i AM "captain of the ship"

How is that extreme? Are you baiting?

 

Agreed.

 

Minimum of 8 seconds is a lot of ground. Go time it out.

I actually did time it out before I commented. On the interstate, is fine. But on local roads, which the OP is driving on, it's a lot

 

Agreed what? I'm baiting (whatever that is)? Lol. Sure. You follow multiple football fields if you want. Knock yourself out LIKE I SAID, do what you're comfortable with. But 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile is a bit extreme

 

One of my adaptations on these forums is to be polite and deal with a post whatever it might be. Sometimes I clean miss the point and get teased for it. Other times I might actually contribute something.

Following distance. For me it's always stopping distance plus half. If I need 6 seconds to manuver from 70 to just under 30 before emergency lane change with slide marks etc I add 4 because I know my mind and body needs about half that and the truck needs the rest to generate the braking potential.

If I only followed you at 6 seconds and you stopped, I cannot. I'll burn up the 4 and will impact you at about roughly 35 to 40 that's enough to kill or worse. I don't want that on my conscience. There is enough killing as it is out there.

The problem with following distance is cars usually fill in the gap.

If you are wanting to tail gate and be unsafe, go ahead. But I won't be sharing that space with you where possible. If you are trying to trash talk, tease or otherwise bait or troll online, I simply don't deal with it much.

I would love to see you become a good safe driver. I think you are. But this day and age of increasingly non-anonymous postings your comments might be online for a trucking company officer with power to hire and fire see the stuff you say and not hire you.

I am a little bit of a fuddy duddy at 50 plus years old. Most of the wild oats stuff is long gone, I do keep a small box of it for fun times when everything is going well. I also suspect in many cases there is a generational chasm between you and I. If you are half my age, then.. it depends on what you want out of our converstation, if there is one at all.

I wish you the best. But I also want to show by example that yes, you can be a good safe driver and should advocate the same. Never mind my lunch counter stories of pre-governor etc. I pretty much closed the book on that activity. if you handed me a non governed truck with a rockwell 9 short, I will be very content and able to make things happen during the 11 hours or so driving.

 

Yeah, whatever dude- I've never tailgated In my life, so don't imply that when you have o clue.

8 seconds on local roads is not only extreme- but actually impossible. Anyway, I don't "bait" as you guys call it. So I'm gonna leave it at that.

as I said, "drive however you feel comfortable"

 

Actually, eight seconds on local roads is pretty ideal. Ever follow a bull hauler, grain hauler, or oilfield truck on a 70 mph two lane road? You had better be ready for him to come to almost a complete stop to turn onto a narrow dirt road. Frequently they might be late to realize their turn is on them and they need to brake hard.

If you don't have PLENTY of following distance YOU have to brake hard, coming to almost a complete stop. However, if you had plenty of following distance you have time to slow down EARLY, so you keep more momentum and can easily get back up to speed after they clear the road.

 

You'll NEVER get 8 seconds on a local road. I drive them every day. Traffic will jump in there. You'll also never get 70 mph on a local road- so NO I've admittedly never followed a bull hauler at 70 mph

 

My sentiments exactly. But the again, I drive i95 and the schuykill everyday. Good luck getting "minimum of 8 seconds" there.

But like I said (a half dozen times now) drive how you feel comfortable. I'd love 8 seconds but cars just seem to see that 1/4 mile distance and like to jump in there. Lol.

Either way, it's all good. I'd love 8 seconds, but, local city driving has proven that to be an extreme goal.

 

Oh come off it, at 50 you are still a KID!

I'm just kind of wondering why you keep arguing the point, if you really mean that.