Being Passed By Oversized Loads..

Anyone else cross the rumble strips for wide loads? I was told hold my lane and if the Oversized load can't pass safely or hits me while attempting it was his fault.... Yeah that's pretty much word for word... And It's also why I'm asking here. So I'm a company driver and realize my governed truck is probably holding up someone else's progress and try to stay out of the way but I sometimes get the look of "what's this guys deal?" Just wanting to know if there's some kind of etiquette to this?

Interesting. I would probably pull over and let them go by but if you were to hold your lane and they hit you, it would be their fault legally.

Phil

Just today I rolled into the right shoulder for two xtra wide office trailers. If the road ahead is clear, I give them the courtesy room.

If you have an instructor that says different, do what he says. On your own, do what you think is best.

I am not a trucker, but courtesy goes a long way, I agree with Errol. If it is safe when I am in my car and I am holding up traffic I will move over. I tow a trailer a lot with a small car so I experience being the slow guy a lot LOL.

Anyone else cross the rumble strips for wide loads? I was told hold my lane and if the Oversized load can't pass safely or hits me while attempting it was his fault.... Yeah that's pretty much word for word... And It's also why I'm asking here. So I'm a company driver and realize my governed truck is probably holding up someone else's progress and try to stay out of the way but I sometimes get the look of "what's this guys deal?" Just wanting to know if there's some kind of etiquette to this?

Didn't mean to scare you....

I laugh all the time at this. To answer your question it all depends. Normally an oversized load will stay clear of the center line or at least on his side of the road. Now there are exceptions to everything like the guy last year coming at me with a 23' wide load and me being 14' wide at the time. I saw the pilot car and started to slow down. Then the pilot came over the CB saying the load was 23' wide. I responded that I was 14 and would pull over as far as I could. We passed safely.

Now the reason for me laughing is that even if I am in my lane I can look in my mirror and see even cars off on the shoulder and sometimes even off the shoulder. This includes truck drivers. If the guy has the load in his lane, even if it is right on the zipper, I just move over to the right side of my lane. You are 8.5' wide and most lanes are 12' so you will pass with 3.5' between you. Now if he is really bigger than his lane then yeah give some room, it hurts absolutely nothing. There are enough drivers out here being ass hats.

You need to Duke's of Hazard that truck over the oversized load, get in front of him, and take off as quick as you can. I have a paper from my school showing me exactly how to get those wheels off the ground.

Anyone else cross the rumble strips for wide loads? I was told hold my lane and if the Oversized load can't pass safely or hits me while attempting it was his fault.... Yeah that's pretty much word for word... And It's also why I'm asking here. So I'm a company driver and realize my governed truck is probably holding up someone else's progress and try to stay out of the way but I sometimes get the look of "what's this guys deal?" Just wanting to know if there's some kind of etiquette to this?

Didn't mean to scare you....

I laugh all the time at this. To answer your question it all depends. Normally an oversized load will stay clear of the center line or at least on his side of the road. Now there are exceptions to everything like the guy last year coming at me with a 23' wide load and me being 14' wide at the time. I saw the pilot car and started to slow down. Then the pilot came over the CB saying the load was 23' wide. I responded that I was 14 and would pull over as far as I could. We passed safely.

Now the reason for me laughing is that even if I am in my lane I can look in my mirror and see even cars off on the shoulder and sometimes even off the shoulder. This includes truck drivers. If the guy has the load in his lane, even if it is right on the zipper, I just move over to the right side of my lane. You are 8.5' wide and most lanes are 12' so you will pass with 3.5' between you. Now if he is really bigger than his lane then yeah give some room, it hurts absolutely nothing. There are enough drivers out here being ass hats.

This is kinda why I was asking, the load that passed me was far beyond the usual. I seen him coming and also seen cars crossing the solid behind me. The left lane only had about a foot of pavement after the solid white line and I'm pretty sure he was using every inch of it meanwhile the right lane has several feet of pavement.... Made sense to give hime room. Now he's passed me and the guy in front of me is holding steady about 3 inches from the zipper line.... Just made me want to ask the question.

I think you should always drive as patiently, cautiously, and cooperatively as possible. Everyone shares the road so there's no such thing as "It's not my problem". On the highway someone else's problem can very quickly become yours in ways you would never have anticipated. So I would give plenty of room to other vehicles anytime you can.

I always swing wide of everything that's around. I don't buzz along the side of cars parked on the shoulder. I move away in case a door comes open at the wrong time. I don't buzz people walking or riding bikes on the shoulder. I move away. When big rigs are trying to make a corner or someone is waiting to make a turn I try to stay as far from them as possible.

In fact, I never drive alongside anyone on a four lane highway or the Interstate any longer than necessary. I want a lane or shoulder on either side of me and all of the room in the world in front of me at all times if possible.

Not only is it impossible to predict all of the crazy things that can happen at any given time, but I'm not comfortable driving too close to any other vehicles. I really don't want to rely on the steering accuracy and attentiveness of the general motoring public when it comes to my life and my safety record. I'm gonna steer clear of everyone at all times if possible.

Ok so I'm not the only one... The reply I got from my trainer and what I had seen in front of me after that load had passed me made me wonder if I was missing something. I have always laughed when people would say something like "if that guy hits me I'll sue" Well have fun spending the money from a wheelchair for the rest of your life.