I’ve seen many people do many stupid things around trucks.
29 thoughts on “What You’re Doing Wrong On The Highway”
On the other hand…
In the last three years, I’ve done several road trips (not for pleasure, unfortunately) on interstate highways, primarily on I-40 between Barstow and the Great Plains, and on I-5 in the Central Valley. Both of these are major long-haul truck routes. I’ve observed on all trips that the trucks adhere very, very closely to the posted speed limits, regardless of whether law enforcement is around.
This is a major pain because invariably it means that the right lane is 10-15 mph slower than the left lane (these are mostly two-lanes-per-side roads), and when a truck passes a slightly slower truck, the passing vehicle takes forever because it only speeds up a couple of mph. If you add in only a few bad actors in the automotive contingent, it can really mess things up.
I’ve speculated that the truck behavior, so different from 15+ years ago when the trucks were blowing by everyone else, is due to real-time monitoring by the trucking companies and is mandated by insurance reasons. Anybody know for sure?
As that truck driver says, he has a speed governor limiting him to 64. Insane.
In Europe, I believe trucks are limited to 56mph, even though truck speed limits are often higher than that.
That’s why the British motorways (legally 60mph for trucks, I believe, and 70mph for cars) would usually have one lane of trucks at 56mph, one lane of trucks at 56.1mph because their speed limiter’s inaccuracy let them go slightly faster, and one lane of cars at 80-90mph.
One of the nice things about Canadian roads is that trucks can actually pass each other in less than half an hour.
Oh, yeah, last I looked, the limiters were believed to be a major factor in the increasing number of truck crashes caused by the driver falling asleep from the boredom of rolling along at 56mph with their foot on the floor.
In Europe, I believe trucks are limited to 56mph, even though truck speed limits are often higher than that.
That was my experience when driving on the German Autobahn back in 78-80. My car was comfortable cruising at about 100-120 MPH (it was a Mercury Capri with a speedometer calibrated in MPH). The trucks tended to go about 55 MPH. God help you if you got stuck behind a truck because the fast cars were typically going faster than 150 MPH. Changing lanes, accelerating rapidly, and getting out of the way of a fast mover was not for the faint hearted when the difference in speed was easily over 100 MPH. I had to learn special techniques to avoid being caught behind a truck while not being ran over by a low-flying Mercedes or BMW.
I missed that statement in the article; doesn’t exactly match what I’ve seen though. And I’m still curious if it’s a law thing or insurance; my money is still on insurance.
No, it’s not a law thing. It’s a company-policy thing, no doubt driven by insurance.
Fuel economy. I ran the numbers, and especially when Diesel fuel was north of $4/gallon, it was about fuel economy.
If it’s fuel economy, then it is not about cost. There is no cost for saving the environment, Paul. I thought you knew that.
C’mon people. The environment thang (or getting into a micturation contest with Putin over the Ossetia/Georgia dispute in 2008) may have pushed #2 Diesel rose past $4 gallon (it reached those heights even before road tax — heating a house with oil, ouch!). From there on out it’s economics.
A rig gets what, 6 MPG (they may have been doing somewhat better before getting hit with this Diesel emissions “stuff”) or at least 10 gallons/hour. So the fuel costs $40/hour of operation, and what is the driver paid, $20/hour? $30/hour? I don’t know, and I have no knowledge of whether the drivers are underpaid or well-paid, I am just making an engineering guess.
So factoring in additional money to pay for maintenance and depreciation on the truck, the fuel may have approached 50 percent of expenses. But what is the d/dt of these expenses for speeding up or slowing down the truck? The driver cost and truck cost per mile is inversely proportional to speed, so a 10% increase in speed is roughly a 10 percent decrease in cost. The fuel cost goes with the square of speed if the engine is well matched to the load and if aerodynamic loads dominate — worst case, a 10 percent increase in speed increases fuel cost per mile by 20 percent.
So slowing down saves money. I used to see trucks bombing down the left lane doing 5-10 over the limit looking out for “Smokey.” Lately, they are all in the right lane a bit under the limit, with only the “owner operators” who value their time more going faster. With cheaper fuel, they may speed up a bit.
