Sorry I haven’t been here for many years. Back then, there were always issues about Prius drivers driving too slow, assumed to better the gas mileage. I saw this online and thought I’d share. (What happened to the search function? Sorry for any duplicate.)
Now I know why I missed the search function. I did this on my cellphone, not my computer, so the search function isn’t the same. It’s the magnifying glass where I’ve never seen it before.
It only appears with the large logo too. If you see the small logo in the upper left tap it to get to the large one.
Nothing wrong with driving slow in the fast lane... (though why, I don't know) AS LONG as one keeps their eyes glued to the rear view mirror. I don't care what and how a person drives, not keeping an eye out behind them is my biggest beef. Well, that and hitting the brakes and THEN the turn signal. I commute to my crane yard every day in my PIP Prius, while my day job involves driving a 54,000 pound boom truck. Just the other day, I was going 55 mph on a 65 mph two lane highway, (pulling a grade) and I had a small car pull out in front of me. No problem I thought, they were some distance away, and moderate normal acceleration on their part would allow me to maintain my speed and separation from them. But no.....they were dicking around, maybe they got a text or a call, and when I got up to their rear bumper they were still going very slowly, it was either run over them or hit the brakes and gear down. They never saw me in their mirror, unbelievable to me how clueless and careless some are. Once in the lower gear I had to hold it there as the grade prevented me from re-accelerating, life in a big truck, but they of course finally got their sh*t together and quickly disappeared in the distance, doing at least 70. Bouncing back and forth like I do between my Prius and the crane gives me a somewhat unique perspective, and I'm sure a few big rig drivers are surprised by the white Prius driver (me) that thinks ;like a big truck driver!
Driving slow in the fast lane in most states is illegal, and bad enough. But you in a semi ridding someones butt, also illegal, is even worse and more dangerous. If they stopped for any reason, you would not have enough time to stop. Two crimes don't cancel them out. Going 55 in 65mph, blocking traffic. I understand there are single lane roads you need to take for your job. And driving too fast with all that weight is just plain careless. I wouldn't be surprised if they just went slow to piss you off. That's why people don't like truckers. It's dangerous enough out there without people looking to cause trouble.
The OP stated......."driving a 54,000 pound boom truck" and "I was going 55 mph on a 65 mph two lane highway, (pulling a grade)" This is pretty typical for a big truck on an uphill grade, especially a mobile crane. I doubt he was doing anything dubious like trying to pile up traffic. Isn't it the vehicle merging into traffic that has the responsibility to not impede the flow? That's why people don't like truckers. Who doesn't like truckers? The vast majority of truckers are better and more courteous drivers than 99.9% of the automobile drivers on the road. My FIL, was an independant and drove 2600-3000 miles a week. Find a friend or a friend of a friend who trucks. Ride with them for a day and see what your thoughts are afterward.
You're joking right? You better spit out any food and fluid you're eating and drinking, and take off your clothes and step out of your house, because without big truck transportation you'd quickly starve and be living in a hole in the ground. You think it all comes in a car?!! Maybe it's different in Florida, but out here truckers are greatly appreciated, and are the most professional drivers on the road. This car driver was negligent and clueless, but presented no real danger to myself or to her thanks to my paying attention and safe driving, it was just rude as hell, and unlike when in my PIP, I didn't get the advantage of a little regen!
following an equally slow car in the slow lane ... we got passed - on the shoulder. Highway payroll responded a quite some time later, as we slowly plugged along in grid lock ... when the shoulder drivers ended up trying to use the upward sloping concrete of an underpass to pass ... and rolled it. Sometimes it's hard not to gloat when folks face their own consequences. .
I'll try one more time, then I'm done with you: I didn't "tail gate", when the car pulled out about 1/4 mile in front of me while I was pulling an uphill grade (this was near Jackson Hole WY) a grade that is a couple miles long (NOT LIKE FLORIDA) and I was in the sweet spot of my torque curve at 1600 RPM and maintaining 55, on a otherwise deserted highway (NOT LIKE FLORIDA), when once our relative closure rates showed the car was failing to accelerate up to a speed that would have eliminated the entire issue multiple seconds before our closure, I braked and down shifted, never coming closer then several car lengths! BUT, once slowed down to 35, their speed, and while maintaining my safe and legal separation behind them, I had to gear down. You may not realize it, this driver certainly didn't or didn't care, but big trucks don't have CVT transmissions, and they also have a power to weight ratio MANY times less then even a Prius! Once geared down, still on this long grade, there is no way to re-hit the gear I was pulling 55 in, so for the next mile or so I had to go 45, until reaching the top of the grade. EXACTLY at the point that I shifted to that lower gear, the car bumped it up to at least 5 MPH over the speed limit and disappeared in the distance. I would have done the exact same thing if a state trooper was behind me, and if anything he might have pulled the car over. She was guilty of distracted driving, I could see the drivers head moving sideways and she was reaching and fooling with something on the seat next to her, she NEVER looked up, used her mirror, saw me, only after she squared away whatever she was fooling with did she finally quickly get up to highway speed. I'd love to put you in the seat next to me and have this situation replicated, if you didn't agree SHE was the discourteous and clueless driver, not me, I'd give you $100.00! If the situation was: me in my PIP, looking down the road prior to pulling out of the gas station, seeing a big truck laboring up the grade, a 1/4 mile away or so, and seeing I had plenty of room to pull out in front of it and even a modest amount of acceleration would allow me to drive off without impinging remotely on the big truck, I would have done just that. What I wouldn't have done is pull in front of it, while dicking around with my phone or my coffee or otherwise being distracted, and force the truck to slow down, it's called not impeding the safe and legal flow of traffic, and not driving while distracted. Over and out. And don't criticize big rigs with your mouth full.
the ones that get me are the ones who pull onto the highway doing 10or 15 below the posted. i'm usually in the right lane and have to either slow down or try to go around them. if i slow down, they never speed up. but if i go around, when they see me passing, they hammer it and are off into the sunset. the other group feels the need to go across 4 lanes of traffic all in one move, endangering everyone on the road.
Post #6: "...and when I got up to their rear bumper...". Your words. You can't pay me to agree with someone that is wrong. Two wrongs don't make a right, even in id. Driving slow in any lane is wrong. Tailgating is wrong. Whatever the speed "limit" is, it's the maximum allowable limit, there is also a slowest limit.
Near our Montana property .... .... as we headed off to visit friends across the Idaho boarder never has there been a greater amount of plastic flowers along the highways.
