Fast trucks driving slow?

That's about exactly what I do. Everything ticks along nicely at that speed. I'll often back off and let a creeper pass.

And there's good reason to do this too -

Like @scottied67 said, if I know the speed of the approaching creeper, then I may do the same. What I always strive to achieve is SPACE. A creeping mega at a known speed quickly becomes a dangerous pest, holding up the left lane for even a 60 second stretch can quickly create a clustered group of impatient drivers, nose to tail accidents, squeeze play - bad attitudes and wrecks.

I'll either quickly back off, which can create a further safety hazard for me - or drop hammer and find my own space ahead of the cluster that the creeping mega WILL create, because he/she has no better sense than to run the truck up against the governor, regardless of ANYTHING else.

And I suffer the same - so I do the same. Like my wife would always say "Just stay away from stupid". Preventative maintenance is a good word for it.

 

I don't speed up while being passed. I consider this a childish behavior. In some countries it's even illigal, and I think they have a good point. I think: If you want to be in front of me you have to go faster than me - as simple as that. But not for 15sec and then slow down again. If you feel comfortable crising slower than me, than why would that change when I try to pass you? It's a part of the job, that trucks take long to pass. Go faster if you can, but if you took that cheap freight and going to cruise 65 like 80% of fleet trucks and then eat the loss and let them pass. BTW you will lose more fuel by preventing that Swift truck from passing you than you would just crusing faster. My truck is governed to 69 and I respect other drivers.

 

I just ride the left lane all day....lol!.....Really only when no traffic behind me.
Just love the castrated trucks who see you rolling hard up on them in the left lane and whip it out right in front of you doing 64 mph when I'm steady running 77+ with the cruise on.

My truck has tall gears and gets the best mileage at 70 mph turning 1300 rpm.
I always watch my mirrors and move over when a faster truck is coming....old school respect!

 

On flat ground this works. I'll even slow down a bit too let him get around quicker. But in any kind of terrain with even small hills, that same truck is only going to cause me to have to slow down over and over and over cause it can't pull a hill.

Also while i specced my truck to run at maximum efficiency at 64ish, that doesn't mean i pull cheap freight. The goal is to maximize profit on every load. Just because i get good paying freight doesn't mean I'm going to send more profit out the smoke stack than i absolutely have to.

 

I always assumed it was the same reason cars will putt along until a truck tries to pass, then they speed up:

They feel entitled to stay out front, and entitled to force you to slow down to whatever speed they feel like driving at. We're in a governed truck (64mph) and multiple times daily I catch up to and pass an 18 wheeler going about 55, and he immediately swings out into the left lane and hammers past at about 75. Then, 10 minutes later I'm back out passing that same guy going 55mph again.

Before you say it, we run team and are paid per mile and run time sensitive freight. I'm not willing to lose 100mi-200mi per day because Billy Bigrigger doesn't like to be passed.

 

As long as you pass the truck and keep on going then the issue is with the other guy. But if you pass only to slow down to 45 in half a mile at the next hill...well you won't get around me again. Does that make me a guy feeling entitled to stay in front? Maybe, but no more than the guy that feels i shouldn't be able to pull the hills at 65 when he can only manage 45.

 

The cruise is set all day, everyday. We have an average daily speed of 62mph in 64mph truck, so not much time spent at 45mph or below. Our company wants cruise time to be 50%+ daily and we routinely post up 85% of the day in cruise control. It's their game, we're just playing it.

And no, if we're hauling heavy I don't pass going down hills or at the foot of big hills either.

 

I heard about cruise requirements..totally opposite if safety is a concern...lol

 

Happens a lot and is extremely annoying. A lot of times it's an idiot texting on his phone. Notices he's going slow because he's getting passed, hits the throttle to get ahead and starts texting again.

 

hehe I was just kidding. I have posted many videos up where I am going the speed limit and other truckers have gone buck wild trying to get around me, crossing over double yellow lines, or like you said forcing their way past me in the lane closure (check out the closed thread Left Lane Closed/JCT in the video forum).

I do hate it when someone wants to pass but they take 5 minutes to do it and look over at me like I'm the Acehole for not slowing down for their princess ace. Hey this is the speed I was doing when you were behind me and this is the speed I will be doing when you get in front of me. If you cannot pass without me slowing down, boom you cannot pass so don't even try.