OUCH!!!! No mercy for newbies when it comes to citations

Maybe he WAS holding his speed. Might have been slowing down due to an upgrade, then settling back to his normal cruise speed on the flat sections.

 

That situation ( of being just slightly faster than a truck in front of you) would have been an excellent time to take your 30 minute break at the first rest area.

 

most likely, the grade of the road allowed him to speed up, just as it did you. when I am pulling 79,000, I sure don't need someone creeping around me at the crest of a hill, only to hold me back down the other side. just sayin.

 

That's why I love my VEC (Volvo Enhanced Cruise). If I come up to a truck doing 1/4-1/2mph slower than me, I just let the radar and cruise maintain the following distance. Some times its worth it in that situation to hit a rest area and let them get ahead.

What state was this in?

 

M

That's what I do..when trucks start to get all jumbled up i just hit the closet rest area or truck stop..

 

You and I think alike. You get one get out of jail free card for that.

 

Actually there are more factors at work than that, for instance, the rear truck may actually have been running the exact same speed, or even a bit slower than the lead truck, but as he moved to pass, he lost all of his "Drafting" and was now dependent on his truck actually being faster/more powerful/lighter in order to get around the lead truck, but as soon as he broke that wall of air, he was doomed.

 

KT, That's what I was thinking also. If the OP was alongside the other truck for 20 MINUTES, that in itself shows he's oblivious to the dangers of staying in close proximity to other large vehicles on the highway. It would also be likely, that before he passed, he was close enuf to the rear of that truck to be in his draft. Once he move left, he's whammo'd by the air, and actually HE is slowing down. (or more likely unable to defeat the normal air resistance by doing so)

In any case, staying alongside the tandems of another truck for 20 minutes, is a hugh NO-NO, that the OP should have been trained to never do.
In fact, nobody should "have to" train any newbie not to do it,, they should know this... it's just common safety sense.

 

Let this be an expensive lesson learned. I bet you won't do that again, will you? Just consider it "paid training".

 

Me too! When I have a situation like that, I pull off the ramp, wait a few, and roll. No need to get crazy. Works every time. No $1000 ticket.