TowRig.com - Diesel Discussion and Tow Tech

How close do you draft behind the big rigs? I usuall try to stay about 40-60' at about 65 mph. I figure I should be able to stop faster than a big rig with my dually and trailer (with electric brakes on all for tires). I like the constant speed they usually travel at and the better fuel mileage I can get. I do try to help them when they want to make a lane change (by doing some lane blocking). So, how close before you become a safety hazzard or an annoyance.
:popcorn:

I normaly like them behind me, I like to be able to see farther down the road I guess.

Close enough that I can tell if they need to adjust the back brake shoes....:D

Stay away back, as long as you can see their mirrors around the vans, you should be fine. Truck drivers hate tailgaters. One of our guys likes to hit his dump valve and lightely tap the brakes. The dump valve releases the weight on a single axle of the trailer, so when you hit the brake there is no weight to keep the tires from sliding, since all the weight is on the front trailer axle. The back axle locks up without any loss in mph, and it scares the crap out of the tailgater from one heck of a smoke show. They think the truck locks everything up.

I can't stand vehicles tailgating me when driving truck or pass me then slow back down.... I will generally keep my same speed and push them if they do that. One of our drivers threw a plastic bottle out the window... well, rather the wind "cought" it and almost hit a car that was tailgating him... Yeah, he got a chewin out.

Your safer behind the truck than infront of it and if you cant see both his mirrors then he cant see you ,idealy but at least one if in slow moving traffic,I one had a blow out in my dump truck tire remants took out my mud flap and three lights some old jewish man gave me the finger and some goofy looking fat teenager was yelling I'm loseing rocks,both were to close beind me I just grinned and laughed at em.Yeah not the profesional way to handle it but niether is tailgating

yup, the professional truck drivers definitely hate tail gaiters. about 90% are concerned that the 4wheelers (as they are called) will end up being lodged under the trailer, thus causing much unneccesary downtime.most would prefer that if you do follow close keep it back no closer than 50 feet behind them that way if a trailer tire blows it has a better chance of being on the ground when you get there rather than going through your windshield.

exactly

how would you like a tire thrown at the front of your vehicle? when a tire comes apart there is NO warning!! it comes apart & it goes everywhere. it shows no mercy. so go ahead & tailgate but don't start bitching when you need a new grill.:doah:

We 4wheelers call thoes Alligators. The retreads that come flying off are dangerous even after they come to rest on the hwy. I have seen many a car get a shattered winshield from thoes dam gators.
On my last trip to Pismo this one driver had the hammer down and he was passin all the other drivers so I just followed him, pass him, he would pass me, etc... Some of thoes damn drivers are crazy as hell too :doah:
My tow speed is just a bit faster than the average driver but slower than the flow of all the 4wheelers waytogo

I usuall try to stay about 40-60' at about 65 mph. I figure I should be able to stop faster than a big rig with my dually and trailer (with electric brakes on all for tires). I like the constant speed they usually travel at and the better fuel mileage I can get. So, how close before you become a safety hazzard or an annoyance.
:popcorn:

A semi truck with about 15,000 lbs to 20,000 lbs of freight will probably stop faster than a pick-up truck with a loaded trailer. I don't think 40-60' at about 65 mph is near enough distance. Something you aren't thinking about is your reaction time. Let's assume the semi has to emergency brake for some reason. Now, let's suppose you are checking your mirrors, looking at your phone, or reaching for a cup of coffee (these are things that most of us do). First you have to stop what you are doing and realize the semi is slowing down. Your natural reaction is not to slam on your brakes every time you see brake lights in front of you, so at this point you don't even know how fast the semi is stopping, so you just lightly apply your brakes. My guess is that by the time you realize he is "emergency stopping", you will have already hit him.

