sandman2234
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2005
- Messages
- 5,826
- Location
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Tractor
- JD2555 and a few Allis Chalmers and now one Kubota
I drive a tractor trailer, but I am sure many of you experience the same problems when towing your tractors from place to place, if you venture out onto the interstate system.
Since I tend to drive with the slower part of the traffic flow, I generally hang out in the right lane of the Interstate while doing my job. I do have a truck capable of left lane speeds, but that takes fuel and my boss appreciates it when I keep my fuel mileage up. Staying in the right lane tends to have it's problems, with people going slower, but that is ok. The other problem I have noticed is merging traffic. Over the years, as a courteous driver, I tend to notice that the better drivers try to move over for merging traffic, partly from courteous and the other because if they don't, they will get slowed down from them, which isn't something we making a living (or paying for the fuel) want. So we move over as cars come up the acceleration ramps. However, if a vehicle is in the left lane next to us, invisible to the merging vehicle, it isn't possible for us to move over. In the last few years I have noticed vehicle (ok, CAR!!) drivers coming up the ramp and NEVER looking until they are at the end of the ramp. If the truck driver hasn't had the courtesy, the room, or just the inclination to move over, the CAR!! has to jam on their brakes and wait for an opening in traffic to go from a dead stop into 70mph traffic. After pulling out in front of somebody else, the next thing they do is chase the truck down, pass them, and wave frantically with one finger, or better yet, pull over in front of them and SLAM on the brakes, causing the trucker to HAVE to slow down for them. (upsetting the load, the driver, and possible killing the CAR driver, reactions)
I have heard that there are laws on the books in some states (rumored to be CT for one, but not wanting to pick on CT) but did somebody pass a law in the states of Fl, GA, Al, Tn that I didn't know about??? I realize that courtesy should have the vehicles on the interstate move over, but what happened to people LOOKING as they started entering the acceleration ramp for a place to merge into, and adjusting their speed to meet that spot in traffic? And are these "non-looker's" the people who recipocate to us truck drivers by refusing to give us a break as we try to merge into traffic? Trust me, it takes a LOT more to get a truck onto an Interstate than a car, especially if the truck is loaded! Moving over to allow a car onto the interstate takes a little more than most people would think, because we have to find an opening large enough to put almost a hundred foot long vehicle in, without making the faster vehicle traveling in that lane mad at the same time. So we have to judge it's speed as well as room to move over, and don't forget the trucks blind spot needs to be checked (ANY OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN ALMOST RUN OVER BY A TRUCK CHANGING LANES CAN ATTEST TO THAT BLIND SPOT!) So the easiest thing to do for all involved would be the merging driver simply look ahead and increase their speed to merge into traffic, like the laws I learned under dictate.
In case any of you haven't figured it out...Rant off.
David from jax
Since I tend to drive with the slower part of the traffic flow, I generally hang out in the right lane of the Interstate while doing my job. I do have a truck capable of left lane speeds, but that takes fuel and my boss appreciates it when I keep my fuel mileage up. Staying in the right lane tends to have it's problems, with people going slower, but that is ok. The other problem I have noticed is merging traffic. Over the years, as a courteous driver, I tend to notice that the better drivers try to move over for merging traffic, partly from courteous and the other because if they don't, they will get slowed down from them, which isn't something we making a living (or paying for the fuel) want. So we move over as cars come up the acceleration ramps. However, if a vehicle is in the left lane next to us, invisible to the merging vehicle, it isn't possible for us to move over. In the last few years I have noticed vehicle (ok, CAR!!) drivers coming up the ramp and NEVER looking until they are at the end of the ramp. If the truck driver hasn't had the courtesy, the room, or just the inclination to move over, the CAR!! has to jam on their brakes and wait for an opening in traffic to go from a dead stop into 70mph traffic. After pulling out in front of somebody else, the next thing they do is chase the truck down, pass them, and wave frantically with one finger, or better yet, pull over in front of them and SLAM on the brakes, causing the trucker to HAVE to slow down for them. (upsetting the load, the driver, and possible killing the CAR driver, reactions)
I have heard that there are laws on the books in some states (rumored to be CT for one, but not wanting to pick on CT) but did somebody pass a law in the states of Fl, GA, Al, Tn that I didn't know about??? I realize that courtesy should have the vehicles on the interstate move over, but what happened to people LOOKING as they started entering the acceleration ramp for a place to merge into, and adjusting their speed to meet that spot in traffic? And are these "non-looker's" the people who recipocate to us truck drivers by refusing to give us a break as we try to merge into traffic? Trust me, it takes a LOT more to get a truck onto an Interstate than a car, especially if the truck is loaded! Moving over to allow a car onto the interstate takes a little more than most people would think, because we have to find an opening large enough to put almost a hundred foot long vehicle in, without making the faster vehicle traveling in that lane mad at the same time. So we have to judge it's speed as well as room to move over, and don't forget the trucks blind spot needs to be checked (ANY OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN ALMOST RUN OVER BY A TRUCK CHANGING LANES CAN ATTEST TO THAT BLIND SPOT!) So the easiest thing to do for all involved would be the merging driver simply look ahead and increase their speed to merge into traffic, like the laws I learned under dictate.
In case any of you haven't figured it out...Rant off.
David from jax