OTR trucks drifting into your lane

Johno02 wrote:
Defensive Driving...

This is mandatory since there are just as many automobiles that will cut in front of you and do other stupid things. For the most part I do not find truckers as bad as the automobile drivers that just do not know how to drive on a road shared with others.

6MISFITZ wrote:

wny_pat wrote:
And he had only gotten little more than 4 hours of sleep during a 27 hour stretch of driving!

Agreed, plus the bad weather he drove through (snow storm) among his other incredibly poor choices all played a part in his arrest and incarceration.

I hauled gasoline, diesel fuel, and Jet A out of Pennsylvania up to the Buffalo area in all those snow storms, even when Buffalo shut down, over 20 years of it. Was use to driving in that stuff, but it amazed me when those "highway heros" that could not see past the hood ornament would go flying by me in a white-out on I-90 somewhere between Hamburg and Silver Creek. Could not see anything and they are flying along like it is summer time??? Got so bad that I quit running I-90 during the kind of weather. I ran either Rt 20 or Rt 62 and felt much safer!!! But we had to run in that weather, cause the company would get rid of us if we didn't! In those 20 years, there we only a couple times we were stopped because of the weather.

wny_pat wrote:
And he had only gotten little more than 4 hours of sleep during a 27 hour stretch of driving!

Agreed, plus the bad weather he drove through (snow storm) among his other incredibly poor choices all played a part in his arrest and incarceration.

My wife got her DZ a few years ago (while working for a dealer's service department) and mentioned something about the "push / pull" with those trucks. We plan to get A licenses and do some team driving after youngest DD has completed high school, so will learn this effect first hand.

Defensive driving says it all.

Mike

Defensive Driving...

I also notice the double trailer Fed-Ex trucks and car haulers are always in a rush and doing over 80 mph. Once when my wife drove, a tanker was doing at least 75 mph in a narrow tunnel and almost shoved us into the wall. You really have to be alert for these idiots and be ready!

Weird, This just happened to me yesterday. My brother bought a truck and Ice fishing house so we decided to go out to his place and take a look. I decided to take the MH just to drive her. 3 lane highway I was in the very right lane (slow I drive @ 55) here comes a 18 wheeler as the trailer starts to pass me I notice its getting closer and closer to me WOW I yelled too my partner, he almost took off my mirrors with the rear of his trailer. I used to drive OTR also. I am glad that I really pay attention there are a lot of Air heads out there...

Yes, before I retired I was an OTR driving a set of doubles (either a 35' trailer with a 28' in the rear or a set of 32' trailers) being high profile vehicles on extremely windy days sometimes it was difficult to stay in my own lane especially on long bridges. When any motorhome, box truck, bus or truck and trailer or trailers would go to pass me when I was driving they all pushed wind as they were passing me that effected the steering on my vehicle truck and both trailers (especially when I was empty). I would slow down and move as far right as possible, until the pass was completed then resume my original road position. I drove OTR 44 years, logged 4 million miles and never had a charged accident on my CDL Driving record. And, I agree with other posters about Fed Ex, Semi Truck & Trailer Drivers, when I was driving they were always out in the Show Off lane passing and speeding.

K Charles wrote:
Do OTR truck suffer from wind push? Yes

An empty truck on a windy day can be an absolute thrill ride! I remember crossing the Gold Star Bridge (I-95 in CT, between Groton & New London) in an empty 26' truck on a gusty day...I've wound up about 1,000,000 miles and have been driving large vehicles for 15 years, and it was all I could do to stay in one lane. The southbound (top) deck of the Tobin Bridge (US 1, north of Boston) can also be a thrill ride.

Since 2010, trucker safety rules and hours have changed. The new 11 hour rule is making it extremely hard on solo drivers especially. They get paid by distance from load to unload, not by how many miles they actually have to drive. Delays, such as traffic problems, or having to wait for a load to be ready, really cuts into the pay check.

If you watch nascar, especially at long tracks, the drivers do "side drafting". They go up close to the car they are passing then pull down the track seemingly much faster. It's an old technique.

If you think air is a "nothing" just turn on a fan and let the air hit your face.

The OTR is pulled into you and the compressed air pushes you aside.

In our old coach, a large square faced SUV passsing would give a little push. Our tag, no push.

Kerry