AaronT

What Doomgaze said!

Haulin_in_Dixie

Welcome to light trucks. Put a trailer on it and haul hot shot and the big trucks do the same thing. Afraid you will slow them down. They will stay on your tail when you are doing five over the speed limit until they get a chance to pass and they run slower, which is where they wanted to run anyway. They just had to get around you. I get in the habit of falling into the left lane coming up a hill, to keep them from getting around and slowing me down.

I have always wondered why it seems the custom is that cars can ride the left land all day, never moving, but put your truck over there and see how fast they get upset, get around you and stay there blocking you.

Course you are also talking about the drivers that you catch and go to pass but they will not let you.

Shovelhead

Must be related to the folks that speed up to close up the hole when you're trying to merge onto the highway.

Grovers come in pretty handy in those cases.

StrokeThisCTD

i think its diesel trucks in general. People love to come up and tail me. When they do that, ill just paint the right side of their hood black

Haulin_in_Dixie

I always felt that when turning on the turn signal, you are indicating your plans to change lanes, not asking permission.

ratsun

______________________________

ditto

edwinsmith

Unfortunately the world is full of inconsiderate *people. Most of the time I just let them go because I've mellowed out in my old age. Here in KS we have a lot of farmers and old farts in pickups who like to drive slow. Also lots of two lane roads to follow them for long periods. I can't blame people for taking every opportunity to get around the deadfoot who goes up hill at 45 and down at 65.

Edwin

*Edit by Moderator for use of symbols to bypass the word filter.

Eskimo

Having had a heavily customized car before the truck, I avoided dually's (especially those without flaps) like the plague , because they kicked up twice the rocks.. Well, more than twice, because of the positioning of the outside tires rides in an area of the road not as heavily travelled.

I do feel bad for those that follow me in the rain... the spray I see in my mirrors is impressive.

As for the turn signals.. I think of it like firing a shot across the bow. "I warned ya, now I'm coming over" If they decide to be a hardass, it usually ends when they see the cracked dually fender on the left side with some red paint on it(gift from the previous owner), it tends to make them back off... not that I'd ever force the issue..

signature600

A trucker that hauls for us some has a general rule about turn signals:

Three flashes and I'm coming over!

And from the little I've followed him, he ain't kiddin'!

Chris

RustyJC

Yep, hang an RV on the back of a dually and you can't drive fast enough to satisfy 'em. I don't care if you're 5 or more over the speed limit, they'll try to come around. Probably psychological, I guess - they figure if you're big and they can't see past you, you must be slow, even if you're doing 75 MPH up that 6% grade on the Interstate.

A little off-topic, but the ones I just love are the folks that start to come around you on the Interstate and then decide to check out the RV. I've had 'em sitting off my left flank for 5 miles, so if I come up behind a slower vehicle and need to change lanes to pass, I'm stuck!

Rusty

Lightman

Did you guys ever consider it to be a psychological entity that you are all defensive about having a diesel truck and the reputation diesels have for being slow, and you're all overly sensitive? Two sides to every story.

I have noticed though that people just hate being behind me, especially with a trailer, even if I'm doing 80 with the trailer. I think it's that they can't see around them and don't want to have to watch for trailer brake lights. That and spitting up stones is enough reason for me to go around trucks when driving my car.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Well see, in the real world, you are riding along in the lane and need to change lanes. You pick the hole that is plenty large enough to pull into. You have two ways of doing it.

#1 the courteous and legal way: Turn on the turn signal, wait a few seconds while the car that will be behind speeds up, hits passing gear and locks you out of the space or has a close call.

#2 the safe, illegal, and discourteous way: You pick your spot, mentally get set up to pull in, flip on the signal, pull in before the car realizes what you are doing, he can't build up speed fast enough to close the space up. You are in he is mad, generally tailgates you for a while then passes you on the wrong side, first chance. As a friendly driver he often waves at you on his way past. Not using all fingers though. You keep singing along with the stereo and go down the road.

Then you have those emergency situations where you have to change lanes, emergency vehicle or what ever, maybe an exit coming up. Traffic will not let you in, no matter what. This manover I call the six inch rule.... You move the truck over six inches for a minute or two. Then move it over another six inches. After a minute or so you move over another six inches and keep doing that till the car(s) chicken out and wave, hit the brakes and let you in. Using this manover the cars are always safe, couterious, and willing to let you in. Many times they will show you their cell phone and start dialing... I generally show them mine, we smile and go on.

To remove a tailgater is easy, with patience. You just take your foot off the throttle, let it slow down, they will pass. If not and this becomes a challenge, you just try to be safe by moving over to the right so you can see better in the mirror. The tires on the shoulder generally make the removal of the tailgater quick and easy.

The key to driving truck today is never never to get mad. Mad creates road rage. If very unsafe. You have the big vehicle, are in control of it. The safe method is to get cold and calculating and slowly use the size and his hate for your vehicle to make him do what you need. See I got my first commercial license ferrying loads into Manhattan. When you can outfox taxi drivers, you have it made.

See, everyone is afraid to drive in Manhattan and actually they are very safe drivers, know exactly what they are doing. In New Orleans, if a car starts coming over and getting close, he will go ahead and hit you. In New york, he will push you until he knows you will not move, then he will back off at the last minute with a Number one sign to let you know you got him...

Ahhhh, I should not have done that, all those secrets revealed....

BoostdCTD

That's good stuff HiD.

I don't have a problem with people passing me, just don't slow down again. Sometimes I see people who pass me, then I go to pass them back because they're going 65 now and I'm still going 75. As I get beside them they start doing 75, so I either end up going way over the speed limit or slow down and wait for the tool to do it again because I don't like to block the passing lane.

As someone else brought up I do not tailgate trucks because of the excessive rocks they throw, if I'm stuck behind someone and they are throwing a bunch of rocks even if they are doing 10 over I'd rather pass them then catch some more rocks. Normally though if they are going fast enough it won't be a problem anyway, I'll just stay way back.

Getting rid of tailgaters, move to the right a little then slow down to the speed limit did they back off? If not slow down more, then once you get about 10-15mph below the speed limit and they realize they can't pass and still insist on tailgating I give them the #2 treatment as I accelerate back to my previous speed. Repeat process if necessary, typically one dosage of #2 fumes is enough to get the point across.

The 6" rule in SE michigan is if you can get your car to fit with 6" in front and behind you then that spot is yours, no blinkers needed.

My theory on blinkers is over 3 blinks I'm asking to move in, 2 blinks or less means I AM moving over. Normally I'm already moving over before the blinker comes on.

phox_mulder

It's not just Dually's that have to deal with this.

Anyone tailgates me, I just return the favor.
Nothing like seeing your entire rear window taken up by a big black bumper.
I really need to get a mirror image sign on there "Feeling Lucky?",
hmmm, maybe printed on a custom winch cover.

I kick up as much spray, if not more than the average dually, many have found out that the highest wiper speed doesn't quite cut it.

I'm nice and let the turn signal flash 5 times, then start nudging over,
I guess folks like their hoods, as they back off right quick when that tire appears in their side window.

I do feel for those ahead of me at stoplights at night,
I've even gone so far as to turn off the headlights if it's a cute girl.
If I see the finger though, I'm hitting the brights.


Sorry for hijacking the "training wheels" thread for my tall truck post.


phox

signature600

That's fine phox, but don't let it happen again.

Some of us don't like TALL trucks
rassa-frassin 2wd, piece o junk, get stuck on wet grass, ugh

I drive a 2wd cause that's what the business bought, couldnt talk Dad into 4wd

He He,
Chris
I just loooove picking on the management