If a trucking company governs their rigs to 64 MPH, I am sure they have “done their sums” in greater depth than I present here.
Sheesh, I would think youse gus would have more respect for my estimation skills as an engineer . . .
99% of truck drivers are paid per mile, so the labor implications of speed are moot, other than the idea that only so many people can be in trucks at any given time.
Some trucks approach 7 or 8 MPG, but you are correct in that speed differences can cause this to fluctuate quite a bit. When costs are measured in the tens of thousands of miles (100,000 miles per year, on average), and the MPG are in single digits, tenths of a mile per gallon are meaningful.
So, yes, engineers and actuaries are the primary reasons for 64 MPH governors. They’re also the reasons for attempts to innovate with “trailer tails”, trailer skirts, and other aerodynamic advantages for what otherwise amounts to a large rectangular block pushing through the air.
And yet here in Georgia on our three-lane interstates, many truckers camp out in the middle lane despite there being no traffic at all in the right lane.
In a region already infamous for its right-lane speeders, these trucking idiots aren’t doing highway safety any favors.
This is for safety, and I actually found it quite helpful while driving in VA that the truckers generally stick to the middle lane in low traffic.
1) They don’t have to change lanes to avoid the idiots that don’t know how to come up to speed before entering the freeway. Which happens all the time, especially in the short on and off ramps common in many areas of VA.
2) When invariably some idiot is going the posted speed limit in the left lane clogging things all to hell, I can pass on the right.
With as much freeway driving as I did in the last 5 years, I developed a great respect for truckers. I’ve seen too many instances where a trucker had to pull some serious acrobatics to avoid pasting an idiot driver. And from what I can tell, truckers are far more considerate on the road on average than POV drivers.
There are stretches of up to ten miles on I-75 north of Atlanta where there are no on-ramps to dodge merging traffic. I’ve seen truckers cruise in the middle lane there, the whole stretch.
I completely understand about dodging merging traffic, and I have a healthy respect for the special difficulties of maneuvering a big rig.
The problem with I-75 is that it never actually has “low traffic,” mainly because the truck-to-car ratio is unusually high. It’s a rare trip when I don’t encounter at least one rolling fleet action where there may be as many as 20 or 30 trucks all trying to pass one another — on hilly terrain where you might gain half a truck length only to lose most of it on the next climb. On a three-lane interstate busy with cars as well.
Georgia’s road system has lagged behind the load it needs to support for years, partly thanks to enviromental-defectives who thought they could halt growth and pollution by preventing road projects. We now have more deficient highways and dysfunctional intersections per mile than I’ve ever seen (and no, I haven’t seen L.A.’s 405).
I will say this for the truckers here though. A few years ago the middle-lane squatters on that stretch of I-75 almost constituted a majority; these last few trips it happens a lot less.
In most states, the truck limit is 55 or 60, so 64 isn’t too insane.
Remember, the single biggest cost of trucking is fuel, and speed kills fuel economy (wind resistance, roughly, is proportional to the square of speed, IIRC).
Trucking companies want their drivers to drive all day at lower speeds, because that’s the difference between breaking even and making money, at a base of 6 mpg, loaded.
(There might also be an insurance factor, but fuel economy cannot be overstated as a driver in trucking decisions.)
The Trucker describes the distracted driver that cuts from the left lane, across three lanes, to make an exit. I agree that is annoying, but the akin to this are the driver’s who think there mistake means that everyone else needs to clear a path, rather than them go up a short distance and U-turn somewhere to make up for their mistake. I see it more than once a week, and each time, I think of Bill Engvall’s “Here’s your sign.”
Yeah, the jackasses who cut in front of me only to slow down to make an exit when there was plenty of room to pull in behind me deserve a special place in hell.
Cutting too close in front isn’t nice, but often there is a backup behind the slower driver (such as yourself, perhaps?), with a nice big gap in front. It’s far easier and safer to pull into that gap rather than trying to wedge into the traffic jam the slow driver is causing. Now who deserves that special place?
The older I get, the less I enjoy driving. And yes, boneheads can be found at the controls of vehicles of every kind.
