Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

The Passing Game--How It Should Be Done...

Blu's right as usual, especially about 'self-centric/entitlement attitudes'. How many times do 2 62-mile per hour trucks create a running roadblock for 20 miles because neither cares to give way and neither has the momentum to pass. Or a 62-mph truck pulls out from behind a 61-mph truck to pass, preventing a clutch of 70-mph 4-wheelers and a 70-mph tractor get quickly by instead????

Hey, drivers, let the faster truck get by!!

The difference at your destination is nothing, the unwillingness to let another driver pass is inane--unless he's blowing by you on the right-hand side on a surface street at 50 mph and you're doing 35 mph in a 35 and the yard's up ahead about a mile or less. The only thing that dufus stunt gained him was to open the gate for me.

I didn't have to pull out my card fob.

Here's how a passing situation should go: You can pretty much tell as a truck approaches whether it's faster than you, or you approach it, even if only incrementally. As I came down a grade yesterday on the way to KY, a faster Swift (yeah, Swift!) caught up to me at the trough, I let my 62-mph cruise pick up and although he had the faster truck, his heavier load than my 35K started to prevent him from getting by as the Mack pulled ahead.

As we got in view of the crest and he's not gonna be able to pass on his own, I stuck my hand out the window to signal him to keep winding it up and not back off, then let my cruise down 3 clicks to 58--easy to get over the top, yet let the faster truck by. He understood and waived on the way by.

From there on we had a series of hills that some trucks that close in speed would have played a stupid game of tag on, because had I wanted, I could catch him on the upgrades and he'd pass me on the down side, his heavier truck pushing him downhill. But he really has the faster truck, not by much, and deserved to be in front without a battle from me.

I let him get about 500 feet ahead and just kept running the hills the same way. 3 clicks back off the cruise down to 58 mph setting up near the top, 3 clicks back on the cruise in the trough to climb the hill for the Mack to strive for 62 mph. He pulls incrementally ahead, having the faster truck.

There's a long 50-mph sweeping 'S' curve at the end near my exit and I've done it enough to know that it doesn't tighten up until the last despite big, big yellow arrows all into and through the off-ramp. So I caught up to within 10 seconds of him (yeah, counted it off), then eased up.

Eased up because I don't need or want to pass him. This is my exit coming up. Yes, I had the momentum to go by if I wanted--but I don't need it and he really has the faster truck, although it's not by much. Maybe 62-1/2 to my 62.

 

Another Passing Scenario...Momentum, Momentum, Momentum

On the way to St. Louis Saturday, had one of these snits with a food-grade tanker that came around me on a downgrade, pulled in front and did not have enough nuts under the hood to pull away. As we'd approach grades, I would have to back off because although I've got the faster truck, he's in front of me for the time being and he'd just be coming by on the downhill side.

I know this already by his driving.

When 2 trucks are really close in top speed, it's momentum that times whether you have enough goose to get by and your top speed whether you can hold it. If you can't hold it, you probably shouldn't try go around. My first opportunity to get by this guy I look back and there's a fast tractor coming up and 3 or 4 civilians behind him.

I've got room to get around, but those folks would have to wait. Too many drivers would cluelessly pull in front of traffic and create a bottleneck.

Instead of going around, I ease up, let the faster vehicles by. My momentum drops off and the moment has passed. But since I am the faster truck, there'll be another moment. No problem. Have patience.

Actually, we had three of these where it made more sense not to go around. When I did, the fool tried hard to prevent me from getting around, too. But I'd chosen a long enough grade that I could get by and well ahead and keep it, but his trying to prevent me from getting around did piss me off.

Every downgrade he would try pour it on to catch up, even though he should know by now that he's got the slower truck, if not by much. Now, I'm not going to just let him, either.

Happily, the gods of hills and highways stepped in to separate us. We had been doing this dance where he would start to close on me on the downhill side and I'd pull away on the uphill side.

Again, I've got the faster truck. Not much. But enough.

Because I've got the faster truck (top speed), I deserve to be in the lead.

Then the gods of hills and highways gave me a series of climbing hills and he started to get smaller and smaller in my mirror and finally disappeared back there. At my exit, there's an overpass that crosses over the highway and for the fun of it I waited there until he FINALLY passed under.

Just to enjoy the moment!!

 

Sometimes this slowing down is done intentionally. Had 2 Cretes Saturday and the back one would speed up when I started to close and get the momentum to go by, then when I'd back off he'd slow to 57, slowing me down further and I'd have to bring the cruise down from 62. Momentum alone wasn't going to get me by, it was a pretty flat stretch.

3 times is about as long as I will play this game and the third time a gal pulls in between us so she can eat her sandwich in peace between the slow trucks.

That's enough! As soon as the traffic behind had cleared as far as I could see behind us I went around. Oh, it took a while. Since I'm the faster truck, he should have let off a click or two on the cruise (which is what I would have done). He didn't and I did get around him anyway. Eventually.

When I caught up to the Crete in front, no games. He let me easily by.

Drivers!! Let the faster trucks by!! Even if only slightly faster...

 

Sorting It Out...

When I drove for the Haz outfit with an ungoverned truck and when I'd come up on a clump of 61-62-63 mph trucks battling it out, I'd just hang back until eventually, they'd end up single file.

Might take 10 miles or more. Then I'd go by. Seeyah!!

Our GPSs should probably tell us the average change in elevation over the next 5 miles or so and in 5-mile increments ahead. Because the lay of the land makes a difference.

If you're climbing, equal top-speed trucks will result in the lighter load truck taking the lead--eventually. Until the lay of the land changes. If you're dropping even 5 or 10 feet, the heavier load will gain some momentum downhill. A lot depends on top speed.

Then, again, that 57-mph truck ahead of you may be governed at 71-mph and he's paying for his own fuel--wants to keep as many pennies in his pocket as he can. Piss him off by trying to pass in stupid fashion and he can, should he wish, make you sorry.

Speed you up, slow you down.

 

The Jekyll and Hydes amongst Us

On my very first trip up to Prairie du Chien, on Hwy 61 above Maquoketa (Ma-coke-ida), I suddenly realized the Dohrn driver ahead was screwing with me. The nerve!! I'd pull up to get around and he'd speed up and prevent me. When I fell back behind, he'd slow up.

Again, we did this 3x. Now I'm pissed.

Didn't know the truck yet except that on cruise, he had me. Trucks, though, like a lot of software have secret hocus pocus tricks to do things you normally don't. Like start XP a certain way and a flood of names of MSFT (Microsoft) programmers streams across the screen for pages and pages, all folks who have code written into the OS (Operating System).

I do know how to troubleshoot a system, or at least, I've had a lot of practice. With cruise on, put my foot to the floor, got a little pump up. Cool. Then, get that little pump up and lift the toggle on the cruise and got a little more pump up. Very, very cool.

All I had to do was wait for the right moment when the Momentum Gods would be in my favor. Well, I was running up empty. If he had ANYTHING in the box, gave me a small advantage. When the moment came I blew by him and this snit had been going on for 30 miles or more.

Once I got about 500 feet ahead, where he couldn't creep up on me, just held it there for about 10 minutes deciding whether to give him a taste of his own medicine. Now that we BOTH knew who had the faster truck. Being me.

Decided to just go on my way.

He who plays with fools, becomes a fool, you know.

And he just got smaller and smaller in my mirrors...