This is for all truck drivers experience is a non factor, most passing I see is unnecessary. You are supposed to be a professional, think for a second before you react and automatically move over because someone is slower than you.
Think first!
- Why are they going slow?
- Did someone just exit or get on road in front of them?
- Are they heavy and going up a hill?
- On flat road do you really have the speed to pass them?
- Is this a temporary slow down for safety reasons?
- Are they distracted and weaving while going slow?
- Is something in the road or on shoulder?
- A construction zone is coming up?
- If you are clueless about these questions then you are not paying attention!
Why should you just slow down and be patient!
- You are a truck driver driving long miles, most people will get off the road in a few miles down the road.
- Your truck is too slow for a proper pass and will clog up the highway.
- The slower vehicle needs to get over for people on the shoulder.
- Rolling down a hill because you are heavier than others isn’t a pass.
- Rolling down a hill excessively faster than your truck goes is loss of control.
- You will back up the passing lane with multiple vehicles behind for one slower vehicle.
- Emotional drivers will react and as soon as you clear slow vehicle they will cause a scene or road rage on you.
- Emotional drivers will see you in that big truck and speed up on you, they don’t want to have their view blocked.
- You are speeding so everyone is a slow driver to you, slow down you are in the wrong legally.
- You don’t want to do 55mph in a narrow lane construction zone between barriers, you are fucking reckless and deserve to be forcefully removed from that truck.
- You are a big time owner operator and your only advantage in trucking is having a faster “speeding always” truck than the company trucks, no you are a reckless driver.
- You don’t need to pass them, really you do not need to most times.
Impatient untrained idiots passing other drivers will see people or vehicles on shoulder and continue their pass blocking in others, let me inform you if any accident happens in the right lane it will most likely involve you too! Slow down and let the slower traffic move over and do not be close to them, give them space. I have seen the aftermath of this exact scenario, body parts everywhere.
If someone just got on the road in front of you sit back monitor their speed and if the traffic is lighter then pass, but do not do this if you truck cannot do at least 5mph or more than them. Truck drivers should acquire knowledge of what most company trucks run for speed and remember it, a handy skill but not always accurate.