Backing Help Needed: Turning Front Vs. Back Of Trailer

Just to qualify..,

But no one will ever witness me dropping my speed by 20% and putting my emergencies on.

...unless conditions or the situation in front of me or next to me warrants it.

With a 62mph governed truck with trailer tails i seem to get alot of trucks tailgating. Is there some kind of wind resistance or some other reason for this? It happens numerous times a day and not in busy traffic, im talking wide open two or three lane divided highways with noone preventing them from passing.

Noob asks...?

With a 62mph governed truck with trailer tails i seem to get alot of trucks tailgating. Is there some kind of wind resistance or some other reason for this? It happens numerous times a day and not in busy traffic, im talking wide open two or three lane divided highways with noone preventing them from passing.

I’ll refer back to my point on common sense, it can’t be taught and many lack it.

Otherwise lack of patience and ignorant to the risks.

Noob asks...?

With a 62mph governed truck with trailer tails i seem to get alot of trucks tailgating. Is there some kind of wind resistance or some other reason for this? It happens numerous times a day and not in busy traffic, im talking wide open two or three lane divided highways with noone preventing them from passing.

I’ll refer back to my point on common sense, it can’t be taught and many lack it.

Otherwise lack of patience and ignorant to the risks.

I kind of figured. Maybe for humanity's sake i was hoping for a reason on why they do It. I dont get upset during busy traffic it can happen or on a hill because we normally have heavy beer loads but flat open roads baffles me.

Noob asks...?

With a 62mph governed truck with trailer tails i seem to get alot of trucks tailgating. Is there some kind of wind resistance or some other reason for this? It happens numerous times a day and not in busy traffic, im talking wide open two or three lane divided highways with noone preventing them from passing.

I’ll refer back to my point on common sense, it can’t be taught and many lack it.

Otherwise lack of patience and ignorant to the risks.

I kind of figured. Maybe for humanity's sake i was hoping for a reason on why they do It. I dont get upset during busy traffic it can happen or on a hill because we normally have heavy beer loads but flat open roads baffles me.

NEVER FORGET: Common sense isn't common!

Noob asked about wind resistance.

Hasn't there been some practice of both trucks and racing vehicles to follow closely behind and utilize the "draft" behind a lead vehicle, one effect for increasing fuel economy? If this is true, I think I've also been aware that it's frowned upon from a safety standpoint.

Your referring to truck platooning. Trucks that are platooning would use connectivity and automated driving support systems to maintain that close distance.

It's totally unsafe to follow a truck at those distances without those systems in place.

Noob asked about wind resistance.

Hasn't there been some practice of both trucks and racing vehicles to follow closely behind and utilize the "draft" behind a lead vehicle, one effect for increasing fuel economy? If this is true, I think I've also been aware that it's frowned upon from a safety standpoint.

R. Doyenne, the term you're looking for is "drafting. Yes it's true, getting in close behind a lead vehicle saves fuel. But these are all professional drivers who know very well what the other drivers are doing and are going to do. Truck platooning is very rare without the inter-truck control PlanB describes, for much the same reason.

On the open highway, though, 999 times out of 1000 neither driver is coordinating with the other. If you're rolling down I-40 east out of Las Vegas and some 4-wheeler is rubbing their grill on your DOT bar, you don't know if that driver is on drugs, late for dinner or just had to pee.

So if you're the driver in front, as I've said earlier, Drive Your Own Road. If you're the tailgater, better back off because any problem will be on you.

(Side note: the San Jacinto mountains was one of my favorite areas for camping when I lived in LA area. Been up San J several times both from the Tram and Idlewild.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Marc, apologies for pulling this richly informative backing thread off track. It's great to learn along with you as I read.

PlanB and Errol, thanks for your remarks. "Platooning" is very interesting from my quick lookup; I wonder about parallels to great solutions posited by economists which then get mangled when vetted through the biases of politicians or government. A new thread, perhaps.

A shout-out to you from the glorious, mountains-in-a-storm here this morning, Errol! (between Idyllwild and Banning, off the scenic 243)

As a NYC native, I love this wild area, too, as quite the counterpoint to any urban setting.