Semi's passing up hill

[lappir]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

What size truck were you teaching her in? There is a big difference in power to weight. Think of your car with 20 hp and then go driving.

The first was a 1979 Jeep J20 pickup truck. It had a manual 4 speed transmission and a 6 cylinder engine. We spend many an hour out on the gravel roads in SE Iowa. The second one was a 1972 Ford extended cab long bed F150 with an automatic transmission and a V8. Again lots of time on the gravel roads with some secondary paved roads mixed in. That got her used to almost every variable with steering and various road conditions.(except ice and snow and I still want to assist her with her first experiences with those.) We also had to extricate our selves from a mud road that apparently got more rain than the other roads. We did have the 4WD jeep but I wanted her to figure out how to get out without having to go into all wheel drive. She did it. Here Drivers Ed occurred in South Florida, the western communities of Palm Beach county. If you have ever been you know there are 1000's of cars on the road at almost all times. Here we had a Mini Cooper for a few lessons and then an Isuzu VehiCross for most of them. Here is where the keep right unless going to pass came. There are so many people who come out of an intersection, turning right, cut across all lanes of traffic, stay in the far left lane despite who or what comes up behind them and then many miles down the road decide that they immediately need to be in the right lane so they almost stop in the left lane until there is a tiny opening and shoot across all 4 lanes to get to their exit. Those are the examples I used when I said to my daughter. Keep right except to pass. IF you are going to pass, pass with a purpose and then get back to the right lane. Plan your trips to include your turns and if possible make them all right turns. Now if they could just do that in Drivers ED.....

Rod

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by lappir

The first was a 1979 Jeep J20 pickup truck. It had a manual 4 speed transmission and a 6 cylinder engine. We spend many an hour out on the gravel roads in SE Iowa. The second one was a 1972 Ford extended cab long bed F150 with an automatic transmission and a V8. Again lots of time on the gravel roads with some secondary paved roads mixed in. That got her used to almost every variable with steering and various road conditions.(except ice and snow and I still want to assist her with her first experiences with those.) We also had to extricate our selves from a mud road that apparently got more rain than the other roads. We did have the 4WD jeep but I wanted her to figure out how to get out without having to go into all wheel drive. She did it. Here Drivers Ed occurred in South Florida, the western communities of Palm Beach county. If you have ever been you know there are 1000's of cars on the road at almost all times. Here we had a Mini Cooper for a few lessons and then an Isuzu VehiCross for most of them. Here is where the keep right unless going to pass came. There are so many people who come out of an intersection, turning right, cut across all lanes of traffic, stay in the far left lane despite who or what comes up behind them and then many miles down the road decide that they immediately need to be in the right lane so they almost stop in the left lane until there is a tiny opening and shoot across all 4 lanes to get to their exit. Those are the examples I used when I said to my daughter. Keep right except to pass. IF you are going to pass, pass with a purpose and then get back to the right lane. Plan your trips to include your turns and if possible make them all right turns. Now if they could just do that in Drivers ED.....

Rod

Hey Rod
I am sure your daughter is well trained. I understand the issues you have addressed and wish more parents would take the interest in teaching their children the right things to do as you have.

I agree with the pull out and pass like you mean it statement. I am sure that is what every trucker is trying to do. They do not pull out and coast beside the other vehicle. They have their foot in. I often see cars using cruise(?) pull out to pass and drive for miles beside the truck at or near the speed limit. It is especially bad when there are three or four trucks in a convoy.

My point is most truckers (even the newbies) are focused on the end point. While we say pass with authority it is easy when you have a car with a goodly amount of horsepower. Try it with a 20 hp engine which is about the same power to weight ratio as most trucks.

[MSHappyCampers]

Doesn't bother me! I do my thing and let them do theirs!

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

Doesn't bother me! I do my thing and let them do theirs!

Now Joe...there you go again, being sensible. You should be driving more aggressively and forcing them off the road to teach them a lesson.

[MSHappyCampers]

Is that maybe a symptom of old age, "being sensible" ? I do have to admit I'm definitely not as confrontational as I once was!

[Gordon Dewald]

Life is too short and too stressful to be confrontational, especially on the road. One should be able to live a few days in the other fellows seat to get an idea of their issues and thought process. True there are drivers out there who are unaware of the effect that their actions have on the travelers around them. Hopefully we do not run into them very often. I do my very best to drive within the situations I encounter and arrive without stress and with extra fuel in the tank.

[1ciderdog]

Not on a hill but on I-40 east of Little Rock today I'm heading west on cruise control at about 63 mph. A semi pulls out to pass and I suspect it was a governed diesel and he could only pass me it seems like about an inch an hour. Watching the rear view mirror I could see a bunch of cars backing up behind him so I disconnected cruise and let him (and a gazillion cars) pass me by and it didn't cost me a thing, Just seems like common curtesy to me.

[Rich-n-Linda]

What is the fascination with 63 mph? It seems a lot of you drive at 63 mph.

If the speed limit is 65, why not drive 65? Or 67? Then you wouldn't have the problem you described here.


Rich & Linda

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Rich-n-Linda

What is the fascination with 63 mph? It seems a lot of you drive at 63 mph.

If the speed limit is 65, why not drive 65? Or 67? Then you wouldn't have the problem you described here.


Rich & Linda

Around 62/63 is usually where the best fuel mileage is obtained on level ground.

[Dr4Film]

61-62 mph happens to be where my Allison up-shifts to 6th gear.

Any faster and your just wasting fuel plus the HP to Torque ratio is the best right around that point so I have been told.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[Crasher]

I am one of those 60-63 mph drivers too, even when the speed limit is 75. There was a time when I "Thought" it was safer to be leading the pack by driving slightly faster than everyone else. I told myself that I was in control then and no one would surprise me from behind. Now common sense tells me it is much safer and less stressful to let everyone pass me. In a 55 mph zone, I will drive 57 -58, so as to not hold up others. I rarely have to think about passing anyone. During the trip and at the end of the day, 62 mph is my comfort zone while driving a 75' long, 50,000# motorhome/trailer combo. A nine hour day gets me just as far as the guy driving 70 mph for eight hours.

[Moonrover]

This is an interesting thread. I enjoyed reading the opinions. I must say that I feel comfortable mingling with the majority of truckers and fellow RVers on the highways. Can't say the same for the "little racers" out there zipping in and out of traffic. My brain is always trying to develop a plan of action in case one of them does something stupid in front of me.

When there is a cluster of those bumper tag folks overtaking me, I hope they will eventually motor on past, but if I'm stuck in the cluster, I take the first opportunity to get off at a rest stop or fuel stop.

Driving this year during Spring break caused me to get off and out of the rush many times.

[georgetown350]

What is the fascination with 63 mph? It seems a lot of you drive at 63 mph.

If the speed limit is 65, why not drive 65? Or 67? Then you wouldn't have the problem you described here.

This doesnt make any sense. do you think every truck does the same speed

[SeattlePirat]

Originally Posted by Moonrover

This is an interesting thread. I enjoyed reading the opinions. I must say that I feel comfortable mingling with the majority of truckers and fellow RVers on the highways. Can't say the same for the "little racers" out there zipping in and out of traffic. My brain is always trying to develop a plan of action in case one of them does something stupid in front of me.

When there is a cluster of those bumper tag folks overtaking me, I hope they will eventually motor on past, but if I'm stuck in the cluster, I take the first opportunity to get off at a rest stop or fuel stop.

Driving this year during Spring break caused me to get off and out of the rush many times.

Assume you are talking bout Civics and other little cracker boxes that squeeze in front of your bumper only by inches....