to let them know except to show them the same thing. the bad habit, IS THE DRIVER WITH THE BRIGHTS ON, not the driver signalling to him.

 

You think blinding the guy who has his high beams on and is continuously blinding every vehicle traveling in the opposite direction for the entire time he is within view is safer then flashing him for ½ a second?

If he can’t handle a ½ second of high beams then he shouldn’t be on the road to start with. What would happen to him in a lighting storm?

Leaving your high beams on would be wrong but flashing him briefly is making it safer for all the vehicles traveling in the opposite direction vs ½ second of his being blinded. Seems to me that that is safer then letting him continue to blind vehicle after vehicle.

I think everyone on here has been flashed more than once or twice over our lives and we all seemed to have lived through it. The worst I have suffered is some embarrassment from forgetting to turn by high beams off.

 

And that is the mind of the "new breed" of driver.......Hang the other truck in the left lane for miles....who cares huh?
You don't need to slow down by 5 mph just crack the throttle for a second......geeze man!

 

I'm in a governed truck and get passed "slo mo" quite a lot. Normally all I need to do is back off about 1-2 mph, there's no need to back off 5 mph. Regarding the loss of fuel efficiency, if you give maximum boost to gain back your top speed then I can understand chewing up that kind of fuel. However, it really depends on the amount of boost (throttle) you are giving it. If you simply back off by 1-2 mph and allow the truck plenty of time to get ahead of you and build safe following distance again, then you gradually increase your speed with minimal use of the throttle you will find you hardly have any loss of fuel efficiency. In fact as you are slowing you increase your fuel efficiency. It's about a wash.

 

How true.

Let's add another rule:

When you are entering a freeway and a trucker moves over a lane to let you in, DON'T speed up to create a road block. Maintain a slower speed to allow that trucker to move ahead and come back over ahead of you.

Nothing says inconsiderate jerk than somebody that returns a favor by then blocking you in the hammer lane.

 

On the passing issue in letting them go, reasons.
Its thr tight thing to do.
I don't know the qualification of said truck driver, what if he has a medical issue while along side me or he's multi tasking,texting and eating or playing with radio. I want him past me asap
Sent from my RM-845_nam_vzw_100 using Board Express

 

How about this.....on a clear moonlit night try turning those stupid fog/driving lights off! If ya can't see with factory headlights on a clear night, pull over.

 

Baloney. That's only true if you're a typical steering wheel holder and use the resume on the cruise. I never use it. Gently accelerate back up to speed using cruise boost + 5 psi. You will actually use less fuel than just cruising along. It's hard to believe, but it's true.