Places Where Hi Viz Won't Help

[Top_Speed1]

What a lot of 4 wheelers (or 2) don't understand is about the speed limitations of semi's nowadays... We CDL guys (well, mostly, except for some independents) are now f'n castrated!

Castration is our term we use for speed cutoff or ecu limit. Most "Fleets" have amended to/at or around 65mph limitation. On Interstates, this makes for a huge congestion of traffic trying to get around the semi's. When a castrated semi (lets say) is a 1/2 mile faster than the one he's trying to pass?... it can basically tie up the passing lane for miles, add in to the mix... if he/she has more than 1 semi to pass or a hill pops up, it can literally take forever.

This has made for some very "bottle neck" type of flow to Interstate traffic in the last few years compared to the un-castration days. I see it from both sides, but boy does it suck to be in the passing lane barely doing 65 (or less) for what sometimes seems forever.

I think travel on the I-States now sucks even more due to this fleet speed regulation. BTW- It was done for two main reasons, safety and reduced fuel consumption. You can't blame the fleets for that I guess

 

[bikerskier]

Don't like riding beside or behind semis; visibility is reduced and too many of them shred trailer tires and throw the remains all over the road.

Two years ago had a semi tire explode next to my wife's car and chunks of tire made a big dent I the rear quarter panel and smashed out the tail light assembly. Scared the **** out of us. Imagine those pieces hitting a rider.

 

[MrM0t0]

Although I wasn't hit by any rubber shrapnel, I was passing one with just the two of us on the road when he blew a rear inside tire. Even with 33 db earplugs the sound was enough to make me take a big bite out of the saddle.

Full speed ahead and a wide berth from then on.

 

[Geezer]

I've seen a tire explode on a semi. I smelled the hot rubber long before the tire went, and I stayed back far enough to be a spectator and not a participant.

 

[Fred W]

Thanks guys. It sounds like my current practice is pretty much the same as all of yours (except for lane splitting the semis in Cali).

One reason that I did not frame my question around passing trucks to their left (which would be preferred) is due to the recent habit of the CDL guys to run in the center lane of a three lane highway even when the right lane is open. I really wish they would stay right except to pass, as is the law (or regulations) in most states. But I find that quite often the semis will be running the center lane at, or only slightly above, the speed limit and then some bozo in a KIA on cruise control is jamming up the left lane, while the right lane is wide open.

While I do not like to pass on the right, in such circumstances, to get past these rolling roadblocks, I'll definitely buzz the right lane. But the lane positions are reversed from passing on the left to keep yourself safe from tire shrapnel, and visible to the driver.

 

[Last Chance]

Read all the posts. As a retired big rig driver, I found a couple of points most interesting. Plus one on watching the steer axle tire for a "heads up" as to where the "set" will be going... Second, blowouts! I have watched a "four-wheeler" almost get blown off the road when one of my OUTSIDE tires blew. The poor couple of seniors in a little Honda Civic almost had heart attacks, plus the big dent in their door couldn't be welcome.. I felt sorry for them, but they shouldn't have "hung out" in that spot for as long as they did. When the summer temps go up, the tires start to blow. Stay well back behind a semi, I've also disabled 2 or 3 vehicles when they have run over an "alligator" from my rig. I stay well away from big rigs at all time, or get by in a hurry. Oh, our trucks were speed limited to 61 mph, making for some very long passing times... Not like the old days when the truck being passed slowed for a couple of seconds to facilitate passing...I would tell you my story of passing/trying to pass a ticked off big rig on I-5 in NorCal, but you would just get pissed off!

BTDT on both ends.

 

[Geezer]

Read all the posts. As a retired big rig driver, I found a couple of points most interesting. Plus one on watching the steer axle tire for a "heads up" as to where the "set" will be going... Second, blowouts! I have watched a "four-wheeler" almost get blown off the road when one of my OUTSIDE tires blew. The poor couple of seniors in a little Honda Civic almost had heart attacks, plus the big dent in their door couldn't be welcome.. I felt sorry for them, but they shouldn't have "hung out" in that spot for as long as they did. When the summer temps go up, the tires start to blow. Stay well back behind a semi, I've also disabled 2 or 3 vehicles when they have run over an "alligator" from my rig. I stay well away from big rigs at all time, or get by in a hurry. Oh, our trucks were speed limited to 61 mph, making for some very long passing times... Not like the old days when the truck being passed slowed for a couple of seconds to facilitate passing...I would tell you my story of passing/trying to pass a ticked off big rig on I-5 in NorCal, but you would just get pissed off!

BTDT on both ends.

That you for that honest perspective from an experienced driver. Unfortunately, most car drivers never even think about the truck next to them blowing a tire. They are usually aware of staying out of the trucks blind spots if they can figure out where they are, but are not taught to stay away from trucks in general.