It’s not that everyone on the road is an idiot. It only takes 1% to create horrifyingly dangerous situations for everyone else.
I learned how to drive on freeways years before I first got behind the wheel.
Too bad that nobody makes useful stuff like this anymore. This short should really be included in every Driver’s Ed class.
Some more interesting tidbits that truckers love but I’ve found written as specific don’t do’s in official state driver’s instruction manuals and bad answers on multiple choice driver’s tests that frankly I find just wrong.
1) Don’t flash your headlights as a “do pass” signal.
Wrong. At night it isn’t always easy for a trucker to judge the end of his trailer vs the front of your bumper under a passing situation. It is usually appreciated to make a quick flash of the hi-beams to let the driver know when his trailer has cleared your car. Those that appreciate the signal will universally flash their trailer lights in appreciation.
2) Never make a left turn from the left lane of a two-way highway.
OK, I agree that if you’re driving on a two-way highway with very limited visibility due to hills, curves, weather, etc. yes this is a bad idea. But when driving in central Kansas in broad daylight with visibility clear to the vanishing point, and an obviously clear left lane, taking a left turn from the right lane of a two-way highway with 65MPH limits makes little sense and is a hell-of-a-pain for the trucker behind you or approaching you from behind. A little common-sense goes a long way here. But insurance companies and accident lawyers aren’t renown for that…
3) Give police, emergency vehicles AND TRUCKS a whole lane of clearance when stopped on either side of the road.
This has actually been made a law in some states (well only for emergency & police vehicles) but I can’t think of a single trucker that wouldn’t appreciate having an extra lane of space, between his stopped vehicle, his body and your vehicle whizzing by at 70MPH, or even 50MPH… I’m talking primarily two-lane Interstate Highway situations, but even on a two-lane, two-way highway under a DO PASS situation getting over will be appreciated if it is safe to do so. And please, SLOW DOWN a little. It’s considered too risky but I think people would all become better drivers if they had to encounter the wind forces from a vehicle passing them by while at speed and in the right lane while they are along the roadside. It’s very frightening. All cyclists that venture out on the public highways already know that kind of fear.
4) Don’t be afraid to put on your flashers if you encounter break lights going on all over the place a mile in front of you! Esp. at night! Esp. in poor weather. Esp. if you are still moving but slowing down or moving slowly. Get those flashers on PRONTO. BEFORE YOU JAM ON YOUR BREAKS! It’s amazing how well people respond to flashing lights of any kind. It could save a/your life.
Well my two cents. Based on two coast-to-coast driving vacations, countless holiday trips from one coast to the mid-west and back again and still here to write about it. Growing up driving all kinds of farm machinery including self-propelled combines and basically being able to drive before I could ride a bike (no joke).
#1) You should actually dip your lights off, not flash high beams, to indicate that it’s safe to pass or pull back over into a lane. On modern cars with automatic headlights, this is more tricky, but it’s still possible to do.
#3 is incomplete, IMNSHO. ANY vehicle stopped on the side of the road – whether it’s police, other emergency, tow truck, semi, car, motorcycle – should be given as much room as possible when passing.
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if a vehicle is broken down with a person in it, or if it’s been abandoned and waiting a tow, but I always err on the side of caution and get over when I have space available.
I also picked myself up a Class II safety vest for 15 bucks at a store here in town, and keep it in my glove box just in case (I used to keep it in the trunk with the spare). There are few memories that stand out in my head quite as distinctly as changing a tire on the side of a 55 MPH country road in a light snow (though not sticking to the road) and not a single person slowing or moving over when passing me (with my hazards on and decent visibility down the road). Somewhat as frustrating is nobody stopping to see if I needed any help, but that’s to be expected nowadays, I suppose.
The last time I needed the vest, I forgot I had it; I was two car-lengths behind someone who hit a deer, and I pulled over to see if they were okay. I would have definitely been better off in the vest when I got out in the middle of the dark highway to help them out; now I keep it in the glove box with my flashlight.
#4) Brakes, brakes, brakes…
Exactly, on #1.