Now, with that said, I don't really care how close cars tailgate me, because they can't hurt me if they rear end me. I DO hate it when other semi's tail gate me :mad:

And while I'm complaining, another thing I REALLY HATE is when cars pass me on the interstate and then cut right in front of me... putting me only about 40' from their rear bumper. Hello stupid? Do you realize the danger you just put yourself in? :mad:

Oh well...

Boy Howdy, I sure am glad that the fellow slideing the tires on one axle ain't working for me as I just hate tires with all those flat spots from doing the smoke trick!!!!:stir: Don't tailgate and stay to the left so ya can see around the tuck, as at night the headlights in his mirror is pretty offenseive. And everybody drives pretty much like chuckleheads anymore!!! Its to early, as my spelling and typeing are worse than normal!!!!

and make them stay behind me i cnat stand towing and missing my exit because i had a larger rig in front of me adn couldnt read the sign fast enoughI normaly like them behind me, I like to be able to see farther down the road I guess.

and make them stay behind me i cnat stand towing and missing my exit because i had a larger rig in front of me adn couldnt read the sign fast enough
so then back off there bumper some, rather than passing them, and then slowing back down to your previous speed so now your impeeding them.

So far nothing has convinced me to do anything different. The only thing I've learned is that not every big rig driver deserves respect on the road because some of them can be totals asses by doing things like locking up their brakes for nothing.

i dont think truck drivers should get any special treatment when it comes to following distance... the key is to be able to see their mirrors... cuz if you can see their mirrors they can see you and everything is all good.

all i know is that when they are following me that they should be alert as my trailer or towed vheicle lights are usually inop, and dont cut me off when i am engine braking to a stop since my trailers behind me dont usually have brakes..

I can't stand vehicles tailgating me when driving truck or pass me then slow back down.... I will generally keep my same speed and push them if they do that. One of our drivers threw a plastic bottle out the window... well, rather the wind "cought" it and almost hit a car that was tailgating him... Yeah, he got a chewin out.

i had a woman in a minivan tailgate my friend and i while towing his jeep........i threw a huge full mcdonalds coke out the wind "caught" it too and it exploded all over her windshield....hilarious

thats to funny rotfl

40-60' at 65mph? Do you realize that if that semi had to slam on his brakes, you wouldn't even have time to put your foot on the brake and have the trailer brakes engage fully? To me rear-ending a semi at highway speed is not worth any amount of fuel savings

If I'm within 300' of a big rig with my camper in the truck the turbulance from the van makes my camper sway back & forth.

Good God man, give yourself some stopping distance. Your insurance premiums will thank you.

Friday I was running N bound I-77 @ the NC SC state line about 3:00 traffic starting to build & some dumb a** wanted to try to ride on my lowboy, (I already had a 76,000 lb Komatsu on)waytogo I was in the middle lane when one of the back tires let loose!:eek: I thought it was so funny watching that 4 wheeler try to dodge the pieces. now maby next time they will think twice trying to push a big truck.

40-60' at 65mph? Do you realize that if that semi had to slam on his brakes, you wouldn't even have time to put your foot on the brake and have the trailer brakes engage fully? To me rear-ending a semi at highway speed is not worth any amount of fuel savings

If I'm within 300' of a big rig with my camper in the truck the turbulance from the van makes my camper sway back & forth.

Good God man, give yourself some stopping distance. Your insurance premiums will thank you.
Cool, there is someone in this world who isn't a retard. Thanks, and the semi drivers appreciate your common sense and courtesy.





And to the retards - WTF is with some people's fascination with being jerks to big trucks? Do they suffer from little man syndrome and feel cool because they "put him in his place"? It doesn't matter if the semi truck is right or wrong... if you screw with them and something goes wrong, guess who dies? Yep, kiss your a$$ goodbye, loser.



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and make them stay behind me i cnat stand towing and missing my exit because i had a larger rig in front of me adn couldnt read the sign fast enough Did you come from the bottom of the gene pool? Like the scum that forms on the floor? Get off of his bumper and remove your head from your a$$ and then maybe you wouldn't miss your exit. How briliant does someone have to be to take pride in an ignorant decision such as thinking that being directly in front of 80,000 pounds moving at 55+ mph is a good place to be? You are probably one of those clowns who would sue if the semi hits you. Good luck getting any money when you are permantly resting under 6' of dirt.





