Driving Etiquitte

[flattop40]

Have I missed something or did I just run into the wrong crowd today?

I was driving northbound on I-77 today thru WV. Speed limit is 70mph. Not sure what the minimum is but prolly 45 or 55mph. Anyway, I had my cruise set at 62 just like always (thats the sweet spot) and as most of you know that area is very rolling.

So as I'm driving along I am, what I call "who's the leader"? As we all know in rolling areas the TT speed up down hill and slow down going up. So on the inclines I pass them and on the declines they pass me "who's the leader". Well these 2 TT drivers start to become obviously upset with me to the point the one flipped me off. I just smiled and waved which seemed to make him even more upset.

Obviously they did not like that fact that they had to contiuously pass me on the declines. I could even see them talking about me on the CB (another reason not to have one).

My question is, am I in the wrong for not changing my speed or driving style? Should I too speed up going down and slow down going up? I was carrying a load of about 200lbs so it had no adverse effect on my van's performance.

I was not doing anything illegal so I guess this is an etiquitte question.

 

[Dakota]

I don't think you were doing anything wrong or annoying. I drive a straight truck max speed is 65, Going downhill I might hit 68 but that is it. Going uphill I can usually hold about 55 unless a car or semi slows me down then I am going uphill at about 45.
Like you the semi's usually pass me going downhill and I usually pass them going uphill.
For me it's more annoying when a car holds me up, since I know in most cases that they can speed up a little. I realize semi's are doing the best they can just like my truck so if they hold me up it's okay.

 

[dabluzman1]

When I run along with TT that start to get huffy, I tell them I have a philosophy " I go up the hill at the same speed I go down".
Sometimes they laugh, others times they get huffy and start up with "yeah , well I haul more than you" DUH......
Yeah, so what, I tell if they cant handle the hammer lane stay out of it. That sets em off....then its hammer time for me...you know, adios amigo.

 

[Turtle]

You want to do one of two things:
1 - maintain the same relative speed to others around you, meaning yeah, speed up or slow down when they do,

or

2 - Give them a constant lane so they won't have to change lanes, repeatedly, to pass you. If you move to the left lane to pass them going up hill, don't move over in front of them so that they then have to change lanes to pass you going back down hill, just stay out there and give them the right lane and let them pass you on the right.

Without knowing for sure, I'll bet it's #2 that's what got them mad.

Every time you have to change lanes to pass someone, especially if you're driving a big truck, you increase the chances of something happening. When it's hilly and curvy, driving a big truck handling the hills and curves is hard enough without having to throw in changing lanes and passing vehicles while on the curves, too. Give them a lane, stay out of their way, be one less thing they have to deal with or worry about out there.

Also, a handy CB to let others know what yer doin' so they don't have go guess is a good reason to have one. "I'll just stay out here and you guys can have that lane, I'll stay out of your way," will ease a lot of minds on a dangerous stretch of road.

 

[greg334]

I know the problem, but most of the time they know what is going on if they are now a 90 day wonder. I find that many of these 90 day wonders don't get the idea that there is something called cruise control and a lot of us use it. I maintain a single speed that gets me up hills while under a load of more than 3000lbs, I have a narrow speed band that I can maintain a steep hill. When I am not underload, fuel mileage is my concern.

It is easier for them to pass me than me to maintain left lane driving while blocking traffic, the sprinter drivers get mad quick.

What I can't stand is the truck that speeds up my a**, flashes at me and I have no where to go while I am in the right lane - happened twice this week (they were canadian trucks). When he/she finally passes me, they are stuck and now are indangering others because they want to pass on the right where there is no place to go.

I had one who wanted me to move out of his way going through Detroit, I was already doing 60. He was in a hurry, I refused to yield which would have put me in a bad position in the right lane in heavy traffic. He did everything to pass me on the right except passing me on the left, which he was allowed to do. When he went past me, he was flying. I later saw him on the side of the road with MSP sitting behind him. The fault was not mine, I am doing more than the speedlimit (a touch more to keep up with traffic) and maintaining a single lane for my safety and the safety of others who enter the freeway.

 

[guido4475]

I know excactly where you are coming from, Greg.I try to be as courteous as possible, but sometimes there are drivers out there that just cant comprehend looking ahead, and they expect everytone to react to their stupidity.I had the same thing happen in Michigan on 75 going norhtbound, a Robert truck out of canada was trying to pass on the right of me along with everyone else.I told him on the cb that there was nowhere he could go, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.I guess he didnt like that too much, and ended up changing lanes several times, cutting off several cars and trucks while doing so.So I picked up the phone and in a most courteous tone of voice explained to robert trucking in canada what was happening and that I will be sending the video tape off to the dot as well from the dashcam.(I dont have one, but it is an attention-getter) 5 minutes later I can see the driver picking up his qualcomm reading a message and from there on out he drove like he should of been in the first place.I will not argue with a driver over his stupidity.