If you watch the trucks, they don’t flash highs at each other – they blink their main lights off.
That way nobody’s getting dazzled.
Your #1 to my #1: Can’t be done on my car. Traveling (daytime) headlights on at all times when in gear or even in neutral unless parking brake is engaged which I don’t recommend for this. A quick flip of the high beams isn’t going to blind anyone. I’ve seen far worse from those damned mis-aligned halogen headlights on low beam!
Brakes != breaks. Yes. Sorry. Can’t correct a previous post.
Good article. I don’t do much highway driving nowadays, but I always give trucks plenty of room and try to stay out of their blind spot. When I pass a truck I wait until I’m well ahead of them before merging back into their lane. I do agree that truckers are generally better drivers (hell, they’re doing it for a living), and I show them courtesy and respect. I’ve hardly ever had any problems with trucks on the road.
If a trucker is tailgating you, you’re probably going too slow.
If you see a truck in your rearview, the first thing you need to do is put down your phone.
I’ve had less issues with truckers than other drivers but I still see them speeding, tailgating, and straddling lanes. And no, you are not going too slow if a trucker is tailgating you. Some trucks might have governors but I see them going 70-80mph. Most truckers are ok with on ramps but some fail to slow down, speed up, or change lanes.
The worst incident I have had with a semi was when one cut across 4 lanes, from the outside right to the inside left, to within feet of my front bumper. Had I not been paying attention, I would be dead. Personal experience says be very wary of commercial long haul trucks. Most of them are good drivers but small mistakes have big consequences and some of them use their trucks like weapons.
The article had some good advice to stay safe around semis, basically just be a defensive driver.
At least one clip in there definitively answers the question “can a truck with proper weight distribution transport cargo by road while lacking a front wheel”.
Also the question “What happens when a truck that has most of its wheels transitions to a truck that’s lacking at least one wheel while in motion.”
Lots of nominees for the Darwin Awards there…
Possibly. My thinking is it’s more a display of the limits of human performance while overloaded on alcohol. I’m not certain that on the current curve of our evolution it’s not an indicator of fitness.
On the other hand…
In the last three years, I’ve done several road trips (not for pleasure, unfortunately) on interstate highways, primarily on I-40 between Barstow and the Great Plains, and on I-5 in the Central Valley. Both of these are major long-haul truck routes. I’ve observed on all trips that the trucks adhere very, very closely to the posted speed limits, regardless of whether law enforcement is around.
This is a major pain because invariably it means that the right lane is 10-15 mph slower than the left lane (these are mostly two-lanes-per-side roads), and when a truck passes a slightly slower truck, the passing vehicle takes forever because it only speeds up a couple of mph. If you add in only a few bad actors in the automotive contingent, it can really mess things up.
I’ve speculated that the truck behavior, so different from 15+ years ago when the trucks were blowing by everyone else, is due to real-time monitoring by the trucking companies and is mandated by insurance reasons. Anybody know for sure?
As that truck driver says, he has a speed governor limiting him to 64. Insane.
In Europe, I believe trucks are limited to 56mph, even though truck speed limits are often higher than that.
That’s why the British motorways (legally 60mph for trucks, I believe, and 70mph for cars) would usually have one lane of trucks at 56mph, one lane of trucks at 56.1mph because their speed limiter’s inaccuracy let them go slightly faster, and one lane of cars at 80-90mph.
One of the nice things about Canadian roads is that trucks can actually pass each other in less than half an hour.
Oh, yeah, last I looked, the limiters were believed to be a major factor in the increasing number of truck crashes caused by the driver falling asleep from the boredom of rolling along at 56mph with their foot on the floor.
In Europe, I believe trucks are limited to 56mph, even though truck speed limits are often higher than that.
That was my experience when driving on the German Autobahn back in 78-80. My car was comfortable cruising at about 100-120 MPH (it was a Mercury Capri with a speedometer calibrated in MPH). The trucks tended to go about 55 MPH. God help you if you got stuck behind a truck because the fast cars were typically going faster than 150 MPH. Changing lanes, accelerating rapidly, and getting out of the way of a fast mover was not for the faint hearted when the difference in speed was easily over 100 MPH. I had to learn special techniques to avoid being caught behind a truck while not being ran over by a low-flying Mercedes or BMW.
