Driving while in a coma

[wvshooter]

Was recently traveling north on I26 just south of Erwin TN. Only traffic was a semi doing 60 in the right lane followed closely by a sedan. I'm afraid to pass because I know the idiot is going to move into the left lane as soon as I try to pass. So I stay behind the car for at least two minutes waiting for them to do something. No luck.

The driver is obviously a zombie so I flash my high beams a couple times start sounding my horn over and over hoping the idiot won't change lanes while I'm passing.

 

[DeansZG]

  Well at least he was in the right lane......really frosts my cookies when they camp out in the left lane!!

 

[FTB530]

I will be glad when I "know" what other drivers are going to do.

 

[Stevewfl]

give folks time to finish writing their emails and facebook posts  :great:

 

[dimmwitt89@hotmail.com]

I saw some loser doing a Facetime session on his phone with someone while he was driving at an upper end of 75MPH in the left lane on I-95 the other day.  You can always tell when they're doing something on their stupid phone.  He was swerving outside his lane, slowing down and speeding up.  There is never a State Trooper to see this sort of thing, so these idiots think this behavior is okay. 

 

[Buckster]

It's a popular practice for cars to draft trucks to save gas. My first recall of the practice in popularity was just after the first oil embargo of 73 when petroleum prices quadrupled. As a former (and perhaps once again someday - not sure at the moment) truck driver, it used to bother me, but after so many years and occurrences I got used to it.

One caveat - if my 50 lbs of flying alligator (blown tire recap) reaches out and touches them in a rude and unruly manner, don't expect me to hang around to exchange insurance info. I will get to the nearest safe haven to get the tire changed, but not stopping for draft boy.

Legally loaded tractor trailer at 80,000 lbs:

Two front tires 6,000 lbs each

Other 16 tires 4,250 lbs each

There is obviously weight distribution variance here and there due to fifth wheel placement and assorted other criteria, which usually means more weight on some of the non steer tire 16.

One slow leak and resultant blow out in one of the 16 potential  recaps as a result of 500 or more miles per day of highway exposure to nails, bolts, and metal chunks of assorted shapes and sizes - well you get the picture.

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The so what?  portion of our program

With dual wheels, one tire supports the other, and so a flat tire may not be readily apparent to the driver. This is why you see us thump the tires with hopefully more than just a boot toe. I preferred a two lb hammer, and thumped good and hard because that would reveal a soft tire whereas a boot toe does almost nothing. Anyway, a safety minded truck driver will check his vehicle and tires at every stop, and at numerous opportunities throughout the trip. Does every driver does this? From what I've seen in the past few years from the crop of steering wheel turners operating trucks in numerous quantities in recent years - my guess is - not likely. I ran in a team drivers situation for one week a few years ago (no thank you...) the senior team driver (with 6 years experience to my 30) would not allow me to pull the hood each day. The truck in question was roughly at 8/10ths age of it's life cycle. My how times have changed...

I would like to see all trucks with tire monitor and self inflation features, but a mandate for these is going to be a long time coming for a variety of reasons. The technology is already here, in wide use, and works very well. Politics and vehicle ages are in the way. Adding self inflation to axles not designed for it is no easy task. The tire monitor systems in use often use RF with tire position sensitive valve stem sensors. A small dash display translates the info into real time tire pressure displays, with warning lights and sound when a specific pressure level is reached. The ones I am familiar with worked extremely well.

 

[Thud300]

I drove truck for a short while, and as a trainee was astonished at how drivers could bang away at their Qualcomm keyboard while hauling down the slab... this was in '95, long before it became common to text/phone/selfie while driving

 

[pechorin75]

Bucky - ever since I heard a tractor-trailer blow a tire from across a wide median when I was doing 75 with my windows up, AC on, and music playing--and it sounded like a gun--I try to minimize the time I spend around them. None of this "pass on cruise control at +0.5 mph" crap for me...

 

[wvshooter]

Bucky - ever since I heard a tractor-trailer blow a tire from across a wide median when I was doing 75 with my windows up, AC on, and music playing--and it sounded like a gun--I try to minimize the time I spend around them. None of this "pass on cruise control at +0.5 mph" crap for me...

Yeah, I've got to the point where I don't want to be beside anything on the highway. I gotta add however, after my accident where a cage driver changed lanes with no signal or warning and totaled my bike, I feel safer passing a semi than a car driven by who knows what kind of person.

 

[CharlesWilliams]

I agree with DeansZG.
At-least the driver was driving the vehicle in the right lane. I feel irritated when some drivers suddenly change the lane without any prior indication. I think these drivers must go through the blog about things to be remembered before taking the motorcycle to ride, on this site.