Drafters, worry about them or not?

Let 'em follow you into a weigh station like one did with me in NC!
I usually ignore them and just hope they have good reflexes in case I need to slow down suddenly. Or if I blow a trailer tire.

 

My truck has enough ground clearance that I enjoy looking for roadway obstacles to straddle when I've got some knucklehead right on my ICC bumper. That deer carcass/tire tread/whatever else that passes easily under my truck will tear their ride up in a hurry. Ain't my fault they didn't have time to react.

 

With the amount of cargo theft nowadays, I'm very aware of anyone (particularly a 4-wheeler) tailgating me.

I, too, will just knock the cruise control down a notch or two until they pass, which they usually do.

However, it seems the ones that want to hang on invariably have either their high beams on or a headlight out of adjustment, and they have difficulty keeping their beams out of my mirrors!

 

Had a tailgater start to follow me into a set of scales realized what he was doing and hit the brakes then hit the snow bank. It was very icy

 

I'm sure the bull haulers are laughing reading this thread.

 

That gets really annoying. As long as you're just cruising along the highway, I'll turn my mirror outwards to get the glare off me. I secretly hope if I turn it far enough it will bounce back and hit them in the eye but I haven't been that lucky yet.

 

Been trying to do that with my four-wheeler for a couple years now. It doesn't work.

 

Got to wonder if the people that are doing that are so blind that the only thing they can see is the back of the truck.

By the way, did anyone see the research they are doing that would create groups of vehicles on the roads that do this? A lead vehicle (usually a truck) would "talk" to other vehicles and would lead a group of 3 or 4 cars directly behind the leader, with only inches apart. Talk about a new meaning of computer crash......

 

Northern Michigan, I 75 southbound. 63 mph. No one but me and a fourwheeler. I see him coming up behind me a good 1/4 mile away. He's running I'd say around 80mph. What does he do? He comes sliding up the rear of my truck, tailgates me for a couple miles, then comes sliding out from behind me, accelerates back to about 80, as he is cutting me off. Anyone have a clue why? I sure don't.
Not an isolated case, it happens a lot.

 

Here's a professional driver's thoughts on tailgating. BTW, this is the best long-running trucker's blog in the world.
http://littletrucker.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-hauling-etiquette-1011.html