Pickup Truck Drivers

[DGS49]

My daily commute involves traveling about 25 miles in each direction on a heavily-traveled interstate highway (I-79, if you must know).

As with a lot of such roads, the posted speed limit is 55, but the flow of traffic is 65-70 mph most of the time. Occasionally there is a bit of congestion, but it normally moves smoothly.

I follow the recommended practice of staying in the right-hand lane unless I am passing someone. I am a "cruise control" person, and when traffic is relatively light I'll set my cruise at 65 and try to leave it there. As a result, there are times when I am passing someone going 63 mph or so, and it takes - I don't know - 15-20 seconds for me to make the pass?

When I do this, I frequently end up with an unhappy driver behind me, entirely too close to my back bumper for safety. Usually they are not flashing their high beams, but by their proximity they are letting me know that I am an asshole for holding up their progress toward who-knows-what? I will refer to these people as "Asshole Type 1."

There are also times when, in a long line of cars clogging both lanes, someone will quickly pass on the right, even though the right lane is also clogged, then they cut someone off to get back in the passing lane, having moved forward one or two places in the chain of cars and saved themselvs a fraction of a second in their journey to who-knows-where? "Asshole Type 2," if you will.

In both cases they are compromising the safety of themselves and others in a futile attempt to exceed the speed limit by more than everyone else.

By my unofficial count, both Asshole Types, 1 and 2, are about 95% pickup truck drivers. And not just pickup trucks; invariably it is a "lifted" 4WD pickup truck. Occasionally, these appear to be work trucks, but usually not.

This is not to say that every asshole on the road is driving a pickup, or that every pickup is driven by someone like this; it's just that of the drivers who drive like this, most are driving pickups. And I would also observe that pickup trucks use copious amounts of precious fossil fuels, and the amount of wasted fuel increases dramatically with speed, and with the acceleration and braking that results from driving this way.


So the question for the panel is: (a) Do assholes buy 4WD pickup trucks, or (b) does driving a pickup truck turn some people into assholes?

NOTE: A generation ago, the same question would have been apropos for drivers of the original VW "bugs."

 

[Ringel05]

Uummmm, you forgot Asshole #A1
The driver that goes to pass, knowing everyone else in the passing lane is going faster than he/she/it is and refuses to speed up because he/she/it might be slightly inconvenienced and would prefer to inconvenience others then complain about how they drive........

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

My daily commute involves traveling about 25 miles in each direction on a heavily-traveled interstate highway (I-79, if you must know).

As with a lot of such roads, the posted speed limit is 55, but the flow of traffic is 65-70 mph most of the time. Occasionally there is a bit of congestion, but it normally moves smoothly.

I follow the recommended practice of staying in the right-hand lane unless I am passing someone. I am a "cruise control" person, and when traffic is relatively light I'll set my cruise at 65 and try to leave it there. As a result, there are times when I am passing someone going 63 mph or so, and it takes - I don't know - 15-20 seconds for me to make the pass?

When I do this, I frequently end up with an unhappy driver behind me, entirely too close to my back bumper for safety. Usually they are not flashing their high beams, but by their proximity they are letting me know that I am an asshole for holding up their progress toward who-knows-what? I will refer to these people as "Asshole Type 1."

There are also times when, in a long line of cars clogging both lanes, someone will quickly pass on the right, even though the right lane is also clogged, then they cut someone off to get back in the passing lane, having moved forward one or two places in the chain of cars and saved themselvs a fraction of a second in their journey to who-knows-where? "Asshole Type 2," if you will.

In both cases they are compromising the safety of themselves and others in a futile attempt to exceed the speed limit by more than everyone else.

By my unofficial count, both Asshole Types, 1 and 2, are about 95% pickup truck drivers. And not just pickup trucks; invariably it is a "lifted" 4WD pickup truck. Occasionally, these appear to be work trucks, but usually not.

