this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2024
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Trick is to not give a fuck about how fast other people are going, and cruise at 65mph (105km/h) at a safe distance behind a combination tractor trailer.
You can drive without much stress, because impatient drivers don't like to be in that spot behind a truck so you are less likely to be cut off. You'll have plenty of time to react to anything in front, and also be safe in knowing that if there is a pileup ahead, a clear path will be smashed through for you.
Fuel efficiency will even be better in the slip stream.
Unfortunately, to get the benefit of the slip steam, you gotta be pretty close to the back of the truck. If you have space for good reaction time, you're probably too far back
This is correct, especially at lower speeds. Greater fuel efficiency would come from lower wind and drivetrain resistance and use of a more efficient range of the motor’s powerband.
Most vehicles are geared for optimal speed to fuel consumption around 55-65 mph (90-100 kph) not 70+ mph (110+ kph). So just going a bit under the speed limit can have a significant impact on fuel consumption.
Also, truckers drive efficiently, so just following what they do will save gas.
But yeah, I don't go over 65mph and I end up with 7-10mpg over my highway rating.
I have no idea what mpg are exactly, but my car uses 5 liters for 100km when I drive it.
The official rating is 7, and most car magazines at the time it was new claimed that it's unrealistic cause it actually "needs" 8.
When I went to the shop because my brake discs were rusty, the mechanic told me "yeah well you're supposed to use them once in a while".
Edit:
8 liters/100km = 29 mpg
7 liters/100km = 34 mpg
5 liters/100km = 47 mpg
Yeah, I got my last vehicle new, and went 165k miles (~265k Km) on the front brake pads. At every tire rotation I asked if I needed new ones, and for like 6 years they told me they were at 50% wear.
I use throttle control to adjust my speed while driving, and coast as much as I can at redlights.
This has been tested. You still get a reasonable benefit 3 seconds behind; you get practically nothing 6 seconds behind
Yeah, be at least far enough back be able to see the truck's side mirrors. 'Can't speak for all truck drivers of course, but when I'm driving a big vehicle I actually like that someone "has my back" like this. It's much nicer to have someone trailing me at a safe distance than to have an impatient driver trying to speed me up by traveling too close.
Thank you for being mindful of the passing lane and staying behind another slow moving vehicle if you are going to travel slower than the flow of traffic.
You are most welcome.
There is only one bone I have to pick with people who make "slower traffic keep right", "the left lane is for passing", and "the flow of traffic" type of comments. That is in the case of a commercial vehicle travelling 65mph passing another travelling 63mph. This is a perfectly valid use of the passing lanes on a highway, unless signs or local rules indicate otherwise (e.g. no trucks this lane). In this case, 65mph is the flow of traffic in that area and everyone behind should be aware that they are travelling faster than the flow of traffic until the pass has completed.
The worst part about this scenario is both trucks believe they're in the right. They're likely both set to cruise at the speed limit, but slightly out of calibration making them travel at slightly different speeds.
The usual scenario I see is the difference in load weight and the ability to maneuver around curves and hills causes the "elephant race". Taking 2 minutes to pass is still passing, neither truck driver is wrong to do that.
Not technically wrong but kind of an asshole if there's a ton of cars they're holding up just to go 2 mph faster than the guy on the right of them. Maybe step on it a bit to get past him and clear the lane then slow back to what they want to go would be a good compromise. Where I used to live the law was actually that you had to pass within 1/2 a mile if you where in the left lane which I thought was pretty reasonable but I never witnessed that be enforced.
I 100% agree and have no problem with it, as long as they exit the passing lane as soon as it is safe to do so. Trucks almost always get this right, big SUVs almost never do.
Btw, it's not safe to pass a big truck until you can see both headlights in your rear view mirror, assuming flat terrain. If you're going downhill, give them even more space since stopping such a big rig can be very difficult.
It's interesting you say that, cause in the last few years I've noticed more and more trucks that never exit the left lane. They can be the only vehicle on the road for a few hundred feet in either direction but they'll still sit in the left, even when a car caravan catches up and is forced to pass them on the right.
It's honestly the most egregious in a few sections of highway I drive where there are "Left lane js for passing only" signs every few hundred feet (literally every 10-20 seconds driving).
Really? I've seen pretty much no semi trucks in the left lane. In fact, it's illegal in my area on highways with more than 2 lanes for big rigs to be in the left lane.
I just did a big road trip (800+ miles one way, ~2000 miles total) and only had to pass a big rig on the right once, and that was my fault because I didn't see the truck pulled off to the side of the road that they were giving space to.
I see a lot of pickup trucks, big SUVs, and minivans camping in the left lane, but that's not what I'm talking about.
I know what you mean, but yeah, in the Midwest I've been seeing more and more semis camping the left lane all the time. It's gotten really bad for my road trips.
...nothing at all wrong with overtaking at a 1 MPH differential as long as you keep right afterward...
Exactly. Though for anyone that doesn't have a speed limiter and towing a 53ft trailer are best advised to pass trucks at a brisk pace, as it's dangerous for smaller cars and light pickups to stay in the drivers' blindspots.
Also, following a truck will increase your mpg.
And not because of the lower air pressure zone behind the truck; you have to get dangerously close for that.
Truckers spend a fuck ton on fuel, so they have a huge vested interest in driving efficiency. My highway mpg rating is 27mpg, but I got 38mpg on an hour drive by chilling a safe distance behind a semi. It only added like 5 minutes tops to my trip.
Exactly. Similar to how others responded to a similar comment to yours, there isn't much slipstream savings without getting into the danger zone of around 30m (100ft), which you can't get with 3 second gaps at speed.
But you do get more fuel savings from driving at that slower speed, and from coasting and accelerating lightly/cruising. It perplexes me why people alternate gunning it with braking so much on the highway.
Because big fast car go brrrrrrr!
Agreed, provided you're not driving very far.
I go on several hundred mile trips almost every year (usually ~800mi), and going 10mph over the limit saves over an hour and can be the difference between making it in one day and having to get a hotel.
So I'll hang out behind semis on shorter trips (<200 miles) and speed ahead on longer trips. It costs more in gas, but I make up for it in other costs.
Yep. Like having an NFL running back in front of a high school player running the ball. And with adaptive cruise control, easier than ever these days
Another benefit to driving the speed limit is that, on average, you are less likely to encounter a driver going slower than you in your lane, vs if you were driving faster. So you end up not changing lanes as often