Passing at slow speeds etiquette?

Never mind I just found him. There's a picture of him on the "SHOOT ME NOW" thread

 

Its annoying when they try to slow pass. But I will go off cruise and let them pass. I dont want them hanging along side off me. What if a truck needs to merge on the freeway, or a car that is timid and doesn't know how? The overtaking trucker might block me.

What gets me a lot is I am usually empty or less than half full. So they try to pass before a hill and then on the hill I leave them behind. They didnt see my tandems all the way forward.

 

I was the driver that took you to Hunts Point and taught you all that stuff. Can you PayPal me about $50 for the knowledge and the fuel please?

 

Although I don't condone it, here is why the companies are doing this. If they can increase their average fuel economy by just one mpg, they are saving a ton of money. Quick math: 1 mpg saved on a 600 mile run at $3.00 per gallon is $30 per day or $210 per week, $810 per month, $10,080 per year. Lets say a company has a fleet of 1000 trucks...just for easy math. That is a savings of over $10 Million dollars per year. I realize there are other variables involved, but this should give you an idea into the "bean counter's" thought process. I fully understand there are many arguments against this thought process...these are not my thoughts, but the way large companies think when it comes to counting beans. Lets apply the same numbers to say a Knight/Swift operation with about 23,000 tractors. That almost $2.32 Billion dollars annual savings by increasing their fuel economy by just one mpg.

 

I fully understand this. They’re thinking in terms of tenths and hundredths of mpg when you have trucks where you can’t have coaches and managers in every truck. Even an owner with only 5 trucks can feel the effects of a 0.5 mpg +/- change in fleet average performance.

I have no problem with technology that improves overall fleet fuel economy. Most carriers will pass along a good portion of fuel savings in the form of driver pay or bonuses.

 

I'm governed slow and I drop a couple MPH when another slow rig is passing me.

 

STexan, I have always valued your thoughts. Sometimes I have trouble with them or vice versa. That's ok.

I just had a mental image of a coach in the right seat saying you don't have to down shift right now. Uses too much fuel. No you don't have to speed up on this block you have another light coming up etc.

That would be a impossible situation.

The Physics say you have 40 ton in 18 wheels and it's pretty ungainly and clumsy sometimes. You have to have power. (Scotty!....) otherwise just forget it because it will just be in the way of everyone else. Give us the power to cruise at the best fuel burn per hour and you will see results.

The one information I think is useful would be exhaust gas temperatures at each cylinder on the engine. If all cylinders are within a few degrees of one another with a happy pyrometer rolling at the speed limit be it 40 or 85, then you should have a pretty good fuel burn without unnecessary values.

I realize the last paragraph might be beyond some of our steering wheel holders but that's ok. It's just a thought supporting my theory that big horse equals less fuel per hour burnt to do the same work. It beats winding out a 200 horse engine at 2500 to drag a stupid weight a hundred miles.

We need to stop fooling about with 500's and get into the realm of 800's and beyond. I bet you that the fuel burn will be the same with a better performance in any terrain the USA might care to offer without the necessary shifts and so on.

 

I like to use my pass smart i get 30 minutes a day at 67 mph. So i save it when im about 30 miles from my shutdown for the night so i can feel like a supertrucker for the last part of my day going 67 instead of 65!! Hahaha

 

Never heard of passmart til now. I personally have no need for it. Truck is governed at 70, but I personally run 60. So, I have plenty of power if needed. I've never believed in running up against the governor anyway, but I can see how the Passmart would be useful for those that just have to run against the governor.

 

I can see by a lot of these responses the “it’s all about me” attitude that is so prevalent in today’s world.

Sad.