11 of 12

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 10

store shelf. Why not give up mere seconds to help a truck maintain momentum?

Why is that truck in the fast lane?

Out on the open highway, you'll notice the trucks try to stay to the right except to pass. As they enter congested areas, such as through cities, many times you'll note that the trucks will either head for the center lane or the far left lane. Some city situations allow for a truck to use that far left lane and in some of those cities, it's the safest lane.

Truckers are taught, from day one, to use the lane of least resistance'. It's a safety thing and all depends on the habits of the local drivers, the way the freeway is set up, and the speed of the local traffic. Most times, it's the center lane that provides the safest haven. You see, it's that far right lane that is used for entering and exiting the freeway. The more activity and lane changing, the more that trucker wants to stay away.
When forced by law, the trucker will remain in the right lane but in no way does he want to be there. Utmost in the trucker's mind is safety and the farther he can stay from possible harm, the better.

On ramps are a touchy subject, especially when its a short ramp. The problem arises when a car is trying to get onto the freeway and is faced with 70 foot of moving vehicle. Most times the car will try to outrun the truck.

What really spooks the truck driver, is not knowing what the car is going to do. Sometimes the car will speed along, appearing to try to outrun the truck, only to slam on the brakes at the last second. The trucker doesn't know what to do, slow down or speed up, to help out. It's at times like this, the trucker gets really frustrated with traffic to his left that is squeezing together, tailgating, to prevent him from moving over.

Rule of the road: Hold your speed steady.

The truck driver is making decisions based on the present time situations. He will see a slow moving vehicle up ahead and begin to make plans to move over to another lane, early if possible to avoid causing congestion, rather than becoming trapped behind the slow vehicle. Here's the makings of one of the most frustrating situations, as about half the time the trucker will be in the process of passing that slow vehicle only to realize that same vehicle is speeding up, trapping the truck in the passing lane. And there you have it, mile after mile and this truck driver, having no intentions of staying in the passing lane and thereby actually becoming a road block is now that road block and

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 10
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Road safety from a truck driver's perspective?
We want to hear your view. Write now!