I missed that statement in the article; doesn’t exactly match what I’ve seen though. And I’m still curious if it’s a law thing or insurance; my money is still on insurance.
No, it’s not a law thing. It’s a company-policy thing, no doubt driven by insurance.
Fuel economy. I ran the numbers, and especially when Diesel fuel was north of $4/gallon, it was about fuel economy.
If it’s fuel economy, then it is not about cost. There is no cost for saving the environment, Paul. I thought you knew that.
C’mon people. The environment thang (or getting into a micturation contest with Putin over the Ossetia/Georgia dispute in 2008) may have pushed #2 Diesel rose past $4 gallon (it reached those heights even before road tax — heating a house with oil, ouch!). From there on out it’s economics.
A rig gets what, 6 MPG (they may have been doing somewhat better before getting hit with this Diesel emissions “stuff”) or at least 10 gallons/hour. So the fuel costs $40/hour of operation, and what is the driver paid, $20/hour? $30/hour? I don’t know, and I have no knowledge of whether the drivers are underpaid or well-paid, I am just making an engineering guess.
So factoring in additional money to pay for maintenance and depreciation on the truck, the fuel may have approached 50 percent of expenses. But what is the d/dt of these expenses for speeding up or slowing down the truck? The driver cost and truck cost per mile is inversely proportional to speed, so a 10% increase in speed is roughly a 10 percent decrease in cost. The fuel cost goes with the square of speed if the engine is well matched to the load and if aerodynamic loads dominate — worst case, a 10 percent increase in speed increases fuel cost per mile by 20 percent.
So slowing down saves money. I used to see trucks bombing down the left lane doing 5-10 over the limit looking out for “Smokey.” Lately, they are all in the right lane a bit under the limit, with only the “owner operators” who value their time more going faster. With cheaper fuel, they may speed up a bit.
If a trucking company governs their rigs to 64 MPH, I am sure they have “done their sums” in greater depth than I present here.
Sheesh, I would think youse gus would have more respect for my estimation skills as an engineer . . .
99% of truck drivers are paid per mile, so the labor implications of speed are moot, other than the idea that only so many people can be in trucks at any given time.
Some trucks approach 7 or 8 MPG, but you are correct in that speed differences can cause this to fluctuate quite a bit. When costs are measured in the tens of thousands of miles (100,000 miles per year, on average), and the MPG are in single digits, tenths of a mile per gallon are meaningful.
So, yes, engineers and actuaries are the primary reasons for 64 MPH governors. They’re also the reasons for attempts to innovate with “trailer tails”, trailer skirts, and other aerodynamic advantages for what otherwise amounts to a large rectangular block pushing through the air.
And yet here in Georgia on our three-lane interstates, many truckers camp out in the middle lane despite there being no traffic at all in the right lane.
In a region already infamous for its right-lane speeders, these trucking idiots aren’t doing highway safety any favors.
This is for safety, and I actually found it quite helpful while driving in VA that the truckers generally stick to the middle lane in low traffic.
1) They don’t have to change lanes to avoid the idiots that don’t know how to come up to speed before entering the freeway. Which happens all the time, especially in the short on and off ramps common in many areas of VA.
2) When invariably some idiot is going the posted speed limit in the left lane clogging things all to hell, I can pass on the right.
With as much freeway driving as I did in the last 5 years, I developed a great respect for truckers. I’ve seen too many instances where a trucker had to pull some serious acrobatics to avoid pasting an idiot driver. And from what I can tell, truckers are far more considerate on the road on average than POV drivers.
There are stretches of up to ten miles on I-75 north of Atlanta where there are no on-ramps to dodge merging traffic. I’ve seen truckers cruise in the middle lane there, the whole stretch.
I completely understand about dodging merging traffic, and I have a healthy respect for the special difficulties of maneuvering a big rig.