This is not to say that every asshole on the road is driving a pickup, or that every pickup is driven by someone like this; it's just that of the drivers who drive like this, most are driving pickups. And I would also observe that pickup trucks use copious amounts of precious fossil fuels, and the amount of wasted fuel increases dramatically with speed, and with the acceleration and braking that results from driving this way.


So the question for the panel is: (a) Do assholes buy 4WD pickup trucks, or (b) does driving a pickup truck turn some people into assholes?

NOTE: A generation ago, the same question would have been apropos for drivers of the original VW "bugs."

Would it hurt you to speed up when you pass? And driving in traffic with cruise on is a major no,no.

 

[FuzzyCat]

I'm a nearly 70 y.o. female who drives a big Ram!
If you can't merge with the flow of traffic when passing, then slow down & stay in the right lane! It is people like you who cause road rage and end up getting hurt in the end!

 

[House]

Not a pickup driver, but the whole "speed up when you pass" thing drew my interest.

I drive a Freightliner that is governed at 68. If I'm in a 75 zone and come up on somebody that is doing 65, I'm not staying behind them just to appease people who don't have the mental faculties to handle the onerous task of raising their right foot half an inch.

Why? Because quite frequently in that kind of situation, we'll approach a downhill slope. I'm not trying to be stuck behind pokey riding my brakes when I can let my truck pick up a few extra mph and save fuel at the same time.

So if somebody needs to pass, do try to hold your temper in check for the brief moment it takes them to complete their pass and get out of your oh-so-better-than-them way.


Edit: And FuzzyCat, do try to hurt me with that "big Ram" of yours. That would be highly entertaining. I'll even bring flowers to the funeral.

 

[koshergrl]

Best thread ever!

 

[Warrior102]

My daily commute involves traveling about 25 miles in each direction on a heavily-traveled interstate highway (I-79, if you must know).

As with a lot of such roads, the posted speed limit is 55, but the flow of traffic is 65-70 mph most of the time. Occasionally there is a bit of congestion, but it normally moves smoothly.

I follow the recommended practice of staying in the right-hand lane unless I am passing someone. I am a "cruise control" person, and when traffic is relatively light I'll set my cruise at 65 and try to leave it there. As a result, there are times when I am passing someone going 63 mph or so, and it takes - I don't know - 15-20 seconds for me to make the pass?

When I do this, I frequently end up with an unhappy driver behind me, entirely too close to my back bumper for safety. Usually they are not flashing their high beams, but by their proximity they are letting me know that I am an asshole for holding up their progress toward who-knows-what? I will refer to these people as "Asshole Type 1."

There are also times when, in a long line of cars clogging both lanes, someone will quickly pass on the right, even though the right lane is also clogged, then they cut someone off to get back in the passing lane, having moved forward one or two places in the chain of cars and saved themselvs a fraction of a second in their journey to who-knows-where? "Asshole Type 2," if you will.

In both cases they are compromising the safety of themselves and others in a futile attempt to exceed the speed limit by more than everyone else.

By my unofficial count, both Asshole Types, 1 and 2, are about 95% pickup truck drivers. And not just pickup trucks; invariably it is a "lifted" 4WD pickup truck. Occasionally, these appear to be work trucks, but usually not.

This is not to say that every asshole on the road is driving a pickup, or that every pickup is driven by someone like this; it's just that of the drivers who drive like this, most are driving pickups. And I would also observe that pickup trucks use copious amounts of precious fossil fuels, and the amount of wasted fuel increases dramatically with speed, and with the acceleration and braking that results from driving this way.


So the question for the panel is: (a) Do assholes buy 4WD pickup trucks, or (b) does driving a pickup truck turn some people into assholes?

NOTE: A generation ago, the same question would have been apropos for drivers of the original VW "bugs."

Which "Asshole" number are you?
Get your fucking earth friendly Prius and your Obama stickers out of the fucking way, idiot.

 

[Pogo]

Not a pickup driver, but the whole "speed up when you pass" thing drew my interest.

I drive a Freightliner that is governed at 68. If I'm in a 75 zone and come up on somebody that is doing 65, I'm not staying behind them just to appease people who don't have the mental faculties to handle the onerous task of raising their right foot half an inch.

