There was no one ahead of him. That’s true, but the truck driver saw that there was traffic just entering the on-ramp at the cloverleaf ahead, and by moving to the center lane a mile before the ramp, he avoided having to suddenly brake or make a sudden lane change once he reached the merging traffic. Still, you say, it inconvenienced me. Yes, but much less than if the truck had been squeezed by the traffic into your lane at the last minute. But now, with this knowledge, you can look ahead to that merge lane and anticipate the truck’s movements. For that matter if you are in the same position, avoiding the outside lanes at interchanges is good road management for the RVer, too. The second scenario is the reverse of the same situation. The traffic is too heavy for the truck to move over safely before the cloverleaf, so instead he adjusts his speed to allow merging traffic to enter ahead of him. He may drop between five and ten mph, so the following traffic also slows—if you can see this situation coming into play up ahead you also can reduce speed and avoid having to brake. If the on-ramp traffic is also heavy, and they can’t move, most trucks will maintain a steady speed through and past the merge lane. Now, for the motorist entering traffic, there are few more intimidating sights then an eight-foot-tall radiator bearing down on him. But, the merging motorist needs to consider his part in this traffic ballet. Knowing that the truck’s speed remains constant, he can quickly gauge whether he has the time (and distance) to accelerate ahead of the truck or to
drop speed and slip in behind. While many RVers will tell you otherwise, a truck maintaining a steady speed is the safest thing for it to do. If you are the one merging, you should calculate where you will enter traffic while still negotiating the on-ramp. If you’re the one on the highway, do the same by looking ahead. If you anticipate its movements you can easily run circles around that old pachyderm. What else should you know about trucks? When you come to a stop behind a truck, keep to the left of your lane so the driver can see you in his side mirror. Remember if you can’t see the driver he probably can’t see you. Always leave plenty of room between you and the truck. When a truck is forced to stop on an upgrade he may roll back. Also remember he may have a very heavy load and it will take him a while to get going. By leaving space it will also be much easier to change lanes and pass him. Never tailgate, particularly trucks. Driving behind a truck is like having a sheet of plywood strapped to your hood. Your view is almost totally blocked and your only source of road input is his brake lights. If you can pass safely, do so. If not, back way off so you can see more than his trailer doors. When you do pass, don’t pull in front of a truck without leaving room. Trucks can’t stop on a dime and you might
UNDERSTANDING TRUCKS
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2017
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