why are trucks driving in the middle lane(s)?

Real positive actions showing the professional driver here. More like a steering wheel holder.

 

If you're in the middle lane due to heavy merging traffic, emergency vehicles or breakdowns on the shoulder, or some other legitimate reason, then I have all the respect in the world for you and I will back off and follow you until the situation changes, as I previously stated. But, when it is 11pm, and we're on the Ohio Turnpike, for example, and a slow truck won't get out of the middle lane, I have to pass on the right. I was exaggerating with the slam on the brakes part ... but you get the drift.

 

because we can

 

I didn't read all the posts here, but would like to throw in my two cents worth to any motorist who's been "inconvenienced" by a truck.

I drive through some of the worst congested cities on a regular basis. If there's more than two lanes, I get in the middle one. Most other trucks do the same. We line up, with plenty of room between us, so merging four wheelers, can jump across to the hammer lane, without causing us to slow down. If I'm driving in the city, on a four lane road, I'll drive in the left lane, during heavy traffic. This allows people to make right turns onto and off of the road, without me slowing down. This isn't out of arogance, or anything like that. It's a safety issue, first and foremost and it's an economical way to drive, secondly.

A truck is very long, 65' or more. It's very heavy. Up to 40 tons. In comparison, a car is about 1/4th the length and 1/10th the weight. A truck has ten brakes on 18 wheels. A car has 4 brakes on 4 wheels. Do the math. A 40 ton rig, has 10 tons per brake and a two ton car has 1/2 ton per brake.

In heavy traffic, there's very few times that there's room between two cars, for a 65' long truck to change lanes and get between them. At 60 mph, there should be at least 80' to 100' between every car. Plenty of room for a truck to squeeze in. Why then, when I'm in heavy traffic, are there 2 or 3 cars next to me, with only 5' to 10' between them? Who's the arrogant driver?

Now to make it personal. A truck in the right lane comes to an on ramp and there's a line of cars coming down it. He drops his speed 5 mph, to be courteous and allow them all to merge in front of him. Then he has to accelerate back up to speed. A truck gets about 6 mpg, cruising at 65 mph. To accelerate from 60 to 65, he will get about 2 gallons per mile, for a few seconds. That's right, his courtesy cost him nearly a dollar's worth of fuel. And guess what? There's another on ramp a mile further down the road. Let's not even get into the fact that truckers are paid by the mile, not by the hour, so driving at a consistant speed is more profitable.

So, driving in the middle lane is not only the safest thing to do, it's the most economical, for both the driver and the American consumer. How does that affect the average motorist? First, it allows you to merge in any manner you want. Talking on the cell phone, merging slower than the flow of traffic and waiting to check traffic when you get near the end of the ramp, or whatever. You can merge, cross two lanes between trucks and be on your way in the hammer lane. Secondly, any higher costs borne by the trucks are simply passed on to the shippers in the form of higher shipping costs. Will the shipper just swallow it? No, he'll pass on his increased cost to the receiver, who will pass it on to the distributor, who will pass it on to the grocery store, who will pass it on to the consumer, you, the arrogant four wheeler, who thinks we're just out there joy riding all day.

Have a nice day.

 

MarineVet could not have said it better, one in ten 4 wheelers know how to merge in traffic, You see us cruising at 65 but you still try merge at 35, So you tell me what are we supposed to do drop our speed back to 35mph because people can't merge with traffic????? Hope there isn't another truck beside us so we can get over and let you in??????

People who Whine about the trucks taking up room on there commute make me angry and next time your at a supermarket buying your Toilet paper, maybe you should remember that some man or woman delivered that toilet paper in the middle of the night so you wouldn't be inconvenienced by a big truck.

 

Now this is truly an intelligent comment. In fact, I will BOLD what is so intelligent here. The rest is just, well, just the rest. .

Talk about an accident waiting to happen! Just because you disagree with another driver's actions, you are willing to put yourself at risk of being involved in an accident? Does this make sense?

So, instead of having one person doing something stupid, there are now two people doing something stupid, and YOU are one of them!

But that's all right, I guess. You are a little upset, so if you cause an accident where somebody is injured or killed, it gives you a pass. Right?

 

This is a really old post but I just can't pass it up today.....

Because when we drive in the left lane you get all pissy at us and have a sign posted stay out of the left lane (not that some of us do that). Last time I checked a pay hefty road taxes on all the roads across this country (some I don't even drive on anymore) soooo...... I feel I can drive in any lane I want too. Besides (as others have said) merging traffic is a pain in the arse.

 

I have seen this several times and have been in the far right lane at times (I like to travel in the middle lanes) and it amazes me that some of these 4 wheelers getting on the interstate at a slow speed or they aren't paying attention to traffic on the freeway and then they give the trucker the finger for not "letting" them on the freeway; I am sorry but when a vehicle is merging onto the freeway that vehicle must yield to the traffic on the interstate because the merging traffic is disruptting the flow of traffic; I wish they would remember this after they get a drivers license.

 

I look at it like this,
Far left is the hammer lane,
Middle is the travel lane,
Right is the merge/collector lane,
The Joe Public's on the road have no idea how much we as drivers do in one day to avoid killing a bunch of them, mostly due to their ignorance, so if we ride the middle lane maybe we need a break from trying to not kill people and just cruise for awhile with minimal worries.
Believe it or not we drive as much for you as you do. Meaning we adjust to compensate for your abrupt / absurd / inconsiderate driving, so as not to kill you as you cut us off or something.

 

Sorry I posted incorrectly.