Left Lane Loafers - Watch This

[Mad Mike]

Forum Sponsor

There has been some debate over running the speed limit in a left lane on a highway and whether that's OK to hog as long as you are doing the speedlimit. Here's the OPP spokesman guidance on the subject.

It looks like the OPP is pretty clear -- if someone is passing you on the right you are driving/riding too slow -- move right!

 

[Evoex]

Seems obvious, i'd rather hear him talk about the people in tears over drivers in the HOV not passing everyone.

 

[Blackfin]

All fine and dandy but Kerry needs to talk to his fellow officers about random and arbitrary speed enforcement that makes people at the front of the queue afraid to speed up to the point they can move over and/or just go with the flow of traffic.

 

[RobVN]

We all need bumper stickers saying this. Maybe ppl will wake up. Another one is transport drivers that stay in the middle lane of a 3 lane road. If you drive a truck that is over 6 meters long you can't pass them in the left lane and are forced to pass in the right lane.

 

[Trials]

Is this the left lane that trucks are not allowed in or a regular old left lane? Trucks are all governed to 113kph aren't they? That is causing some problems for people who want to really beetle along.

 

[Mad Mike]

Is this the left lane that trucks are not allowed in or a regular old left lane? Trucks are all governed to 113kph aren't they? That is causing some problems for people who want to really beetle along.

That would be any lane left of the right lane. And I believe trucks are governed to 105 in Ontario.

 

[Trials]

That would be any lane left of the right lane. And I believe trucks are governed to 105 in Ontario.

Could be my speedometer might be optimistic based on how fast I have to go to pass them :|

So 2 transport trucks in some peoples opinion should basically never pass each other, right?

 

[PrivatePilot]

Trucks are electronically governed to 105KPH in the province of Ontario.

The reason many sit in the middle lane going through the city would be evident to you if you ever rode with one of us during heavy traffic- if we DO move over to the right hand lane we get stuck there as the "me first" mentality of drivers means 80% won't let you back over when you want or NEED to.

Add in a clueless cager merging onto the 401 at 40KPH and us guys suddenly need to slam on the brakes to avoid piling into the back of them.

And then we get the people who realize at the last second that they're about to miss their exit and whip across a bunch of lanes and slam on their brakes in the right hand lane trying to make the exit ramp. Same result.

Or the people who don't realize that the OFF RAMP is where you decelerate before exiting, and decide to do it in the right lane a 1/2KM before the actual off ramp.

All of these scenarios really screw with us guys as we are HEAVY. Aside from the reality (that amazingly enough, many dont' seem to grasp) that we can't stop quickly (!!!) we also can't just accelerate back to the speed of traffic flow instantly when we are forced to bleed off speed - it could take a set of heavy Super-B's 1KM or more to get back up to speed for example. If we're on a hill we might NEVER get that speed/momentum back until we crest it.

Now, everyone behind us starts losing their **** because "that stupid truck is going so slow", and then they start doing stupid things around us.

And the vicious circle is complete.

So yeah, lots of times, trucks will park themselves in the middle land across the city during heavier traffic times just to avoid all that.

Spend a day in our shoes....

 

[PrivatePilot]

So 2 transport trucks in some peoples opinion should basically never pass each other, right?

Lots and lots of variables. Governers may be set the same but 1 truck may weigh 50,000# and the one next to it 90,000#. Downhill the heavier one goes faster. Uphill the lighter one goes faster. Sometimes the opposite happens as one truck may only have a 350HP setup and the other 500HP. Wind resistance effects a van more than a flatbed.

Variables variables variables. Again...spend a day in our shoes.

 

[Trials]

I'm always amazed how many people get their panties in a knot to pass my trailer
and then can't or won't go any faster then I was going anyway. But !@#$% it I'm retired and not in a hurry anyway.

 

[sburns]

We all need bumper stickers saying this. Maybe ppl will wake up. Another one is transport drivers that stay in the middle lane of a 3 lane road. If you drive a truck that is over 6 meters long you can't pass them in the left lane and are forced to pass in the right lane.