Or another example is while going through knoxville there was a England truck, of all things, tailgating a minivan full of kids at least a foot away from his front bumper. I asked him how he would of felt if that was HIS kids in that van, and that there was nowhere for him to go even if that van moved, and that there was no way to stop in time to avoid running over that van.The usual reply was "you drive your truck, i'll drive mine". So I picked up the cell phone and took a picture of it including the truck # and showing how close he was to the back of the van, and proceeded to call his company.I asked the safety officer for his e-mail address and sent him the picture from the phone.We were still on the phone when he received it and blew up on the phone and asked me to get on the cb to ask that driver once again to back off from the van.He responded by calling me every name in the book, and of course, his safety officer heard all of this, and told me thanks for the call,that driver will no longer be working for England.
Am I trying to get anybody fired? No.But if we dont police ourselves out here, who will? It is up to us to weed out the stupid drivers who cannot act professionally.We have a bad enough reputation out here, dont need someone to make it worse.We are big vehicles, and everyone seems to take notice more of what we do. All eyes are upon us .

 

[layoutshooter]

I have that same problem all the time. I try to run with the traffic flow up to 63mph. I am going to drive where my truck gets the best mileage. Those "Rollscanardlies" (rolls down one side of the hill and can hardly make it up the other) often have to pass me multiple times. So be it. Just think just how much fun it will be when all trucks have speed limiters on them. That should REALLY improve the traffic flow. Everyone stuck at the same speed and NO engine to get ahead of the pack. Layoutshooter

 

[guido4475]

They get offended real easy when a straight truck blows by them going up Fancy Gap or Jellico, so they do like a speed of mach one gong down a hill.real impressive.and the whole time I try to explaint othem that I am not going any faster than the speed limit, it just looks that way.

 

[inkasnana]

When that happens to me, (I call it playing leap-frog) I usually speed up just long enough to get far enough ahead so I stay out of their way. It's just annoying to me to have to pass the trucks over and over.

 

[layoutshooter]

IF they have tell them to give me the info!!! LOL Layoutshooter

 

[pjjjjj]

It's interesting that as truck drivers, you guys don't have more awareness, and maybe even consideration for the intrinsic challenges of an 18-wheeler driver trying to go up hills.
It's a lot easier for a van to move over a lane to allow the TT to gain speed, than for the TT to keep having to pass, so why not be courteous?
You might be able to get by using cruise control in a mountainous area... doesn't mean they can, at 80000#. When they're trying to gain speed and keep getting slowed down by a van going 8 miles under the speed limit that just passed them, personally I can see why they'd be flipping you the bird.
I might even think you had some passive-aggressive issues.

 

[layoutshooter]

I understand it, it does seem that some T/T drivers don't. I have had some get mad at me in the past. I go up and down, same speed. Layoutshooter

 

[Turtle]

I go up and down at the same speed, too, it's just that I try to stay out of their way while doing it.

 

[layoutshooter]

You mean that if I take off the cruise control I will get 11.9mpg rather then 10.9? WOW!! Layoutshooter

 

[pjjjjj]

BTW using cruise is not fuel efficient on hilly terrain Turtle said so in another thread....

Well, not saying to use cruise, just saying think of others. Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of the road to ourselves most times.

Also not saying that *some* truckers, of *all* types of trucks, aren't idiots, of course some are. Just think it's odd that in *this* case, the OP doesn't get it.

 

[layoutshooter]

OH YEAH!!! Well no need to worry about me!! I don't get anything!!! LOL Layoutshooter

 

[pelicn]

Flattop, I don't see that you did anything wrong. While in T/T we traveled I-77 3 or 4 times a week with heavy beer loads. Pass away on the uphill, just don't pull right back in front of them on the approach to the downhill because they want to build up speed to help them get up the next hill.

 

[Turtle]

I don't think he did anything wrong, either. Not at all. It's like he said, it's an etiquette question more than anything, a courtesy thing.

I don't use my cruise in the hills. It's way inefficient with fuel. It uses too much fuel to keep you at a slower, steady speed coming downhill. You're much better off taking your foot off the pedal and shifting into a lower gear. Plus, if you start up a hill and there's a little too much tug, the cruise will kick the transmission into a lower gear (which just murders fuel economy when it happens), which is not something I like doing in a Sprinter.

 

[mjolnir131]

ok now this was back in the 80s bt i was always instrsted that a tractor was a compleat system made to work together and that no part of it was better then anyother.so if yor going much faster downhill than you do going up your taxing a diffent part of the system ussually something important.

 

[ebsprintin]

In the flying world and i think the sailing world, the least maneuverable vehicle has the right of way. In other words everyone flies around a balloon, because the balloon can't fly around anyone else. Unfortunately, rules of the road don't translate well to the highways because there aren't enough professionals out there.

As a van driver I try to deconflict with the traffic. I either speed up or slow down to keep away from the leap frog crowd.

I drove a 65 mph tanker, so I'm familiar with driving slow and heavy. Don't think you'll like it when all trucks get speed limited to 65. Trucks are going to be crawling up hills, instead of just slowing down a little. Just take a truck 3 or 4 mph off the rhythm of a hill and they have to downshift and then the hill turns into a parking lot. Three or four mph at the bottom of the hill can make a 20 mph difference in average speed.

In my perfect little world it would be mandatory that every driver have to drive a tractor-trailer for a month before getting a driver license. I'm not justifying driving jerks, but those are the only ones you notice. For every truck that you hear or see reacting to leap frog, there are another fifty that are getting ready to get teeed off.

eb