Black Eye

[Bluedog]

Went in to town yesterday and the road has a series of curves that generally prevent much passing. Ahead of me was a Class C RV followed by a semitruck. Speed limit is 55 but our pace was 40 to 45. After several places for the RV to move over the guy in the semi let loose on his diesel horn. Didn't phase the RV at all. Passed a few more places to turn out and the semi laid on his horn to no effect. Finally a place to pass and the driver looked like nothing wrong.

This is always a topic of concern but I don't know how you can go along in La La Land with a big semi on your tail with horn blaring.

It gives RV'ers a black eye and shows an extreme lack of common courtesy.

[spoon059]

Yup, this thread defines America now.

45% of you hate the RV driver without knowing enough details.
45% of you hate the truck driver without knowing enough details.

Maybe 10% of you recognize that more information is needed WITHOUT judging one or the other, or you recognize that there are other people in the world beside you. A little common sense and respect for the people around you would do wonders.

[Jackathan]

It's quite clear. Your mirrors are there so you can see the jerk big rig driver riding your butt and attempting to intimidate you with aggressive honking, while you are simply trying to navigate the road in a safe manner. There is much we don't know in this story. How long was the truck driver held up? 1 hour? In one hour at 55 you go 55 miles. In one hour at 45 you go 45 miles. 10 miles difference in the hour, so the truck driver was put back maybe 8 minutes?. I suspect the whole incident may have taken less time, so the impact to the truck drivers day may have been minimal. When I am driving to a destination with our 14k fifth wheel, 3 kids, 2 dogs and wife in the truck, I will decide what speed and lane I need to be in depending on traffic and conditions. I don't intentionally hold people back, but it sometimes can happen. I also don't let, what I call, vehicle bullying, affect me in the least.

[Michelle_S]

Many drivers have no idea what mirrors are for, thus have no idea of what's behind them.

[CavemanCharlie]

Bluedog wrote:
Went in to town yesterday and the road has a series of curves that generally prevent much passing. Ahead of me was a Class C RV followed by a semitruck. Speed limit is 55 but our pace was 40 to 45. After several places for the RV to move over the guy in the semi let loose on his diesel horn. Didn't phase the RV at all. Passed a few more places to turn out and the semi laid on his horn to no effect. Finally a place to pass and the driver looked like nothing wrong.

This is always a topic of concern but I don't know how you can go along in La La Land with a big semi on your tail with horn blaring.

It gives RV'ers a black eye and shows an extreme lack of common courtesy.

I agree. It's not always just RV's though. Some people have no care for anyone but, themselves.

[rhagfo]

Bluedog wrote:
Went in to town yesterday and the road has a series of curves that generally prevent much passing. Ahead of me was a Class C RV followed by a semitruck. Speed limit is 55 but our pace was 40 to 45. After several places for the RV to move over the guy in the semi let loose on his diesel horn. Didn't phase the RV at all. Passed a few more places to turn out and the semi laid on his horn to no effect. Finally a place to pass and the driver looked like nothing wrong.
P
This is always a topic of concern but I don't know how you can go along in La La Land with a big semi on your tail with horn blaring.

It gives RV'ers a black eye and shows an extreme lack of common courtesy.

Well don’t know your road, but if the Class C was holding up a semi the turns must not be that tight to require driving 40 in a 55 zone. That said many places to pull over are not well marked before you get to them, making slowing for them hard.
We have a road that the posted limit is 55, BUT the first four miles have several 40 mph curves and one marked 35, towing our 5er on the road 50 is fast. Now the locals consider it s speed way and drive between 60 and 65 with their little cars. Log trucks that run it on that section average about 45 also, so what one would expect.

[Sandia_Man]

If conditions are good and road is easily driven by RVs of course they should have pulled off on available pull outs, but if the available pullouts outs are unlevel, too short or consist of dirt or rutted terrain, no way would I pull over until there was something suitable. If a large RV is trying to make its way through mountainous roads and steep inclines pulling over will overly tax their rigs, particularly if after they pull back on the road they have to go uphill from a dead stop. Most drivers who have never owned a large RV just have no clue.

I know several truckers and they are hard working folk like most of us, but there are plenty who try to intimidate with their aggressive tactics, they have no problem pulling in front of cars and holding up traffic for many miles. No mention of which state, but they need to put more designated pullouts and passing lanes in these areas where big rigs, both commercial and private, can get where they need to go without holding others up. When I didn't know better I hated diesel commercial trucks and RVs with a passion, now as an RVer I understand the dynamics involved in controlling these large rigs.

