Any truckers out there.

[wedge40]

I just spent two days driving 400 miles each day. Highway pretty much the whole way. My question is why do the truckers TRY and pass another truck that is going .00000001 MPH slower then them. So you're traveling down the road and following two trucks, side-by-side, going about 10 MPH slower then you. Why can't the passing truck speed up OR why can't the truck being passed slow down? I drove from Indiana to Michigan on Wednesday and back on Thursday. Wednesday was fine, but Thursday I encountered about 15-20 of these trucks. One even gave up, slowed down and pulled back in behind the truck he was trying to pass.

Wedge

 

[Stimw]

A lot of times once you get out to try to pass the pressure wave coming off the passed truck will hold you back.
If there are any hills or rises you are trying to keep your momentum up. Once you get a semi wound up, if you let off it takes a while to get it wound up again. Especially if loaded.
AND, there are a lot of wheel holders out there who call themselves truckers!

 

[PRF]

It's all about power.. No trucker wants to lift and slow down for a slower truck.. Sometimes it turns into a low speed drag race.. Most "good" truckers will back off and follow if there's a lot of traffic..

 

[tcartwri]

I don't know. Personally I will only pass if the speed difference is greater than a couple of miles per hour, or I know I can out pull someone on an approaching hill. There is absolutely no point.

 

[B7510HSD]

Me I just stay back on the hills the people in the head office that have never been in a big rig did the ordering on our trucks good fuel mileage and no power....So I just turn on the 4 way flashers so the joggers don't rear end me and have lunch maybe a nap too depending on the hill!! :thumbsup:

 

[kneedeep]

The next time you are on the highway- try a experiment to answer your question of Why??

With cruise on and running the speed limit or a little more, you approach a vehicle slowly and over take it. without slowing down, pass the slower vehicle and stay in the fast lane until you are at least 125 feet past the slow vehicle. This is about the average length of a truck and trailer. How long did it take?

With computer controlled speed and logbooks, truckers can't speed up to pass and to run as many miles (how they are paid) in the allotted driving time, can't afford to slow down. With traffic jams, construction zones, hills, etc. they have to keep the wheels turning to make a living. Modern trucks will shut down if you run beyond the hours allowed by law.

Most people don't realize that a commercial driver can be ticketed for speeding just off the 'black box' that are on most trucks. They can even be cited from time stamps on fuel receipts, toll receipts or load paperwork.

MOST truckers are hardworking people trying to make a living with more government regs than any of us could imagine.

My wife and I drove a truck years ago, about 250,000 miles in a year for one outfit hauling produce from California to Miami, Fl- We made a turnround trip a week! (averages about 680 miles a day).
Truckers today will lose their license if they get a couple of moving violations in 3 years.

Remember this, If you use it, at some time it was on a truck!
Respect the men and women that keep goods on the shelf for ALL of us, I do.

:2cents:

 

[pjbci]

A few years ago i was on Interstate 10 near baton rouge headed to a chemical plant to pick up a load of fertilizer. I came up on a j b hunt truck that was following a snieder truck. Just as i pulled out to pass so did the j b hunt. Both of those trucks must have been governed to 62 mph. After about 5 mins of this side by side standoff i started asking and eventually pleading with them on the CB to let me and the other mile of traffic pass. After maybe another 5 miles, the j b hunt driver gave up his attempt to pass. My peterbilts speedometer only shows 85 but believe me, the needle was way down past there when i went around em.

Long story short, i understand your frustration. Most drivers are will slow down and let another pass but some just wont do it and it will make you want to pull your hair out.

 

[wedge40]

A few years ago i was on Interstate 10 near baton rouge headed to a chemical plant to pick up a load of fertilizer. I came up on a j b hunt truck that was following a snieder truck. Just as i pulled out to pass so did the j b hunt. Both of those trucks must have been governed to 62 mph. After about 5 mins of this side by side standoff i started asking and eventually pleading with them on the CB to let me and the other mile of traffic pass. After maybe another 5 miles, the j b hunt driver gave up his attempt to pass. My peterbilts speedometer only shows 85 but believe me, the needle was way down past there when i went around em.

Long story short, i understand your frustration. Most drivers are will slow down and let another pass but some just wont do it and it will make you want to pull your hair out.

I just think its very arrogant and inconsiderate to do that. I understand that time is money, but if either driver slows down 1/2 MPH it isn't going to make that big of a difference. 1/2 MPH in 10 hours is 5 miles.
And it not my hair that I want to pull out.

Wedge

 

[rmk700]

Impeders should be ticketed. The far left lane is a passing lane not a travel lane. Pass ASAP and get your arse back over to the right lane.

 

[fordmantpw]

IMHO, it's the passing driver's job to make the pass. The trucker in the slow lane doesn't need to slow down. He's going about his business, and then someone wants to pass. If he can't make the pass, then the driver in the fast lane needs to suck it up and follow until he can find a place to pass.

I'm not a trucker, but I do tow a 32' fifth wheel. If I can't pass, I wait, or slow back down to get back in line. I don't expect anyone in the slow lane to slow down so that I can pass them. What really ticks me off is when I am in the slow lane coming up a hill on a normal 2-lane road (3-lane road on the hill), getting just about ready to merge back in, and someone comes up right at the end to pass even though I've got my left turn signal on. Then I have to slam on my brakes to get over because some jerk didn't think he would want to be behind me (though I normally drive at or near the speed limit). Then I've got to get back on it as soon as they pass to build up speed to merge back in. Anyone that has towed knows it's not easy getting 15k lbs back up to speed, even with a nice powerful diesel.