I dunno about that one, what choice do trucks have? They can't be in the left lane, and being in the right lane will just slow them and everyone down as they will have to slow down or move to the middle to pass people who cannot merge or driving slow. I don't like it much when there is a wall of trucks, but our roads are badly designed and congested.

 

[Blackfin]

Being stuck behind a heavy-truck shifting 12 times to reach 30kph probably pisses off even other truckers. Rail is one solution to ease the problems of 90,000-lb trucks interacting with regular commuter traffic.

 

[Mad Mike]

Trucks are road users just like the rest of us. For the most part they are pros, but in any crowd there are bound to be jerks. I don't paint all truckers with the same brush, just like I don't brand all motorcyclists as squids.

I do have one wish -- cooperate when passing. It does drive me nuts to see a truck with 350HP and 45000 lb load pull out on an open section of the 401 to pass another hauling 45100lbs with 350hp. 10 minutes later the pass gets done, then a few dozen of cars get their turn.

 

[RobVN]

Actually a truck has to have a gvwr of 11,794 kg or more to require a speed limiter. So it means when i come up on a transport in the middle lane with my little hino which has a gvwr of 8,700 kg I have to pass on the right because I am not allowed to pass on the left in the passing lane of a 3 lane highway because I'm over 6.5 m long. Don't get me wrong Private Pilot; I agree with your logic of driving in the center lane. Perhaps the law should read that trucks over 11,794 kg cannot be in the left lane. That would solve the problem for me. I don't like passing trucks in the right lane and don't think truckers like it either.
With regards to left lane hogging; why not make the pass and then move out of the left lane once you are done. Make sense?

 

[Mad Mike]

Actually a truck has to have a gvwr of 11,794 kg or more to require a speed limiter. So it means when i come up on a transport in the middle lane with my little hino which has a gvwr of 8,700 kg I have to pass on the right because I am not allowed to pass on the left in the passing lane of a 3 lane highway because I'm over 6.5 m long. Don't get me wrong Private Pilot; I agree with your logic of driving in the center lane. Perhaps the law should read that trucks over 11,794 kg cannot be in the left lane. That would solve the problem for me. I don't like passing trucks in the right lane and don't think truckers like it either.
With regards to left lane hogging; why not make the pass and then move out of the left lane once you are done. Make sense?

I could care less what lane a truck uses in the city -- going 60-100KM in bumper to bumper traffic is a non issue. What drives me crazy is when the traffic load is light and two trucks are running side by side for a multi-minute pass on an open highway.

 

[Blackfin]

Trucks are road users just like the rest of us. For the most part they are pros, but in any crowd there are bound to be jerks. I don't paint all truckers with the same brush, just like I don't brand all motorcyclists as squids.

That wasn't my intention (if that was targeted at me...) I simply think that 40+ thousand pound semis are not really compatible with the nature & density of modern traffic anywhere except possibly the vast expanses of the American midwest or Canada's prairies (then again, there was that Humboldt thing...)

 

[AllistonGT]

I'm always amazed how many people get their panties in a knot to pass my trailer
and then can't or won't go any faster then I was going anyway. But !@#$% it I'm retired and not in a hurry anyway.

Because we want a clear view of whats ahead.

 

[Trials]

Because we want a clear view of whats ahead.

That's easy, just don't tailgate.

 

[AllistonGT]

That's easy, just don't tailgate.

Yea right. Stay back 60’ and still see nothing and have someone else fill the space. I want to see up ahead. Not happening behind a trailer unless on a curve.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Trials]

Yea right. Stay back 60’ and still see nothing and have someone else fill the space. I want to see up ahead. Not happening behind a trailer unless on a curve.

Try it, it works! not only will you be able to see as much open road ahead as the guy pulling the trailer in front of you, you will also be able to pass much easier when the opportunity comes because you can use the extra space to accelerate. I know it works because I blow by slower cars all the time like that when I am hauling 30+ foot of trailer.

Forum Sponsor