My Weekend Tow Story

MossRoad · Jul 4, 2015

Dftodd said:
The favorite trick around here is side by side going ten under the speed limit :banghead:ullinghair: Then the idiots get an attitude when someone cuts them off cops have actually started ticketing folks for impeding the flow of traffic :thumbsup:

Move to Indiana. They just passed a law that took effect July 1st that you have to move over to the right lane for faster traffic coming up behind you REGARDLESS OF WHAT SPEED YOU ARE TRAVELING!!! :thumbsup: Its not your job to slow down traffic. That's the job for the police. So move over, get the speeder's license number and a vehicle description as they sail past you, call 911 and report them.

If you're in the left lane going the speed limit, 5 over, 10 over, 20 over, 20 under, whatever, it doesn't matter, you have to move over to allow faster traffic to get past you. There are exceptions for poor weather, heavy traffic, when exiting to the left, paying a toll or pulling over for an emergency vehicle. And, of course, the police will go after the speeder before they go after the left land Louie, but the gist of the law is "if a driver in the left lane knows or should reasonably know that a vehicle is trying to pass, they should move over to the right lane."

Its got some teeth, too, with $500 fines.

Here's a link to a good article with lots of details.
Move over, law-abiding drivers! New law takes effect July 1 - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

MossRoad · Jul 4, 2015

Aaaand we have our first winner in Indiana... woman driving 4 miles in left lane talking on cell phone holding up 6 cars behind her. She was planning to turn left.... in another 4 miles. :laughing:

ISP pulls over motorist for driving too slow in left lane | WISH-TV

s219 · Jul 4, 2015

We could use a law like that here. There is one left exit on my commute home, and some people get in the left lane and slow-cruise for 4-5 miles before the exit. It's a known bottleneck.

NewfieDan · Jul 4, 2015

Here we have a few rules about all of this. On multi-lane highways, the says that you must keep right except to pass. Even had the police give me a reminder one day. We also have what we call the move over law. It says that when an emergency vehicle is present motorists must move into the left lane AND slow to 60km/h to allow emergency workers to perform their duties safely.

One poster mentioned highway workers. Have a SIL who used to be a flag person. This one day she was working on a local road we call Golf Course road for obvious reasons. One driver pulled up to her stop sign and told her she had no right to stop him, because he and a tee time. He also informed her that he would be ignoring the sign.

Her response was perfect. She told this rude driver, that as he wa driving away she would be writing his plate number down, then calling police. By the time he was down his round of golf the police would be waiting at his car to give him his tickets.he ended up being late for his round of golf.

As for me, when I am towing I usually travel at about 110km/h. Speed limit is 100. I do this to keep temps down on the truck. At 100 or lower I notice that temps slowly rise and will cause overheating. This is because the fifth wheel is right at the limit of the truck.

Had a small car annoy me one day. Not far west of me is a NP with only a single lane and no passing lanes. This small cars would only do 80 through the park. On the west side of the park, there is a passing lane. This small car would not move overweening though there is a sign specifically saying Keep right except to pass. I ended up passing in the right hand lane of the passing lane. He gave me the single finger salute and honked as I passed.

Dftodd · Jul 4, 2015

I have some equipment at work, that the safe towing speed is 55 miles an hour. I try to be as respectful as possible when moving it to a new location. Unit beats the daylights out of you and if the roads really bad, I might be down to 45 miles an hour on the interstate to keep it under control. I just camp in the right lane, or if an exit is up ahead, then I stick to which lane gets me there, whether it's the right or middle lane. Sometimes the left lane if I'm in downtown little rock and need to hit the one left exit. But that's because people refuse to let you move over. So I patiently look for a hole and move into as soon as I can. As soon as I exit, I move back to a lane where it's not impeding the flow of traffic.

Tractor Seabee · Jul 4, 2015

Old Junk Man said:
I drove semi for many decades. ive experienced most of what has been related. I just shrugged most of it off. My pet peeve was those folks you meet who wont dim their lights. worst is the guy behind you following to close who dim,s when meeting traffic and immediately brightens the lights . I had a cure for them. I always carried a box of BB,s . I would throw a handful down on the pavement and let them get a cracked windsheld. maybe that taught them a lesson about what happens when you follow a semi with your bright light,s?.

Sounds like you are part of that trucker bad apple bunch that are part of the problem and not the solution. Bet you do some of the other things we are ranting about in this thread.

Old Junk Man · Jul 4, 2015

Tractor Seabee said:
Sounds like you are part of that trucker bad apple bunch that are part of the problem and not the solution. Bet you do some of the other things we are ranting about in this thread.

The BB thing is something all the back in the day drivers knew. Where do you think I learned it. It works to keep tailgaters away also. all the folks need to do is stay back a proper distance and leave the headlight on dim. We had a switch that would turn off the brake lights also. That came in handy a few times. They sell BB,s at most truck stops. I drove over a million miles and never had any accidents.

Garandman · Jul 5, 2015

Old Junk Man said:
The BB thing is something all the back in the day drivers knew. Where do you think I learned it. It works to keep tailgaters away also. all the folks need to do is stay back a proper distance and leave the headlight on dim. We had a switch that would turn off the brake lights also. That came in handy a few times. They sell BB,s at most truck stops. I drove over a million miles and never had any accidents.

Lucky you as you drop some in front of someone with a dashcam or unmarked car you are looking at a misdemeanor and if you cause them to lose control and cause injury, in most states it can be prosecuted as a felony.

Old Junk Man · Jul 5, 2015

Garandman said:
Lucky you as you drop some in front of someone with a dashcam or unmarked car you are looking at a misdemeanor and if you cause them to lose control and cause injury, in most states it can be prosecuted as a felony.

yea at nite in the dark some camera or even a unmarked car is going to catch anyone. they are following so close all that dash cam is going to show is tailgate and glare from the truck mirrors. and the unmarked car is seeing the same view.finding a bb wouldn't prove anything . iT would need to be proven. All the car following thinks is some road debris was kicked up and it cant be proven that wasn't what happened. I know a guy that was being followed by a bright lighter. he would slow down and the guy just wouldn't pass. finally he came to a stop light. He got out walked back and kicked out the headlights. He got caught and after the judge fined him the judge asked was it worth it. He replied every durn penny. Used to I regularly traveled the stretch of I 57 between Mound Road and the Misssissipi river bridge At Caro Ill. This local made his living ticketing speeders there. It seemed like he was out there 24x7. I kinda knew him. We even talked on the CB. He had a repetore of derogatory hillbilly and dumb truck driver jokes. I ran 54 MPH through there. Because I knew he would write a ticked at 56 to meet his quota. He would on occasion pass me. then back off and run about twenty feet in front of me. Used the big old pete for cover. when some speeder passed us it was funny to see the brake light,s come on. Too late he has his victim. Once I was following a few other trucks through Hardy Ark. They have a squad car setting there with a mannequin in it. I was last in line. One of the other drivers commented there,s a dummy in that cop car. I replied Yep every cop car I ever seen has a dummy in it. And A voice on the CB said look behind you. IT was a state trooper. He said when you get to a good spot pull over I want to talk to you. I was worried. Wondering what he was going to do. Just knew it wasn't going to be good. When we got to the edge of town I turned on my turn signal to pull over. He passed me and made a U turn. and came driving back laughing. He went back northbound not stopping. He told me on the CB now the jokes on you. And I got your name & number.