Quick physics lesson for the less intelligent:



Inertia - in·er·tia Audio pronunciation of "inertia" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-nûrsh)
n.

1. Physics. The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.

and here is the part we will focus on - "or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force."

Gee, now lets think. What outside forces could possibly stop a big rig?

Brakes? Yep.

Running over some retard in who choses to drive in front of the semi? Yep.


Now, let's assume that you have chose to put yourself in front of the semi because you are too stupid to find your exit. I could only guess that you also would do other stupid things, like not allowing the semi enough stopping distance after you cut him off. Now, let's suppose you have to emergency brake for some reason.

The brakes on the semi WILL NOT be able to stop the truck. So what's left?

Yep, your right! The semi will run you over! :rolleyes:



waytogo

i dont think truck drivers should get any special treatment when it comes to following distance... the key is to be able to see their mirrors... cuz if you can see their mirrors they can see you and everything is all good.

Everything is all good? Is it still good when the semi lets a cap loose and it flies through your windshield and decapitates your wife or child? :eek:

I still choose to leave an outrageously huge gap between me and them.



waytogo

Some of you are acting a like a bunch of idiots now. You've ruined this post and towrig.com for me.

Thanks a lot.

Since I'm fairly certain you are talking to me...

Tell me where you work. I will come to your work and screw with you, make your job hell, and I really don't care if you get fired. I don't care if you lose everything you have worked your entire life to get.

Well guess what? That's exactly what is happening when people chose to drive like morons around semi drivers. Maybe that's why it makes the semi drivers so mad when cars drive like idiots? I do not like that fact that poor decisions by some people, like those who show no respect to semi drivers, can potentially cost me my job and everything I own and will ever own.


So go ahead, PM me your work address and I'll fly out and see what I can do to get you fired. If you are self employed, I will do something stupid that you will be held liable for, then I will sue you.
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And if you think this post is ruined because it didn't go the way you wanted, or that towrig.com is ruined because of this, you have bigger issues to worry about. I wish you well with your treatment.





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So, how close before you become a safety hazzard or an annoyance.
500 feet. That gives you about 5 seconds of following distance, and is the closest I would ever follow anyone at 65 mph.



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Actually it was directed all everyone that's talking about killing some one. Some of you have taken it too far.

Work address is Camp Pendleton, Ca. Building 52591. Just ask for Valencia.

It was meant as a way to show the situation from another viewpoint, one that is often missed by many. People never realize the risk involved with driving around semis... especially those who leave only 40-60' at about 65 mph. I wouldn't really come mess with you. And I surely wouldn't ever want to go to Kalifornia.

Actually it was directed all everyone that's talking about killing some one.
Well, that's what happens when people drive like you do. I called you out on one of your poor decisions. Please drive more cautiously... you and everyone else will live a lot longer.



Please don't take this the wrong way - I am not "pro-semi" and I don't think "all cars are idiots". Many semi truck drivers are retards too, hence my decision to stay VERY far away from them.



waytogo

You guys bring up some valid points but let's try to not climb all over someone, it's all in the presentation. :D

Yes sir.

I tend to really get worked up when it comes to this topic. Many people don't realize the risks they take or the consequences of these risks in the event that something would go wrong. I've seen many highway deaths in my years as a semi driver. Family members go NUTS when they see their loved ones with missing arms and legs or their intestines draped over a steering wheel. It's kind of like on ck5.com when people called me a tard for not wearing my seatbelt... the only difference is that I choose to kill myself rather than have someone do it for me.

And I have been wearing my seatbelt for several months now, since the ck5 clan beat me up for not wearing it. I have twins that will be born soon and I'd like to stick around for a while to be their Father.



waytogo

Yes sir.