I have a question on the passing at one mph faster than the other guy. Why do it? Seriously, if you know that you can only go slightly faster than the truck you are passing, why pass him at all? It will only get you where you are going 10 minutes earlier a the end of the day. It's not like my car or bike where I can save a couple of hours a day, or travel a hundred miles or more further in a day by going faster.

 

[RaYzerman19]

I have a little experience in big rigs myself, so can relate to Last Chance's comments. Either stay back further or get by in a hurry and don't pass on the right. Most trucks these days are governed, and travelling at less than the tolerable speed you can exceed without getting a ticket..... get by and keep moving.

 

[HotRodZilla]

And to further Fred's observations: for some reason through Albuquerque they LOVE driving all the way through town in the left lane. Even when the the lanes to their right are ooen. When I'm on my bike, they get passed on the right and a finger. I'm my vehicles, they get a horn and a finger. Too bad mist of them are too stupid to realize they should move.

However, I get to make up for it with my work car. When I see it while working, they get to stop and talk to me for 20 minutes while I write them as many citations as I can think of. They get to hang out and rest while every car they held up and passed in the last 20 minutes gets to pass them and laugh.

 

[Fred W]

And to further Fred's observations: for some reason through Albuquerque they LOVE driving all the way through town in the left lane. Even when the the lanes to their right are ooen. When I'm on my bike, they get passed on the right and a finger. I'm my vehicles, they get a horn and a finger. Too bad mist of them are too stupid to realize they should move.
However, I get to make up for it with my work car. When I see it while working, they get to stop and talk to me for 20 minutes while I write them as many citations as I can think of. They get to hang out and rest while every car they held up and passed in the last 20 minutes gets to pass them and laugh.

I wish more LEOs would do something about it. You might not think that it is a very big problem, but really it is. By riding in the middle lanes when they are not passing and the right lanes are open, these trucks are effectively tying up more lanes than necessary, which results in more traffic jams, and eventually costs us a butt-load of tax money to expand roadways that really would not need to be upgraded if people would just follow the rules of the road.

I'm pretty sure that I know why it has started happening. It's because people are unable to properly merge into existing traffic, even if it isn't bumper to bumper. The mergers expect the through traffic to make a space for them instead of adjusting their speed to find an existing space. Trucks don't like to change their speed if at all possible.

As for Geezer's question, I'd like to hear a good explanation from a pro truck driver too. I don't see why you need to pass someone who is essentially going the same speed.

 

[mcatrophy]

...As for Geezer's question, I'd like to hear a good explanation from a pro truck driver too. I don't see why you need to pass someone who is essentially going the same speed.

I'm not a pro truck driver, but ... If the trucks are on speed limiters, doesn't it make it easier simply to hold the pedal on the floor and let the limiter hold the speed, rather than having to modulate the pedal to hold station?

We get the same problem in the UK, lorries overtaking with very little speed difference, taking what seems like miles to complete.

Of course, being the UK, they have a "spy in the cab", a tachograph that records their driving to ensure they don't exceed either their speed limit or their allowed hours between rest periods.

 

[supertankerm60a3]

The trucks stay in the left lane in towns to avaoid merging traffic. Many more accidents would happen with cagers trying to merge in front, behind and under the big rigs. Out of town they stick to the right lanes. I have an issue with the cagers here on the central coast. They will sit in the left lane for 20 miles with the cruise on not a smidge of care for other motorists.

I mostly use the right lane unless passing, unless getting irritated then I use all of them including the dotted one. I really don't like having to use "angry gear"

gears:

cruising gear

passing gear

angry gear

showoff gear

starting gear

 

[Geezer]

The trucks stay in the left lane in towns to avaoid merging traffic. Many more accidents would happen with cagers trying to merge in front, behind and under the big rigs. Out of town they stick to the right lanes. I have an issue with the cagers here on the central coast. They will sit in the left lane for 20 miles with the cruise on not a smidge of care for other motorists.

I mostly use the right lane unless passing, unless getting irritated then I use all of them including the dotted one. I really don't like having to use "angry gear"

gears:

cruising gear

passing gear

angry gear

showoff gear

starting gear

I agree with your assessment of the cagers who camp in the left lane. I think they just go there because it makes life easier for them, and they jut don't care about the traffic that is trying to get past them.

Regarding trucks keeping to the right when they are outside of town, I have to say 'it depends' on the trucker. Some keep to the right, but more often lately they do not. This year I have had to go around at least a dozen semis which were camped out in the left lane while there was no one in the right lane for miles. It is easy enough to go around, but it does add risk and the truckers are the first to complain when someone passes them on the right. I think some truck drivers are getting lazy and simply don't want to go through the effort of moving over. It only takes one percent to create a problem, perceived or real.

As the number of vehicles on the road per mile of paved road increases each year, drivers need to be more cognizant of the problems they cause and be more courteous to the traffic or we will simply be slowed to a crawl.