Why? Because quite frequently in that kind of situation, we'll approach a downhill slope. I'm not trying to be stuck behind pokey riding my brakes when I can let my truck pick up a few extra mph and save fuel at the same time.

So if somebody needs to pass, do try to hold your temper in check for the brief moment it takes them to complete their pass and get out of your oh-so-better-than-them way.


Edit: And FuzzyCat, do try to hurt me with that "big Ram" of yours. That would be highly entertaining. I'll even bring flowers to the funeral.

Exactamente. The tailgater behind me who imagines he's gonna dictate what my speed should be, let alone one that expects me to burn extra fuel to indulge his neuroses, he's just gonna git him a lesson in democracy.

Hills are free energy. Not taking advantage of free energy is just stoopid.

All that said, while I certainly see the asshole techniques describe in the OP, no I don't notice them being pickups.

 

[Mr. H.]

Would it hurt you to speed up when you pass? And driving in traffic with cruise on is a major no,no.

I use the cruise, Tom. If I'm left-laning and getting tailed then I'll tap up the cruise speed. Once clear, I mosey on back over to the right then tap down the cruise to a just-above match of my rear traffic.

This isn't a "no-no". Try driving the 80/94 corridor from Chicago to Gary and points east. I've done it dozens of times- on cruise control. Look ahead, plan ahead.

What IS a no-no is using your cruise control on wet pavement.

 

[Ringel05]

Not a pickup driver, but the whole "speed up when you pass" thing drew my interest.

I drive a Freightliner that is governed at 68. If I'm in a 75 zone and come up on somebody that is doing 65, I'm not staying behind them just to appease people who don't have the mental faculties to handle the onerous task of raising their right foot half an inch.

Why? Because quite frequently in that kind of situation, we'll approach a downhill slope. I'm not trying to be stuck behind pokey riding my brakes when I can let my truck pick up a few extra mph and save fuel at the same time.

So if somebody needs to pass, do try to hold your temper in check for the brief moment it takes them to complete their pass and get out of your oh-so-better-than-them way.


Edit: And FuzzyCat, do try to hurt me with that "big Ram" of yours. That would be highly entertaining. I'll even bring flowers to the funeral.

I think he was talking about passenger type vehicles, to include pickup trucks. Big rigs are a completely different story and I for one treat them differently simply because I have friends who drive em and know what they have to deal with. I don't get upset over the passenger vehicle drivers who don't speed up when they pass, I just expect those people to be either clueless or control freaks. The ones who I take issue with are the ones who come up fast to pass then slow down and sit in your rear quarter panel till they wake up and speed back up. There's also the ones who gradually speed up as they are being passed till they wake up and realize they are driving a vehicle and slow back down.
I've found most truckers to be respectful and good, steady drivers so I don't have any issues with them.

 

[Mr. H.]

Not a pickup driver, but the whole "speed up when you pass" thing drew my interest.

I drive a Freightliner that is governed at 68. If I'm in a 75 zone and come up on somebody that is doing 65, I'm not staying behind them just to appease people who don't have the mental faculties to handle the onerous task of raising their right foot half an inch.

Why? Because quite frequently in that kind of situation, we'll approach a downhill slope. I'm not trying to be stuck behind pokey riding my brakes when I can let my truck pick up a few extra mph and save fuel at the same time.

So if somebody needs to pass, do try to hold your temper in check for the brief moment it takes them to complete their pass and get out of your oh-so-better-than-them way.


Edit: And FuzzyCat, do try to hurt me with that "big Ram" of yours. That would be highly entertaining. I'll even bring flowers to the funeral.

As far as I'm concerned, big rigs rule the road and I do not fuck with them one bit. I'll always give them the benefit of the doubt. If I see a left turn signal, I'll slow down and give him the lane. If there's one passing another, I'll leave a full rig's length between us just in case the guy on the right has to make a quick maneuver left.

