I'm with you OTG...I drive [="#ADD8E6"]my[]truck as safely as possible and staying out of the merge lanes in Chicago is safer. As for those who pass on the right, that's your choice . If you think it's dangerous why do you do it???

 

OK so passing on the right side of a tractor trailer is dangerous for both of us, its your blind side! I do it cause you slow trucks refuse to move over and let us pass. Its actually called "Failure to yield" look it up and see what your ticket will cost you. Drivers like you two are a danger to the rest of us out there that have to pass you on the right. Oh and I never said I run wide open, that would be foolish at best, I do however run the speed limit, if its 70 then that what I run.
As far as getting into Canada, well the last company I worked for had a scanning label and walla I was in and across the border usually in 5 to ten minutes at best, I never got held up, ever! Usually I get held up on the American side coming back empty. And yes, I would out run you any day while doing the speed limit, I dont stop for any reason unless I absolutely have to, and if I do, I like having teh power to make up time lost in a truck stop.

I guess in all we can agree to dis agree. I think you are a rude driver for hogging the middle lane, and hopefully some DOT officer or LEO will write your ass a ticket for failing to yield when a trcuk has to pass you on the right side. Drive safe brother and please think about what you are doing before hogging up the middle lane. The rest of us out there would appreciate it if you would move over!

 

Why do these things always regress into "my stick-shift is bigger than your stick-shift?"

 

Hey my truck has a standard issue stick shift! lol

 

You are not required to "yield" the middle lane. As long as the driver is moving with the flow of traffic, it is those who pass for a few mph faster that may be the threat. I usually keep to the right, but when you are in heavy traffic in a metropolitan area where there are a lot of cars entering the roadway from the right lane, it may be much safer for drivers to keep it in the middle lane. Perhaps those who think that they need to run faster than the flow of traffic should just slow it down a bit until traffic clears. It is much safer to maintain a steady pace in traffic than be constantly speeding up and slowing down. Vehicles cause a hazard when they constantly move from one lane to another. There would be much fewer accidents if drivers just kept a steady pace rather than varying their speed and moving from lane to lane.

 

I agree! I try to maintain a steady speed in the middle lane but you know what usually happens, you catch up to the slow trucks that cant pull there wait cause they are governed down forcing me to go around them. I dont mind someone in the middle as they have every right to be, what my pet peeve is when they see you back there and refuse to move over and let you pass.

 

I have to agree with the statement below, i was doing this "drag race" thing, except both me and my competitor were governed at 70+ mph, a slower truck was in front of me in the hammer lane out of all places and caused not only me, but the other driver to jack knife. As i explained, it is not only a safety hazard, it is also dangerous to be in the hammer lane with a slower truck, but above all else, stay in the right lane when no one else is near you. When near a major metro area, such as Chicago, NYC, L.A., San Fran., Atlanta, etc..etc, i can see doing around 65mph.

 

Wow sorry top hear about your jack knife, but as you know a jack knife is preventable according to the DOT and most trucking companies. They are for the most part caused by excessive speed in slippery conditions, being a rookie we can let it slide but I hope you learned form it. We have all been there, I too have some hair raising almost jack knifed stories from years ago, happy to say I never did. Each and every day I drive I run across the inevitable 65 mph governed trucks drag racing each other, its very frustrating at best but I have learned some patience with them as I do know how it feels to be governed, by choice I do not work for any company with a 65 mph truck!

Still if you governed trucks could make your passes quickly and move back over the rest of us would certainly appreciate it!

 

Oh really? So in dry, clear conditions when a 4 wheeler suddenly pulls out in front of you and you do the normal human reaction of swerving and braking which proceeds to put you into a jackknife it's preventable? You could easily just plow over the 4 wheeler and still end up in a jackknife or worse, a rollover to show it wasn't preventable then. A jackknife can happen when doing 10 mph just as easily as when your doing 65+. There is no set circumstances for when one can occur, I've seen them occur from trailers simply shoving a truck down a hill and the truck can't hold the trailer's momentum but yeah it was preventable...............

 

Absolutely, jack knifes are preventable! Excessive speed, following too close are all causes of jack knifing. I dont know a trucking company out there that wont blame a driver for one, even if , as you say getting cut off by a four wheeler. Hell I have been cut off many times and I never jacked a trailer. You need to adjust speed for conditions and most jacks are caused by driving too fast. I have seen them time and time where the driver blames someone for jamming on the brakes causing him to jack, then you should have not been following so closely. Knee jerk rections can also cause a jack, then again, that is also driver error for reacting too quickly and speed is always a factor.

Oh and yes, if someone is dumb enough to cut me off that badly, I will always choose to hit them rather then jack or roll over hurting myself or some innocent driver, take out the cause not the innocent.