chowderman
Well-known member
took a near 4,000 mile road trip, Dec 2021. some interesting observations . . .
#1: remember those stickers: “How My Driving? Call xxx-yyy-zzzz”
all gone. DW took exception to my observation. She spent two hours trying to find such a sticker – she found one – where the ID was half chopped off . . .
#2: speed limits are a mirage.
#3: "there is a trucker / trucking shortage"
as we headed southbound (I-81) attempting to travel among the trucks, my dear wife started counting.
per her iPhone stopwatch…. 120 trucks headed northbound in a five minute period as we traveled southbound -
north&south moving at +/- 70 mph.
posted speed limit was trucks 70mph/cars 75 mph, but for cars that is completely unattainable.... and most trucks could not hack 70, either.
driving was absolutely miserable. Every trucker on the road insisted he had the fastest truck,.
one truck would (finally) make a pass, (maybe) pull to the right, within nanoseconds a trucker in the rear would pull out.
And, of course the ever popular left-lane-to-Maine truck – who never moved to the right lane because he could see - one, two miles in the distance, another truck he wanted to pass.
Fedex is the absolute worst offender in the “I own the left lane, go away” contest.
One could drive 200-300 miles without every seeing the ability to pass a truck, or a five-twenty convoy of same. Passing on the right was the norm – illegal, but the norm.
Doing a little math on DW’s count:
Over a 5 minute period, at 70 mph, the car travels southbound 30,800 feet.
The northbound traffic covers the same 30,800 feet during that same time – ie a total observed traffic distance of 61,600 feet - which contains 1,200 trucks.
In those 61,600 feet, occupied by 1,200 semi-trucks . . .
Using the nominal max 65 feet semi length, the northbound trucks occupy (1,200 x 65 ft) = 78,000 feet, within the observed distance of 61,200 feet.
This shows is it physically impossible for the current truck population to travel in the right lane – which agrees entirely with my automobile driving experience that the entire I-83 route is totally blocked by left lane trucks who are faster than any other truck on the road.
And the talk is of a shortage of truck drivers…. Should they ever employ all the missing drivers, there will be no room left on the roads for their trucks.
#4: speeding limits?
Mere suggestions. In basically 4,000 miles exactly two police/radar speed control operations observed.
Both in Virginia (an exceptional state for ‘youse in a heap-o’trouble driver state….)
One trap southbound, one trap northbound - within a mile of each other.
{Ps: I ran the northbound trap at cruise control +9 over the limit, trooper didn’t budge.}
#1: remember those stickers: “How My Driving? Call xxx-yyy-zzzz”
all gone. DW took exception to my observation. She spent two hours trying to find such a sticker – she found one – where the ID was half chopped off . . .
#2: speed limits are a mirage.
#3: "there is a trucker / trucking shortage"
as we headed southbound (I-81) attempting to travel among the trucks, my dear wife started counting.
per her iPhone stopwatch…. 120 trucks headed northbound in a five minute period as we traveled southbound -
north&south moving at +/- 70 mph.
posted speed limit was trucks 70mph/cars 75 mph, but for cars that is completely unattainable.... and most trucks could not hack 70, either.
driving was absolutely miserable. Every trucker on the road insisted he had the fastest truck,.
one truck would (finally) make a pass, (maybe) pull to the right, within nanoseconds a trucker in the rear would pull out.
And, of course the ever popular left-lane-to-Maine truck – who never moved to the right lane because he could see - one, two miles in the distance, another truck he wanted to pass.
Fedex is the absolute worst offender in the “I own the left lane, go away” contest.
One could drive 200-300 miles without every seeing the ability to pass a truck, or a five-twenty convoy of same. Passing on the right was the norm – illegal, but the norm.
Doing a little math on DW’s count:
Over a 5 minute period, at 70 mph, the car travels southbound 30,800 feet.
The northbound traffic covers the same 30,800 feet during that same time – ie a total observed traffic distance of 61,600 feet - which contains 1,200 trucks.
In those 61,600 feet, occupied by 1,200 semi-trucks . . .
Using the nominal max 65 feet semi length, the northbound trucks occupy (1,200 x 65 ft) = 78,000 feet, within the observed distance of 61,200 feet.
This shows is it physically impossible for the current truck population to travel in the right lane – which agrees entirely with my automobile driving experience that the entire I-83 route is totally blocked by left lane trucks who are faster than any other truck on the road.
And the talk is of a shortage of truck drivers…. Should they ever employ all the missing drivers, there will be no room left on the roads for their trucks.
#4: speeding limits?
Mere suggestions. In basically 4,000 miles exactly two police/radar speed control operations observed.
Both in Virginia (an exceptional state for ‘youse in a heap-o’trouble driver state….)
One trap southbound, one trap northbound - within a mile of each other.
{Ps: I ran the northbound trap at cruise control +9 over the limit, trooper didn’t budge.}
