bad habits to avoid

Maybe drivers would be more patient in parking lots if all the spots weren't taken by 1700 every day. Of course I'm not advocating driving like morons in the plot, but it's getting ridiculous out here. I woke up the other morning and had to wake up another driver because I was blocked in and I was legally parked in a spot. People are just parking all over the #### place.

 

I've had my CDL since January 2011. I've been driving (safely) MUCH longer than that.

 

Your math is flawed. It has nothing to do with how much distance is lost. It has to do with the power required to increase speed. And where do you get that it only cost .40/mile. Fuel cost anywhere from .5-.7/mile depending on MPG and Cost. @ $3.50/ gallon you would need 8.79 mpg to have a cost of .40/mile/

 

None of those say anything about reducing speed. The only requirements are to not move to the left to block the passing vehicle (yield to the right), and to not increase speed.

edit: I see you're from NJ. They have different laws there. According to NJ, if you're not passing someone, you need to drive in the far right lane.

 

Here's my take. If there's imminent danger of a collision, I think most of us would immediately slow down and let the other driver in, however, I don't think any of us are obligated to break our speed and let another truck in that's barely creeping by us. Momentum is huge and it shouldn't be the driver being passed responsibility to break his momentum to let another truck in that probably shouldn't of been passing in the first place.

 

Perhaps you misread my post regarding the $0.40... that was assuming you are PAID $0.40 per mile, like as in a company employee earning $0.40 per mile. It had nothing to do with how much fuel you are saving or losing by allowing another trucker to pass you.

Regarding the issue that has been cited a few times in this thread about the fuel cost for allowing someone to pass you, I completely think that argument is bunk, garbage, .... wrong.... pitiful...

.... if you SLOW DOWN slightly (1-2 mph) to allow another trucker to pass you then you save fuel during the time you are slowing down and while you are driving slower. If you speed up gradually after the truck ahead of you has now reached a safe distance then you have nominal additional fuel use during your slight acceleration.

I actually ran an experiment on driving methods in LA traffic, using two extremes of driving behavior. One was what I would call "Rompa Stompa" (romp on the accelerator and then stomp on the brakes to maintain minimal distance with the vehicle in front of you at all times).... and the other is my preferred method of driving... giving room and driving about 1-2 mph slower than the rest of traffic in rush hour. Same load weight, same shipper, same route, same truck, same time of day... two different drivers.

Driver A - Mr. Rhompa Stompa - 4.3 mpg to cover 61 miles of LA rush hour.

Driver B - Mwah! - 6.82 mpg

Lay OFF the throttle, "feather foot" whenever you accelerate (never giving it more than 40% boost .... if you HAVE a boost guage) ... and give LOT'S of room for the 4-wheelers to flow around you. I pay most of my attention to truckers in front of me and behind me, making sure I let truckers flow around me or that I can flow around them. The 4-wheelers can take care of themselves if I have good spacing vis a vis the trucks.

 

Actually, I know in CA there is a law that if you are running side by side with another truck for an extended period of time and blocking traffic then both of you can be cited for impeding traffic. I know this because I cited that law when I wrote the Declaration to the court in my brother's case when he was ticketed for passing two bottom dumpers that were traveling side by side in the right two lanes... my brother passed in the 3rd lane and was pulled over. The judge agreed with our Declaration. The LEO pulled over the wrong trucker, he should have cited the two bottom dumpers blocking traffic.

 

When a car comes up on me with the high beams on I just Turn on my load lights and let them get a taste of those until they turn the lights off... may seem like a bad move but I don't care there are too many people driving around early morning or night with high beams on and its just plain ignorance... if you aren't smart enough to realize your high beams are on then get off the frickin road!!

 

I'd love to get into this, but I let someone borrow my Gauntlet of Lost Causes, and I'd sure enough need it in here! I also seem to have lost my "Don't be a ####" flowchart, which would also be quite useful to some in here.

Carry on!