The problem with I-75 is that it never actually has “low traffic,” mainly because the truck-to-car ratio is unusually high. It’s a rare trip when I don’t encounter at least one rolling fleet action where there may be as many as 20 or 30 trucks all trying to pass one another — on hilly terrain where you might gain half a truck length only to lose most of it on the next climb. On a three-lane interstate busy with cars as well.
Georgia’s road system has lagged behind the load it needs to support for years, partly thanks to enviromental-defectives who thought they could halt growth and pollution by preventing road projects. We now have more deficient highways and dysfunctional intersections per mile than I’ve ever seen (and no, I haven’t seen L.A.’s 405).
I will say this for the truckers here though. A few years ago the middle-lane squatters on that stretch of I-75 almost constituted a majority; these last few trips it happens a lot less.
In most states, the truck limit is 55 or 60, so 64 isn’t too insane.
Remember, the single biggest cost of trucking is fuel, and speed kills fuel economy (wind resistance, roughly, is proportional to the square of speed, IIRC).
Trucking companies want their drivers to drive all day at lower speeds, because that’s the difference between breaking even and making money, at a base of 6 mpg, loaded.
(There might also be an insurance factor, but fuel economy cannot be overstated as a driver in trucking decisions.)
The Trucker describes the distracted driver that cuts from the left lane, across three lanes, to make an exit. I agree that is annoying, but the akin to this are the driver’s who think there mistake means that everyone else needs to clear a path, rather than them go up a short distance and U-turn somewhere to make up for their mistake. I see it more than once a week, and each time, I think of Bill Engvall’s “Here’s your sign.”
Yeah, the jackasses who cut in front of me only to slow down to make an exit when there was plenty of room to pull in behind me deserve a special place in hell.
Cutting too close in front isn’t nice, but often there is a backup behind the slower driver (such as yourself, perhaps?), with a nice big gap in front. It’s far easier and safer to pull into that gap rather than trying to wedge into the traffic jam the slow driver is causing. Now who deserves that special place?
The older I get, the less I enjoy driving. And yes, boneheads can be found at the controls of vehicles of every kind.
It’s not that everyone on the road is an idiot. It only takes 1% to create horrifyingly dangerous situations for everyone else.
I learned how to drive on freeways years before I first got behind the wheel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZR7sWMSAo
Too bad that nobody makes useful stuff like this anymore. This short should really be included in every Driver’s Ed class.
Some more interesting tidbits that truckers love but I’ve found written as specific don’t do’s in official state driver’s instruction manuals and bad answers on multiple choice driver’s tests that frankly I find just wrong.
1) Don’t flash your headlights as a “do pass” signal.
Wrong. At night it isn’t always easy for a trucker to judge the end of his trailer vs the front of your bumper under a passing situation. It is usually appreciated to make a quick flash of the hi-beams to let the driver know when his trailer has cleared your car. Those that appreciate the signal will universally flash their trailer lights in appreciation.
2) Never make a left turn from the left lane of a two-way highway.
OK, I agree that if you’re driving on a two-way highway with very limited visibility due to hills, curves, weather, etc. yes this is a bad idea. But when driving in central Kansas in broad daylight with visibility clear to the vanishing point, and an obviously clear left lane, taking a left turn from the right lane of a two-way highway with 65MPH limits makes little sense and is a hell-of-a-pain for the trucker behind you or approaching you from behind. A little common-sense goes a long way here. But insurance companies and accident lawyers aren’t renown for that…
3) Give police, emergency vehicles AND TRUCKS a whole lane of clearance when stopped on either side of the road.
This has actually been made a law in some states (well only for emergency & police vehicles) but I can’t think of a single trucker that wouldn’t appreciate having an extra lane of space, between his stopped vehicle, his body and your vehicle whizzing by at 70MPH, or even 50MPH… I’m talking primarily two-lane Interstate Highway situations, but even on a two-lane, two-way highway under a DO PASS situation getting over will be appreciated if it is safe to do so. And please, SLOW DOWN a little. It’s considered too risky but I think people would all become better drivers if they had to encounter the wind forces from a vehicle passing them by while at speed and in the right lane while they are along the roadside. It’s very frightening. All cyclists that venture out on the public highways already know that kind of fear.