You can't see what's ahead and there could be some merging action or a vehicle on the right shoulder. When in doubt, yield.

Drive defensively, bitches.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Would it hurt you to speed up when you pass? And driving in traffic with cruise on is a major no,no.

I use the cruise, Tom. If I'm left-laning and getting tailed then I'll tap up the cruise speed. Once clear, I mosey on back over to the right then tap down the cruise to a just-above match of my rear traffic.

This isn't a "no-no". Try driving the 80/94 corridor from Chicago to Gary and points east. I've done it dozens of times- on cruise control. Look ahead, plan ahead.

What IS a no-no is using your cruise control on wet pavement.

Meh...try driving anywhere in Texas without it.
There's no law against it although most wont engage below 30mph. The thing is it's dangerous in traffic.

 

[Mr. H.]

Would it hurt you to speed up when you pass? And driving in traffic with cruise on is a major no,no.

I use the cruise, Tom. If I'm left-laning and getting tailed then I'll tap up the cruise speed. Once clear, I mosey on back over to the right then tap down the cruise to a just-above match of my rear traffic.

This isn't a "no-no". Try driving the 80/94 corridor from Chicago to Gary and points east. I've done it dozens of times- on cruise control. Look ahead, plan ahead.

What IS a no-no is using your cruise control on wet pavement.

Meh...try driving anywhere in Texas without it.
There's no law against it although most wont engage below 30mph. The thing is it's dangerous in traffic.

Below 30 yes, I agree of course.

In traffic, it has served me well.

Cruise control on Toyota products sucks ballz.

Our Jeep, however, handles it flawlessly.

 

[Ringel05]

Would it hurt you to speed up when you pass? And driving in traffic with cruise on is a major no,no.

I use the cruise, Tom. If I'm left-laning and getting tailed then I'll tap up the cruise speed. Once clear, I mosey on back over to the right then tap down the cruise to a just-above match of my rear traffic.

This isn't a "no-no". Try driving the 80/94 corridor from Chicago to Gary and points east. I've done it dozens of times- on cruise control. Look ahead, plan ahead.

What IS a no-no is using your cruise control on wet pavement.

Meh...try driving anywhere in Texas without it.
There's no law against it although most wont engage below 30mph. The thing is it's dangerous in traffic.

I use cruise only on the open road with light traffic, in my case it's mostly between Trinidad and Pueblo and again from Pueblo to Colorado Springs. In town forget it, too much going on and I for one need that extra control without it. Pretty much the same between the Springs and Denver, most times it's too congested to use cruise control except in certain areas.

 

[Mr. H.]

Most often, I set my cruise a few mph above the speed limit. When I see someone pass me at 90, I tell the Mrs. "I can go that fast, but I don't want to".

And I can go that fast. But why?

There have been instances when I'm in the left lane, expeditiously passing... when BAM - there's a 500 Series BMW on my ass. Sometimes my mood strikes, and I leave Mr. Beemer in my rear view mirror. Just because I happen to be pissed off at that moment.

Fuck you hot-rodders. Poser-bitches piss me off.

 

[norwegen]

My daily commute involves traveling about 25 miles in each direction on a heavily-traveled interstate highway (I-79, if you must know).

As with a lot of such roads, the posted speed limit is 55, but the flow of traffic is 65-70 mph most of the time. Occasionally there is a bit of congestion, but it normally moves smoothly.

I follow the recommended practice of staying in the right-hand lane unless I am passing someone. I am a "cruise control" person, and when traffic is relatively light I'll set my cruise at 65 and try to leave it there. As a result, there are times when I am passing someone going 63 mph or so, and it takes - I don't know - 15-20 seconds for me to make the pass?

When I do this, I frequently end up with an unhappy driver behind me, entirely too close to my back bumper for safety. Usually they are not flashing their high beams, but by their proximity they are letting me know that I am an asshole for holding up their progress toward who-knows-what? I will refer to these people as "Asshole Type 1."