[down_home]

See this all the time. one hundred plus miles one way to Dr and over on hundred round trip to stores. i avid the Interstates as much as possible. Wife drives when we are together and hitting the brakes every little bit to avid collision with Semis who out number cars and run whatever speed they want in left lane. it is proper etiquite to flash your lights at vehicle in front of you impeding traffic whatever the speed and the law for slower vehicles to stay right. In Oklahoma they have signs both sides of the lanes and the left one says illegal to impeed faster traffic, or some such. They enforce it. In Tn. and other states no signs and the Truckers Associations are in control.
A lot of towables on the road being delivered to lots and many now pulled by SUVs we observed.Flas your lights and like as not they will slow down and give you the finger. In Az n I40 we observe many riding the left lane at slower speeds obstructing traffic...but the road is really bad from outside Kingman in sections to Flagstaff.
cars semis RVs see many same offenses . I drive 55 and don't care about anyone else on the road is read frequently in different words. Doesn't matter if it is the right lane, It will case ht semis and others to get in the left and pass you at just 10mph faster if that.Backups can run for 20 miles in Tn can run over 20 miles due to these games and attitudes, and causea lot of wrecks and angry divers.

[ken56]

Went through Lolo pass on 12 a few years back pulling my TT. I don't dawdle and I try to drive safely on unfamiliar road so going under the speed limit may be prudent. 12 has pullouts for these situations. The signs for them are right before the pullout so almost every one of them I passed because I was not going to jamb on my brakes to take one. I did manage to get into one of them and it was in very poor shape, ruts, debris of unknown origin, and they were barely long enough for the tow vehicle and trailer. Pitiful that they are expected to be used. 12 is a beautiful drive too.

[NRALIFR]

Well, I don’t know that road so I don’t know what kind of pull offs are available for slow vehicles. But, when I’m holding up traffic, any pull offs I’m expected to use better be marked as such, and made wide enough, and long enough for getting off and on safely, and be kept free of debris that could damage a tire.

If not, then sorry Charlie, we’re all going slow. I’m not using some dang shoulder as a pull off.

:):)

[dedmiston]

Jackathan wrote:
Well, Bluedog, you have no insight into the person driving the RV. It could be someone who is new to driving an RV. Maybe it is the first time they were driving the RV in an area that has grades, and passing lanes, and the need to control speed. Maybe it was their first time on that road, with uncertainty of the lanes.

Being new behind the wheel of an RV or inexperienced in mountain roads is no excuse.

Causing a backup and creating road rage is dangerous for everyone. That's why we're supposed to do our homework and size up our route before we turn off onto a road that might be too difficult for our experience of unsafe for our rigs.

If you're uncomfortable with the terrain, can't keep up, or don't trust the turn-outs, then it would be safer to stick to the interstates until your experience catches up with the roads.

[JRscooby]

bgum wrote:


I said all trucks and I am sure that "most" are not paid by the mile. What we are talking about here are not the ones that are going "as fast as legally possible ". We are talking about the speeders tailgaters intimidators. If your not in this category then why are you supporting their action? If you are in that category how are you going to feel when you kill a family?

I spent my life in trucks, and would be willing to bet most are paid for performance, and a very large percentage of them it is by book miles. Others, paid a flat rate for haul, extra time does not pay extra. Also there is the fact that often times somebody that rides a desk sets up load/unload times. Then there is the E-logs. When I retired if I was behind slow traffic for 20 miles, the rounding error could CYA.

[time2roll]

Two wrongs don't make a right. Either could have been more courteous.
IMO 40 mph in a 55 zone is not unreasonable due to curves or a grade.

Keep in mind a "speed limit" is the upper limit, not the minimum.

[Campfire_Time]

craig7h wrote:
I feel for the truck driver as they are working and need to get to the job etc. A few years back I was traveling up to Door County Wi doing the speed limit and there was a logging semi behind me. He was just not happy with me going to speed limit, he finially found a place to pass and boy did he there was no speed limit for him.

He was an idiot then. 42 and 57 up there are really busy roads. 95% of the traffic north of Sturgeon Bay is tourists. He wouldn't have gotten more than 1/2 mile before being behind someone else. And most likley doing 45 not 55.

Years ago 57 from Green Bay to Sturgeon Bay was two lane blacktop. Too many idiots like this in a hurry and passing on curves, etc. So many deaths they used to call it Bloody 57. I hated towing on that stretch. Got passed by a 5ver doing at least 75 one time, cut me off and nearly went off the road. No excuse for that **** just to save a few minutes. In the early 2000s they built a new 4 lane highway built to Interstate standards with a speed limit of 65.

[toedtoes]

I agree that you can't judge from the OP.

I've ignored pull outs that I'm sure another RV driver wouldn't hesitate to use. At the same time, I'll pull over in situations where another wouldn't.

For me, the biggest issue is the driver who rides so close behind me that I can't see him. Then he gets irritated because I don't move over for him. If he would back off so I knew he was there, I would be happy to pull over or at least move closer to the right so he could see around me and safely pass.

I'll add that my pull over habits are different depending on if I'm driving the motorhome or towing the trailer or just driving a car.