Posted on 03/22/2008 2:13:40 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Probably not = especially with foods and such time sensitive loads...plus there's the catch-22 of the drivers getting paid by miles driven - slower speeds - longer times on loads, less money -
yup = and about every 6 months - new tires - "18-wheelers" + $3,000....etc etc
Caterpillar motor
since the last economic down turn in 1986 the producers of hard goods in this country have gone to a system called JIT (just in time) ordering.
since maintaining inventory is a bad thing producers decided that it was better to use trucks as rollingwarehouses.
so when their computers say they need 20 ton of say eggs for Easter they contract for a truck to be loaded in L A on Monday and it will be in Nashville on Thursday so the eggs can be on store shelves Friday sold Saturday and found on Sunday.
slow the truck down even by 4 hours could result in an additional day in transit thus there goes Easter celebration.
the same principal runs throughout the food chain, when potatoes are loaded on a trailer they immediately start to decompose from the inside out add an extra day to transport and don't expect the nice pretty produce we have gotten used to in America.
THEN lets mix 4 million trucks going 55 with all the impatient cars wanting to go 70+
Barnum and Bailly wouldn't have nothing of the circus that would be the US highways.
finnaly, You bet I think like a Truck Driver for 31 years and just over 3.5 million miles you get first quality goods on nice full shelves when YOU want to buy then and can drive on the safest highways in the world because I'm looking out for not just you but you're wife amd family.
>Why cant the guy being passed take his foot off the pedal for a second or two to allow the passer to get over quicker.<
You want the truck driver with his 80,000 total weight vehicle which requires six to 20 times the accleration requirements of your car to slow down so that you don’t have to slow down.
If he is going uphill and slows down into the next gear, he won’t get out of that gear untill he nears the crest of the hill. You on the other hand slow from 75 to 40 for a minute or two, which seem like three hours to you, then in 1/4 mile or less you have reattained your 75 mph. Look in the mirror as to who is not being courteous.
I didn't say he wasn't being uncourteous. I just asked why.
I don't like other cars passing me very slowly in cruise when I am in cruise.
I don't understand why cars pass trucks in cruise rather than speeding up a bit.
I don't think passing should be a long term event if it can be done faster. And I don't mean insane-faster.
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