What's the correct way to merge onto a highway?

I heard this called “chicago style” driving, cause that is what you have to do there to make a lane change or merge. I don’t mind cars honking at me, then I know where they are. If a guy throws me a finger signal with a honk, I know he might be in a hurry, but he is not driving a 40 ton rig, so it goes! He is always in a hurry, and I am always slow, so it goes!

 

Merging ahead of someone means also enough space that he DOES NOT have to brake. I take that to be OVER 700’.

While in metro areas one does the best one can, I know how much I appreciate it when an oncoming truck truck slows and signals me onto the roadway.

But it’s always a courtesy. There’s no requirement to cede ROW. Which would be a surprise to nearly every mega-fleet carrier “trainer”.

.

 

Who has the right of way on a freeway merge?

 

Ramp must yield to the travel lane...period...BUT... if you can accommodate the merging traffic by moving out of the way or slowing/speeding up, that usually promotes the safest outcome, it also offers good-will towards your fellow persons.

 

Goodwill which is promptly destructed when you get yanked by the Nanny chain at 61 on a 75 mph freeway.

 

I use my turn signal and look. I don't really have much problem merging, just rare circumstance. Watching others merge I'm often puzzled by them. They're trying to get in front of the car ahead of me when it's 1s behind the car ahead of it and I'm a quarter mile down the road behind it. Why make it so difficult? I watch them and they don't even look until they start running out of lane then panic. They are ahead of me, open road next to them and ahead, they are going faster and they brake. I'm only going 45 mph because I've been watching them, how are they going to get behind me?

One particular thing I do when merging is let those that changed lanes to let me in pass and return to the lane before coming up to speed. Anyone that starts passing me while I'm doing that is sol. The same generally with trucks passing me. There might be little reason for them to have attempted passing, but now that they're out there slow down, let them pass. It costs me like 10s and I might lose a whole minute in a day doing that.

 

Of course, don't do anything unsafe just to be nice. The captain of the ship should be able to make that determination.

 

All of the good stuff above. For tankers, use every bit of the on-ramp you can before the merge. If you merge too soon, surge can check you, you end up slowing down more than you anticipated and traffic starts to run up your backside.