Adaptive Cruise Control - Beware!

They’re aren’t safety devices. They’re control devices.

Like speed limits, like HOS, like ELD, like CSA. Like safety inspections and like scale houses.

Like Med Cards and like Drug Tests.

Like, the “privilege” of a driving license.

Baphomet will scream if his acolytes don’t take all the profits for themselves.

 

Okay. “Control devices”. Check.

I’m not disputing “control” might be part of it. But can you at least admit that in the process of “controlling” that perhaps some safer driving will also result? Especially with some drivers who are prone to tailgate and/or drive aggressive?

I suspect your attitude would change if you had 1,000 + drivers you were responsible for 365 days a year. The problem with unsafe drivers is you usually don’t find out how unsafe they are until they crash and may or may not kill others in the process. So it stands to reason the captains are going to seek way to add control or enhance safety or whatever you want to call it.

 

I got behind a grain hauler last week on I 39. He was moving out. I'm not sure what his speed was. However it was fast enough that it did not activate my acc. I have not seen a livestock truck in a couple weeks. They are usually doing around 75. They fly down the interstate.

 

Look at the intelligence level of kids coming into the workforce today. You’re going to sit there and tell me a business owner in the business of driving goods from point A to point B doesn’t have a right or need to invest in safety and control devices?

Driver crashes car doing "Bird Box challenge"

 

This system will very gradually slow your speed to the speed of the vehicle you are approaching unless you change to the passing lane almost 1/8 of a mile from the rear of the slower vehicle. There are a lot of places in this country where being in the left lane 1/8 of a mile from a slower vehicle causes a stream of 4-wheelers to pass on your right and "shoot the gap" between passing and slower vehicle.

Drivers with these systems and governed trucks near the same speed spend every day in moderate to heavy traffic either overriding the adaptive cruise, the warnings from the adaptive cruise, or passing another vehicle over the next 5 miles.

And for the drivers that think the solution is easy, "just drive slower so you don't block other vehicles", what I hear is "I should be able to pass when I want, but you shouldn't pass when YOU want."

What I suggest is you never pass another truck the first time you get close enough to notice he is SLIGHTLY slower than you (say 1-2 mph less). You match his speed and keep you safe distance until you notice which of you has an advantage on climbs or descents, you consider when and where you will next have a climb or descent, and factor in the mythical break in left lane traffic. You want to pass when you have maximum speed difference between you and the slower vehicle. If you are being passed in a fleet-speed truck with adaptive cruise, knock off the cruise for a couple of seconds and then resume YOUR speed. In a few minutes YOU may need to pass a slightly slower vehicle. Wouldn't you like a little help? Or you can just screw with your phone and play with the radio "drag racing" another truck for 8 miles and when that merging vehicle comes down the on-ramp you might survive the wreck.

 

They have to! Those cows got places to be!
I've seen some cow mobiles coming out of Florida going so fast the cows are wearing goggles!

 

The only problem is the assumption that drivers are courteous and will knock the cruise off. Those seem rare these days. Yesterday this idiot Mcclane driver moved over to pass me from a half mile back. We were both empty(I could tell he was since one of his doors was missing).

He is content to gain very slowly on me and hold up a line of traffic. I was noticing people come up behind me to get around him, so I slowed down about 5 mph so he can pass. Did he wave, blink lights, etc to say Thanks? Nope, he just sipped on his coke like the unprofessional moron he is and kept going.

 

The struggle is real!

 

Courtesy and common sense are two commodities in extremely high demand and extremely low supply these day in our industry.

 

Yes, what you described is the "normal" these days. The drivers that were raised by other wild animals, trained by newbies with lazy habits, and have no CB to at least hear if someone EVER complains about them blocking the entrance to the truck stop to park closer to the McDs, take 10 miles to pass, etc, etc, etc think "freaks" like you and me are the problem. Lazy animals make more lazy animals.