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Originally Posted by hiero
Hey SC, I was riding around on the loaner today and the thought crossed my mind, how do truck drivers prefer motorcycles conduct themselves around the trucks at freeway speeds??
I always try to give a huge arm signal at the same time as my electronic signal if crossing in front of a truck and always try to give plenty of space before making any changes.
Now as for coming up on a truck and trying to pass, I never quite know 1. when the truck sees me in his mirrors 2. if he can see me better when I'm on the side of the truck passing if I'm in the furthest portion of the lane away from the truck or if I'm in the portion of the lane closest to the truck. 
Also, I always try to let the car ahead of me get up and clear the truck with enough space before I attempt a pass so that I can make a quick pass in my lane without spending too much time next to the truck, good idea? or does it take the driver by surprise to have a bike zooming past?
Never really knew since I've never really known any truck drivers, so it'd be great to know so that I can be at least a little more courteous to the big ass trucks on the road (I'm guessing that bike vs truck isn't too pretty :P) |
Ciao hiero, Glad you asked, a driver can get to be a nervous wreck trying to stay off of all the four wheelers/cagers let alone mix in some lane splitting bikes and you've got a handful. :P
The best advice I can give you about changing lanes in front of a Semi would be to allow LOTS of room between you and the truck you are pulling in front of. (At least one truck length) The biggest Concern we have is following distances.
When someone car or bike cuts into our safety margin/safe following distance you are putting your life at great risk!
It takes roughly 10 times the room to slow down a Semi with 80,000lbs of payload than the average car, and that's optimum. If the Driver is fatigued, or not paying extremely close attention you can double the distance. Allow additional room on steep down grades (6 percent or more grades.) The rate at which you change lanes is really irrelevant, but the distance between you and the truck is Absolutely Necessary! Your life and others on the road depends on it!
As far as coming up on a truck to pass it, remember unless you can see our mirrors clearly we cannot see you! Always pass on the Left side, Never on the Right (Our Blind Side). We have a saying in trucking that some have even posted signs on their trailer doors "Left side passing side. Right Side SUICIDE!"
By far the best method, and I use it when on the bike myself, and have had it used on me while in the truck, is that the cyclist wanting to pass will approach the truck in the passing lane (Left side of the truck.) but back about two car lengths from the rear of the trailer.
Stay in the center of your lane PACE the truck, and briefly flash your high beams off and on to catch our attention. Watch the trucks turn signals too make sure he doesn't miss understand your intentions as welcoming him over into your lane. This will usually happen if there is something Impeeding the flow of traffic in the right lane.
If there are no signals then pass the truck as rapidly and safely as possible.
Do not ride beside the truck, or follow a four wheeler while passing as this puts you in a very dangerous position if the cager dawdles or hangs out next to the truck.
Right now a large majority of trucks run re-capped tires because it is much cheaper and currently legal to use them. Any one who has seen a recap turn loose on a truck can vouch for just how dangerous these d**n things are! They can easily blow up with out any warning what so ever! They explode like a grenade and some times the whole tread of the tire comes off in one piece!
Until someone can get these things outlawed they are a potential killer concerning motorcycles. >
DO NOT RIDE CLOSE BEHIND OR ALONG SIDE ANY SEMI! Allow enough room between you and the truck you are following to be able to see and avoid a tire failure if it happens. This will also save your ass if the truck runs over something in the road.
If you are following to closely to react then you can almost guarantee you will hit what ever comes shooting out from under the Semi.
Allot of Truckers are Motorcyclists also, and the last thing we want to do is to kill a fellow biker whether by sheer accident, or because the rider was ignorant to what kind of danger they were placing themselves into. :'(
Here are a few facts that may well save your life by making you aware of them:
According to a recent survey by the Owner Operators Association: In 90 percent of the Company owned Over the road trucks on the road today. The drivers have LESS than ONE YEAR'S EXPERIENCE in a Semi.
One of the leading vocational training programs for newly released/reformed :
convicts is Truck Driving. >
75 percent of the Trucks on the road legally run RE-CAPPED TIRES. >
The average pay for a rookie company driver is less than 30k annually, figuring that most companies pay by the mile it isn't hard to imagine what the rookies are forced to do in order to survive financially. The hours of service regulations while now much stricter are still laughable in that they are easily falsified.
Very Scary stuff indeed!
In my own small war I did manage to convince my current employer not to use re-capped tires anymore! [clap] [clap] [clap]
Be very careful of your surroundings out there guys and gals, ESPECIALLY AROUND SEMI TRUCKS.
Steve aka:"SHADOWCHASER"
