Safe Following Distance

I earned my CDL January 2nd but have been sick with one thing or another since then. One of the things impressed upon me by my instructor while driving on I-95 in Philly was to maintain safe following distance. Although the rule of thumb calls for less he always told me to maintain 8 seconds of distance. Well, driving on the PA turnpike I notice truckers no more than 2 seconds or less than the length of a trailer behind cars and other tractor trailers. This appears to be common. Is it?

Well, driving on the PA turnpike I notice truckers no more than 2 seconds or less than the length of a trailer behind cars and other tractor trailers. This appears to be common. Is it?

I see it a lot around Milwaukee and N. IL. Particularly scary in rush hour traffic.

Noticed one truck from a small company where I met the owner at the DMV. Finally got an interview there. Never got the documents I was promised (Drivers Manual and new pay schedule) and never saw evidence of the calls the recruiter said she made to me. Finally I got an email saying their insurance company told her they had recently hired enough newly-licensed drivers so they couldn't hire another (me).

Of course I don't know if the speeding driver tailgating another vehicle in rush hour traffic in an area where a lane was about to end (often creating a bottleneck) was one of the recently hired newbies or an experienced veteran driver.

But I am pretty sure either their trucks are ungoverned or the governor is set really high!

Yes the 7 or 8 second following distance is incredibly important. Maintain it at all costs, even if it slows you down.

You can find numerous instances of those who ignored this paid the price.

Seven or eight seconds is your minimum in good conditions. You'll want to double it for rain & snow, and triple icondition.

Also yes there are a lot of drivers who miiiiiight follow by two seconds, if you're lucky. Its absolutely terrifying to watch them run up that close on people.

There are many unsafe drivers out there. When you start driving you will want that space cushion. If I end up with to much traffic around me, I will slow down and let them all move away from me. You will learn in training and through experience how important that space is. It gives you time to react.