There are also times when, in a long line of cars clogging both lanes, someone will quickly pass on the right, even though the right lane is also clogged, then they cut someone off to get back in the passing lane, having moved forward one or two places in the chain of cars and saved themselvs a fraction of a second in their journey to who-knows-where? "Asshole Type 2," if you will.

In both cases they are compromising the safety of themselves and others in a futile attempt to exceed the speed limit by more than everyone else.

By my unofficial count, both Asshole Types, 1 and 2, are about 95% pickup truck drivers. And not just pickup trucks; invariably it is a "lifted" 4WD pickup truck. Occasionally, these appear to be work trucks, but usually not.

This is not to say that every asshole on the road is driving a pickup, or that every pickup is driven by someone like this; it's just that of the drivers who drive like this, most are driving pickups. And I would also observe that pickup trucks use copious amounts of precious fossil fuels, and the amount of wasted fuel increases dramatically with speed, and with the acceleration and braking that results from driving this way.


So the question for the panel is: (a) Do assholes buy 4WD pickup trucks, or (b) does driving a pickup truck turn some people into assholes?

NOTE: A generation ago, the same question would have been apropos for drivers of the original VW "bugs."

Oddly enough, I had a VW Beetle when I was a kid, and now I drive a small truck.

I've always ruled the road. Life is grand.

 

[Mr. H.]

I use the cruise, Tom. If I'm left-laning and getting tailed then I'll tap up the cruise speed. Once clear, I mosey on back over to the right then tap down the cruise to a just-above match of my rear traffic.

This isn't a "no-no". Try driving the 80/94 corridor from Chicago to Gary and points east. I've done it dozens of times- on cruise control. Look ahead, plan ahead.

What IS a no-no is using your cruise control on wet pavement.

Meh...try driving anywhere in Texas without it.
There's no law against it although most wont engage below 30mph. The thing is it's dangerous in traffic.

I use cruise only on the open road with light traffic, in my case it's mostly between Trinidad and Pueblo and again from Pueblo to Colorado Springs. In town forget it, too much going on and I for one need that extra control without it. Pretty much the same between the Springs and Denver, most times it's too congested to use cruise control except in certain areas.

Lightweight.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I use the cruise, Tom. If I'm left-laning and getting tailed then I'll tap up the cruise speed. Once clear, I mosey on back over to the right then tap down the cruise to a just-above match of my rear traffic.

This isn't a "no-no". Try driving the 80/94 corridor from Chicago to Gary and points east. I've done it dozens of times- on cruise control. Look ahead, plan ahead.

What IS a no-no is using your cruise control on wet pavement.

Meh...try driving anywhere in Texas without it.
There's no law against it although most wont engage below 30mph. The thing is it's dangerous in traffic.

Below 30 yes, I agree of course.

In traffic, it has served me well.

Cruise control on Toyota products sucks ballz.

Our Jeep, however, handles it flawlessly.

You know nothing about my yotas!!! And our cruise works kick ass on both of them. JC

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Most often, I set my cruise a few mph above the speed limit. When I see someone pass me at 90, I tell the Mrs. "I can go that fast, but I don't want to".

And I can go that fast. But why?

There have been instances when I'm in the left lane, expeditiously passing... when BAM - there's a 500 Series BMW on my ass. Sometimes my mood strikes, and I leave Mr. Beemer in my rear view mirror. Just because I happen to be pissed off at that moment.

Fuck you hot-rodders. Poser-bitches piss me off.

If the road will let me I run around 80 to 90 in the boonies. Closer in I'll run 60 to 70.

 

[Mr. H.]

Meh...try driving anywhere in Texas without it.
There's no law against it although most wont engage below 30mph. The thing is it's dangerous in traffic.

Below 30 yes, I agree of course.

In traffic, it has served me well.

Cruise control on Toyota products sucks ballz.

Our Jeep, however, handles it flawlessly.

You know nothing about my yotas!!! And our cruise works kick ass on both of them. JC

On the open flats of Texas with no traffic. Got it.

Whatever you say, Tom.