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.
…nothing at all wrong with overtaking at a 1 MPH differential as long as you keep right afterward…
Gotta signal back right pretty quickly… you wanna give a truck the space it deserves and stay outta the blindspot, guy behind you assumes if you don’t move the moment your car technically physically fits that’s their cue to do so when theirs fits.
(Of course can be mitigated by overtaking with a little more gusto which is technically illegal - speed limit is the limit - buttttt…)
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).