4) Don’t be afraid to put on your flashers if you encounter break lights going on all over the place a mile in front of you! Esp. at night! Esp. in poor weather. Esp. if you are still moving but slowing down or moving slowly. Get those flashers on PRONTO. BEFORE YOU JAM ON YOUR BREAKS! It’s amazing how well people respond to flashing lights of any kind. It could save a/your life.
Well my two cents. Based on two coast-to-coast driving vacations, countless holiday trips from one coast to the mid-west and back again and still here to write about it. Growing up driving all kinds of farm machinery including self-propelled combines and basically being able to drive before I could ride a bike (no joke).
#1) You should actually dip your lights off, not flash high beams, to indicate that it’s safe to pass or pull back over into a lane. On modern cars with automatic headlights, this is more tricky, but it’s still possible to do.
#3 is incomplete, IMNSHO. ANY vehicle stopped on the side of the road – whether it’s police, other emergency, tow truck, semi, car, motorcycle – should be given as much room as possible when passing.
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if a vehicle is broken down with a person in it, or if it’s been abandoned and waiting a tow, but I always err on the side of caution and get over when I have space available.
I also picked myself up a Class II safety vest for 15 bucks at a store here in town, and keep it in my glove box just in case (I used to keep it in the trunk with the spare). There are few memories that stand out in my head quite as distinctly as changing a tire on the side of a 55 MPH country road in a light snow (though not sticking to the road) and not a single person slowing or moving over when passing me (with my hazards on and decent visibility down the road). Somewhat as frustrating is nobody stopping to see if I needed any help, but that’s to be expected nowadays, I suppose.
The last time I needed the vest, I forgot I had it; I was two car-lengths behind someone who hit a deer, and I pulled over to see if they were okay. I would have definitely been better off in the vest when I got out in the middle of the dark highway to help them out; now I keep it in the glove box with my flashlight.
#4) Brakes, brakes, brakes…
Exactly, on #1.
If you watch the trucks, they don’t flash highs at each other – they blink their main lights off.
That way nobody’s getting dazzled.
Your #1 to my #1: Can’t be done on my car. Traveling (daytime) headlights on at all times when in gear or even in neutral unless parking brake is engaged which I don’t recommend for this. A quick flip of the high beams isn’t going to blind anyone. I’ve seen far worse from those damned mis-aligned halogen headlights on low beam!
Brakes != breaks. Yes. Sorry. Can’t correct a previous post.
Good article. I don’t do much highway driving nowadays, but I always give trucks plenty of room and try to stay out of their blind spot. When I pass a truck I wait until I’m well ahead of them before merging back into their lane. I do agree that truckers are generally better drivers (hell, they’re doing it for a living), and I show them courtesy and respect. I’ve hardly ever had any problems with trucks on the road.
If a trucker is tailgating you, you’re probably going too slow.
If you see a truck in your rearview, the first thing you need to do is put down your phone.
I’ve had less issues with truckers than other drivers but I still see them speeding, tailgating, and straddling lanes. And no, you are not going too slow if a trucker is tailgating you. Some trucks might have governors but I see them going 70-80mph. Most truckers are ok with on ramps but some fail to slow down, speed up, or change lanes.
The worst incident I have had with a semi was when one cut across 4 lanes, from the outside right to the inside left, to within feet of my front bumper. Had I not been paying attention, I would be dead. Personal experience says be very wary of commercial long haul trucks. Most of them are good drivers but small mistakes have big consequences and some of them use their trucks like weapons.
The article had some good advice to stay safe around semis, basically just be a defensive driver.
On the subject of driving with trucks, be thankful you don’t live in Russia.
At least one clip in there definitively answers the question “can a truck with proper weight distribution transport cargo by road while lacking a front wheel”.
Also the question “What happens when a truck that has most of its wheels transitions to a truck that’s lacking at least one wheel while in motion.”
Lots of nominees for the Darwin Awards there…
Possibly. My thinking is it’s more a display of the limits of human performance while overloaded on alcohol. I’m not certain that on the current curve of our evolution it’s not an indicator of fitness.