I tend to really get worked up when it comes to this topic. Many people don't realize the risks they take or the consequences of these risks in the event that something would go wrong. I've seen many highway deaths in my years as a semi driver. Family members go NUTS when they see their loved ones with missing arms and legs or their intestines draped over a steering wheel. It's kind of like on ck5.com when people called me a tard for not wearing my seatbelt... the only difference is that I choose to kill myself rather than have someone do it for me.

And I have been wearing my seatbelt for several months now, since the ck5 clan beat me up for not wearing it. I have twins that will be born soon and I'd like to stick around for a while to be their Father.

waytogo
The consequenses are often not just for the driver of the car getting injured or killed. Then there's the truck driver who, if even at 0% fault risks losing his job....

Is it worth getting there 2 minutes earlier, or saving 2MPG to risk your life and risk sending a man or woman, just trying to make a living for his family, to the unemployment line?

My father-in-law is an OTR trucker so I've heard a lot of horrible stories about idiots in cars causing him stress. Just recently he was ticketed and had to fight to keep his job after some old f*cker cut him off with 10' to spare and then immediately slammed on his brakes.

These men and women are out there trying to make a living, keeping goods moving around America. Their job is tough enough as it is, don't make it any tougher for them

</soap box>

please remember 99.9% of everything you own was brought to you by a truck. so for those who read this topic and are anti big truck take a long look at all the necessity and toys you have in your posession, because if it werent for those gosh awful large slow ugly trucks this country would still be living like they were in the old west.


for any tow rig & trailer setup a great rule of thumb for following distance is for every 10 feet in length = 1 second of space (40 feet = 4 seconds) also each 10 MPH above 40 MPH add 1 second (if running 65 with your 40 footer you would take the initial 4 seconds & add an extra 3 seconds for the 25 MPH above 40) this will always keep you at a safe distance for emergency reaction plus keep your rig from getting that wobble from the disturbed air off the vehicle in front of you. the myth about getting better fuel mileage by tailgating a semi is very false. wind tunnel tests have proven that the air closes off at 16 feet behind the trailer at 65MPH and get shorter the faster the truck goes.:eek:

the myth about getting better fuel mileage by tailgating a semi is very false. wind tunnel tests have proven that the air closes off at 16 feet behind the trailer at 65MPH and get shorter the faster the truck goes.:eek:

Yeah, but at ten feet back, I barely have to touch the gas!! I need a hydraulic grapple hook to grab onto the rear bumper and let him flat tow me.
:stir:

J/K
I give the utmost respect to those guys and plenty of space, and practice lane blocking so they can get to where they need to. Safely of course. Many 4wheelers just don't pay enough attention to realize that 18 wheeler in the turn lane has probably been there forever due to the traffic flow. I gladly stop and listen to horns so they can turn.

I've got a buddy that does a lot of hauling, and he says that everybody should have to drive 3 things. A motorcycle, a semi truck, and a pickup truck hauling horses. All three of those things a lot of people don't have much respect for. He didn't realize how differently people treated bikes until he got one. But then he sold it. If you're hauling horses of course you can't just slam on the brakes - you don't want your horse to break a leg! He said it would be comparable to a person riding on a flatbed trailer standing up. Think about how much you'd have to shift your weight on acceleration, stops, and turns, to keep from falling over?

I've never driven an 18 wheeler but I've spent a LOT of hours in a 24' box truck and driven a couple tender trucks - 10 wheels and 9 speeds. I think a lot of people would better understand the proper following distance and how to drive around the bigger trucks if they've actually DRIVEN one. I've never been a rude driver around the bigger trucks, but there's a few things I've started doing now (that I didn't do before) -- flashing my lights to let them over in front of me, blinking my taillights (hazards) to say "thanks" for letting me back over (if they signal me), keeping more of a following distance, etc.

Just my 2¢, take it or leave it! :cool: