After 15 years of limited interstate travel I am now doing quite a bit. During that time it seems to me that I’ve seen a substantial change in the way truck traffic moves on the interstate. Maybe someone can help me understand the modern mentality.

It seems to me that truckers seldom help each other in and out of lanes. I see a lot of drivers hanging out in the left lane long after the right lane opening has occurred. I see trucks with absolutely no potential to pass a slightly slower truck on a grade pull left and pace with the “slower truck” only to pull back in behind it or take the next three miles to pass it.
What gives?

Most recent stupidity was a young guy with Texas plates in a F350 Diesel pulling a goose neck with four 3ft plastic pipes. The joker hit the left lane with cruise set on 70. Over hill and over dale for the next ten miles he sat in the left lane. Rigs were jake braking at the bottom of hills because Jr wanted to stay in the left lane.

Do I just need to accept that we are in the age of narcissism? Are people this much more stupid, uncaring, distracted, disengaged? I miss old school truckers.

Yes.
Yes.

That and self righteous hybrid drivers and road construction.

They just don’t GAF. I think there are a lot of immigrants driving these days too.

On a side note, I have been working in and around the Badlands of ND. Most of those guys have some serious driving skills. Those roads going done in there are steep grades, twisting, slimy, blind corners, [bleep]. When it’s wet, they chain up. Balls of steel. The winch truck drivers are a special breed.

Interstate I travel 8 miles to work has 3 lanes. Constantly see people in the far left passing lane that stay there when it is by law designated as a passing lane only. Used to think it was Nascar fans. Now I believe it's just stupidity.
Wait, ain't those two things the same ?

Don't see many old School trucks these days. Shame too, used to be so many when I was young.
Schools have changed so much.

I've heard more than one youngster state "as long as I'm doing the speed limit, it doesn't matter what lane I'm in".

Really hate the jerks that are going 1MPH faster than me creep by instead of speeding up to pass.

The OP mention of the truckers is an everyday thing.

Going to work traffic starts here at 5AM. They're speeding to get to work when they're passed by a pickup ,pulling a trailer with 2-3 four wheelers, headed to the deer camp.

Heard that 'school' burned down.

Until they have a State Trooper follow them for three miles in the left lane then pull them over. Police are getting more aggressive with that violation on the PA. Turnpike.

People are just nuts these days.

I had the displeasure of driving 3-hours to Dallas yesterday to pick up a couple of new chairs (just so beautiful!) for the wife. I was pulling my utility trailor and confirmed before and after that the lights work, blinkers work, etc. With my rather light load, I was stlll able to accelerate well and drive speed limit plus 5 to 10 mph over the 70 mph and 75 mph speed limits to keep from getting run over from behind. But that's never enough for the dozens of dumb asses flying past me in heavy heavy traffic just to get 50 feet ahead, swerving in and out of lanes like they are all NASCAR drivers. I hope they got where they were going without killing anybody and enjoyed the extra 2 minutes they gained. Plus, I think I'm the only driver for 10 miles in any driection that used his blinkers.

Fortunately, the crazed dumb ass drivers are vastly the minority, but they are extremely dangerous. In my judgement, the truckers are the best of the drivers. A few need to wooped on the head for driving slow in the left lane. But most are "old school" types.

out here we have one interstate north to south.. I 5...

from the south out of California, we have them being driven by Mexicans and every other illegal alien types known to man..
who most don't speak English, much less even understand it.. and really don't give a damn...they know with liberals in Ca, they are special and laws don't apply to them...

from the north, we have out of Canada, plenty of Truckers who are from India and Pakistan, and a bunch of other Schitthole places in that area of the world....they are better at speaking and understanding English, but they really don't give a damn about much either... because they are also a privileged class to all the liberals....

Then as far as 4 wheelers.... in Washington, Oregon and CA, we have another class of liberal leftist that are just as stupid behind the wheel, as they are at anything else.....and yeah.. its all about them....

so what could possibly go wrong?

actually I beleive there is a God.. because its a big wonder that a lot more of them aren't killed on the highway, or have bigger wrecks....I can tell ya if there is a pileup on I 5.. it will usually involve Calif plates... and then give it a hour, there will be 5 or 6 more in the next hundred miles from all the rubber neckers.. and people doing 80 to 90 mph about 10 ft or less off of each others bumpers... and when one person hits the brakes.. there are 10 or more cars that are going to go smashbamboom real quick...
and it will again involve CA plates......

but I don't want to leave out Washington plates getting their credit... or someone out of Potlandia...

and then remember, out this way, all the states are sanctuary states... so D/L and car insurance is optional for all Mexicans and other illegal aliens....who usually just don't bother getting either for that very reason....

same with the Indians and Pakis out of BC....

40+ years ago, I drove a semi for a living. Liked the work, but the pay wasn't great. Back then there wasn't nearly as much traffic. Heck, I remember driving I-20 in the early morning and sometimes I go for 20 miles or more and not see another vehicle of any kind. Not just in my lane, not meet one either! It's not that way now.

Truckers helping each other was common. I remember the spring on the accelerator peddle broke one time. Foot peddle fell to the floor and wouldn't come up. Stuck my toe under it, pulled it up, and got to the side of the interstate. In just a minute, two 18 wheelers pulled over to see what was wrong. One of them had a tool box and we found a spring that would get me going again. In 15 min. or so, I was back on the road. Don't see that happening today.

It was bad enough in the seventies.

The new generation is under the all seeing eye of GPS and company dispatchers. As long as the truck is rolling at the prescribed rate, all is good. They're not bad people, but the etiquette and chivalry are going extinct.

My hat is off to all over the road truckers. Tough gig to be sure.

Trucks are different, drivers are different, roads are different, and there is much, much, more traffic than there was forty years ago. Trucks have enough power to haul heavy loads fast. Roads have been straightened out and grades which used to be a real chore are deceptively easy in appearance. The Lewiston, Idaho grade is a classic example. The old grade was twisty enough that driver just about couldn't get going too fast. The new grade lulls driver into a false sense of security and many are travelling too fast at the bottom. Some old grades remain and when some of the younger drivers get on them, they fail to show the grade the preoper respect at the top and end up in trouble; sometimes with fatal results.
Drivers today are limited to driving time and it is often difficult, if not impossible, for them to get the job done in the time they are allowed to drive and the electronic logbooks make it impossible to cheat. Sometimes, bad choices are made in an attempt to satisfy employers or customers while also satisfying the DOT. GD

Two things.

The electronic monitoring is for company profit. Dont mess that up changing lanes or helping another driver.

Also.....even with global warming....the sun does not get hot enough to hatch good truck drivers anymore.




Plus...to keep your 70 inch tv affordable......they hired Haji and Mohammed because they will work for less than Bill and Burt.

Electronic logbooks, never heard of such, but I guess that's just a sign of the times. I use to always keep 2 logbooks and so did just about everyone else.

I’m enjoying the comments. I definitely don’t want to be a JA and not consider things from the perspective of the drivers. However, with the big rigs and and four wheelers there is a serious issue with modern drivers and driving. I’d like to see left lane enforcement stepped up.

Left lane drivers in Northern Kentucky disproportionately represent the state of OHIO. The big rig left laners are usually on I-71 after the 75/71 split headed to and coming from Louisville.

That likely represents the thinking but reality demonstrates that proper lane changing speeds up traffic flow. I’m not a rocket surgeon but I cyphered that out (fingers and toe).

If a driver thinks a truck needs only one shifter sticking up out of the floor, he's not "old school". The 1960 B-73 Mack I learned to drive big rigs on had a tiny engine, but it also had two transmissions- - - - -5 speed main box and a 3 speed Brownie. 15 forward gears, three reverse! Try shifting with both hands while hauling a 45-foot trailer and a gross weight of 80,000 pounds sometime!
Jerry

Triplex.....ever drive a 4x4 or a 5x4. When I got a 13 RR, I thought I had gone to heaven. One stick and a splitter, man that made it easy. Drove a 10 speed some, both kinds and once drove a Mack with a 5 speed, but I didn't like it.

Now they tell me lots of the trucks have automatic transmissions.

Well I have been pushing a rig for about 35 years, and the last six up in Silicon Valley. Trucks have now become targets of abuse to be cut in on. People will see a rig and at least two or three per exit will run up the right, and horn in on the truck, they actually form a mini-line waiting for their turn to horn in on the truck.
Only once did I reach the point of fed-up and actually tag a car on purpose..luckily for me, he had no insurance and took off and took his dented quarter panel with him.

No, that’s is American History. Now days driving a stick is old school, now haul around 60k in an automatic because the company only buys automatics. Half the drivers we hire now can’t drive a stick, never mind a Brownie! 😂😂

Wow.

Allow me to expand.

A lot of trucks have all sorts of electronic gadgetry now. Many are limited at 63, but more commonly 65, or 70 mph. There's getting to be more with radar that will not allow them to approach vehicles ahead, auto braking chit. Roll stability.... Truck I was driving had satellite link up that controlled the shift points and adaptive cruise control. It's not always possible to tell which truck will pull a grade, or conversely who is limited on their downhill speed. Some might creep up a hill but can go like hell down. But, other's might face termination for exceeding 70, 75, 80.... A little damned car can readily accelerate. A big truck pulling a fully loaded trailer can not. A truck having to slow down a few miles an hour might take several minutes to get back up to speed. The number of people that think they are being unfairly screwed over by a truck is wayy high. Especial urban asswipes.

There are a lot of [bleep], immigrants, city fuggers, and plain regular old dickheads. Not always getting in the right hand lane can make excellent sense at times. Trying to maneuver through all the dickheads merging and exiting is extremely dangerous with the [bleep] cutting right in front of the big rigs like they have a damned death wish. Generally stay the F-uc-k outa the way is good advice. If you see a big truck in the right lane catching up fast with another, then get the hell out of the way so they can change lanes. If a truck has the turn signal on , by god don't pull up along side, stay the F back and give more than 10' so they can see they are safe to change because they fing need to! Generally it's you in your little fuggin rig that is going to fair worse. Stay the hell out of the way. Don't cut in front.

OK

Easier for the illegals and women.

Everything about driving truck today is different.

First, everything the driver does is monitored and controlled. Many trucks have driver facing cameras, most have dash cams or even 4 way cams (mine does). Most trucks are speed limited (governed). Most trucks have nanny lane departure prevention systems, brake automatically if you follow too close (or if a cow's to close to the road.....). Most trucks will transmit any hard braking event immediately to the company, complete with video of the cameras (driver facing and dash).

Then there is electronic log books. Used to be, we stopped for dinner to avoid rush hour or a setting sun for an hour or two, and then make the log book "look right" later. Used to be, when we got tired, we pulled over and took a nap. Make the book look right later. Can't do that. Drivers are continually up against either their drive clock or their day clock. Once you start, nothing stops your clock and when the clock runs out, you have to stop -- no grace. If you get no flexibility, its hard to give flexibility....

Used to be, drivers were independent. The company sent them out, and they would call in a couple of times in a week to update folks, but they were on their own. If they needed a repair or a fix of some kind, they fixed it or found a place to get it fixed. The old time driver was half mechanic, could read a map, and could deal with just about any problem the road threw at him. Today, drivers are given "fuel solutions" and "route planning", where there are told turn by turn what route to take and where to fuel, and how much. Many don't even have a CB in the truck.

Because of that level of control, the new driver is an urban youngster with no mechanical or life experience. They are tossed in a truck with a "trainer" for a month, and let loose on the road..... but not given any control of anything.

I'd go stark raving mad if I had to drive for one of these control freak mega-carriers of today.....

I broke in on an old Kenworth with a 5 and a 4 tranny in the mountains with a logging truck...Loaded, going up a very steep grade,left no room for error in shifting the main box down..Those were the fun days..These new 13/15/18 etc speed tranny's,a little old woman could drive....That 5/4 could be a biitch ..Not everyone could master them.

LOL. You gonna get it now!

Musta been a rental.

When a driver doesn't abide by the rules himself, they've got no room for complaining about others! Nearly 50 years of pushing big rigs of every kind and make including the large cranes and oversize machinery. Driver knowledge and etiquette started going down the tubes with deregulation, most drivers today don't even know the laws of their home state much less the other various states. On the other side I don't care for over regulation, todays computerized, trucks with GPS tracking, and electronic logs I've got no use for. Never cared for trucks with power steering, air-conditioning, and those little stubby shifters. Or trucks taking up half their load capacity with sleepers made out like motor homes. Hell drivers today, most can't even back up a rig.

Phil

Yah, no stupid people from Texas...

Phucqkoff Phil you piece of dog chit.

Haha!

It starts with the labor pool of prospective drivers.
30+ years ago you got your drivers from farm, logging, blue collar
backgrounds. They were a different person than many drivers today.

I grew up running everything from the pushmower to 150hp tractors and
logging forwarders. Driving long haul was a big deal to me at 21.
A goal, a chance. I did go to a driving school, 1991.
My compatriots were all at least 10 years older than me, and not
guys chomping at the bit to be truck drivers. Simply people that
needed an income. Good people, but absolutely no passion to be a good
trucker. They just needed to be able to go A to B, without crashing.

The company I worked for ran the school, and wanted competent drivers.
To pass, you had to demonstrate mechanical ability. Changing bulbs, fuses,
flasher units, fuel filters, throttle springs, bypass fuel/water separator, air dryer, fuel shutoff, adjust brakes...no big deal. The simple 10 minute thing that gets you moving, not calling a service truck. We were also issued all
parts, and responsible to have everything needed.

I talk to guys today and ask then about a light kit , or a spare filter.
They have no clue, not allowed to do that.
No way I would want to operate like that.

Damned outfit I was previously under actually said drivers should not check tire pressure! Fugging ridiculous!

Yup..Very few over the road truckers made it as a logging truck driver..They either wrecked or quit..A very few did though..Sliding down an old logging road out of control with chains on everything including one front, just doesn't appeal to everyone..hahaha

As for over the road,I was an owner/operator and could pick what I hauled or to where..I doubt I could work long haul for someone else..Every truck has to make so much each day or week and I just went from there...$500 a day was my number.

We had to fix our own flats when I started, and I don't remember ever having a tubeless back then. Don't think any of the drivers today would even know how to break down a tire and rim on the side of the road and fix, or even just change their own tire. Most today can't even change their own damn fuel filter. Most don't even know, or ignore doing a pre-trip inspection. When I retired, I think one of the most common driver [bleep]-ups was those so accustomed to using the Jakes, finding out too late that they had weak or no trailer brakes.

Phil

I have heard that theory Boomer.
They claim drivers checking air pressure on a trailer
multiple times a week causes more low pressure tires than
letting them go.

Just like for big outfits, not putting
gearbox/turbo pyros on. Maintaing them costs more than the
occasional burnt up box. I agree for the overall population.
But the front drive pyro running high was my first hint of a blown pinion
seal. Running team, we might well have fried it before the next morning.
Quick, cheap repair instead.

Pour me another cup of coffee, Put another nickel in the jukebox, and Play that Truck Driving Man.

More importantly..How many know how to adjust there brakes and how often do they...

Most trucks being sold today are automatic . It's more fuel efficient and less maintenance , drivers can't destroy the clutch .

I mentioned once on one of these truck driving threads, about having compression releases on our trucks. Don't think there was more than a couple that even knew what I was talking about. Sure came in handy when needed.

Phil

All equipment sold since the early 90's has automatic slack adjusters that should not be adjusted manually.

Better question: how many drivers know how to check brake adjustment? And how many DO? How many know how auto slacks work and what to do to keep them adjusted?

That's mechanic work. LOL

Same way as the old brakes..Tighten all the way then back off 1/2..I backed off 1/4 on my trucks and did or checked it daily.

How about 75,000 mile oil change interval? That ain't old school.

I told a driver recruiter once that I can back up three pieces of equipment. He said - you ran doubles? I said: no... tractor, haybaler and wagon.

not to offend you campfire truckers...

but driving a 4 wheeler, what bugs me is heading up a mountainside on the interstate, and here in Oregon with our dipschitt liberals running the state, and handing out welfare to minorities is more important than maintaining and building adequate roads for highway conditions......are trucks that will immediately jerk out into the left lane when there is half a car length between their rear bumper and the car in the left lane... then they will chug up the highway doing 33 mph, passing the truck that had been in front of them in the right lane, which is traveling at 32.5 mph..... all the way to the top....

then they get all pissed off and ride your ass by a few feet if you impede their travel whatsoever....

I 5 from the CA border to the Washington Border needs to be 4 lane on each side, with the volume of traffic it carries, particularly trucks....and needs to have hill climbing lanes, at least two for trucks going up and down mountain passes...they DON"T..
so I blame the state for that... its not 1969 anymore... and the volume of traffic is I bet 500% of what it was when this highway was built, with minimal improvements over the years...so the state is contributing their own problems to the equation...

yeah, I grew up when truckers were hwy gentlemen... now its almost like a free for all out there, and they have the biggest and slowest rigs, so they are king of the traffic flow... but I drive the same highways you do... and in 4 wheelers there are a lot of self centered A HOles behind the wheels, that the rest of us have to deal with just as you do...

and the road system needs to be improved big time.... I go home to the east coast and there are interstates heading all over the place ....the main road here north to south, from the CA border north is the only game in town... yeah CA has freeways to meet their needs ( somewhat)... Oregon and Washington... what a joke.... although WA is more up on the times than Oregon...except Metro Puget Sound....where almost 24/8, the freeway is closer to a parking lot that a way to get anywhere....

That happened to me hauling 80,000 lbs of bulk cement down a steep downgrade. Pedal went to the floor and I had to pry it up with my foot while frantically trying to slow dafuq down and eventually pull over. In the middle of nowhere there was no help, and none likely to come any time soon. There was no repairing the broken throttle return spring so I ended up taping my foot to the accelerator with electrical tape so I could lift the throttle and get back home.

Id never let my trucks go that long between oil changes but were all different just like oil changes on cars and trucks..

I saw 2 truckers get into a fun situation a few weeks ago by Pendleton. We were at a near standstill for construction. One truck was in front of us, the other approaching from behind in the left lane - which had several signs stating that it would end. The left trucker decided to take advantage of the situation and go around everyone who had merged right. The truck in front of took exception to that and attempted to block him. It ended up being a slow speed race with the offending trucker completely in the left ditch in order to make it around everyone. First time I have seen that.

California Highway Patrol basically ignores trucking violations except at the way stations or in cases that they are likely to cause an accident. Not saying that is right or wrong seeing as how just pulling a rig over can cause extreme traffic problems with few roads having shoulders or pull-outs today. Hell even see semis driving in the car-pool lane (with trailers). But ignoring citing these [bleep] only makes it worse. Today you can see a truck in every lane of traffic blocking its flow for everyone. I've seen better than 3 hours to go 45 miles. Seldom will you even see Highway Patrol today.

Phil

If you back off an auto slack without releasing the pin, you'll likely strip the teeth and ruin it..... You can tighten them like regular brakes, but you can't back them off like regular brakes.

I drove an old Autocar with the 5x4 and the 4x4 was in an old International, both hauling logs.

My turn signal is on, and it was on when you were behind me, well, you better watch the phucqk out cause i'm coming over, you had fair warning!

23 years ago my wife and I were owner/operators. There was a lot of stupidity then....but seems to be exponentially worse now. From then to now there seems to be a tremendous increase of “minority” ( middle eastern, Mexican, ect.) drivers. As everywhere else in humanity, overall they appear to have different standards and ethics than do what we consider normal. Is it lack of formal education, lack of morality, lack of common sense, lack of good parental guidance or upbringing, or perhaps a combination of all. That said.....today’s generation, overall lacks the “moral compass” that many of the older generations have/had! memtb

Yep. It’s amazing when you pull into a Truck Stop nowadays the number of turbin wearing dothead drivers you see. And Meskins that look pure wetback.

Don't get a Canadian friend going, about "Diaper Heads".

Dont know about the automatic slack adjusters, but IIRC a 9/16" box end wrench is what's needed to adjust manual trailer and rear tractor brakes.

No 9/16 any more.

Hmm hadn’t thought about the rental angle. I don’t think the boy was real smart though. A big rig hammering the jake brake at your 5 o’clock aughta get ya movin’.

He was plated and marked Texas front to rear. I’d not judge Texans by this joker.

How about an air starter- - - - -and I don't mean a hum job from a lot lizard!
Jerry

Linda Ronstadt can't drive a truck, but she can sure sing about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJHcD0kHTGk

Back when i learned to drive them there were no log books.

Then came paper log books,learned how to play the paper.

Now days with the gps logger in them,if they go to fast it logs on to the company and they will dog you.

To many times and you don't work there anymore.

The first truck i tandem drove had an 18 speed set up.

I liked it well enough but the pay would have to be large to get me to it these days.

Nothing quite like being half asleep and having someone hit
an air starter beside you.

Never ran anything with one of those, always wondered what they
offered. Judging by the relatively few used, not much.

Back when, those truckers would clime out of that cab looking like men. Leather boots, long pants, vest, hat. Now they wear shorts, tank tops, sandals, I'm just showing my age.

Back in the day a trucker took pride in his rig and the way he drove it. Unfortunately that's not always the case these days.

I think that why we have so many problems with 4 wheelers blocking the left lane is a lack of education. I'm not sure if they even teach that philosophy in drivers ed anymore. The other problem is that there are so many foreigners on the road. They don't even have interstate highways were they came from. They should put up more prominent signage other than the old "Slower Traffic Keep Right" signs. They should also put up signs written in Spanish. I travel on the interstate every morning and there's always some jacknut blocking the left lane. When you finally get past them, it's either a young person or a Hispanic and 80% of the time they're paying more attention to their phone than they are the highway. The person is usually clueless to the fact that they are causing a traffic jam.

As far as truck blocking the left lane, I think that most guys do a fine job, but they can only do what the truck will allow them, especially on an uphill grade. These guys are just trying to git-r-done. The ELD's have screwed everything up and they need to go when they can. If they're on a long grade and another truck is going 3 miles an hour slower, their attitude is screw it, he needs to past this guy because he's got to get his job done. If he has to inconvenience other motorists, so be it.

Spent a few years hauling for McCrory Stores.
2 to 10 stops on a truck, crawl in, tailgate every box
of merchandise. Very tight schedule, often stops 80 to 100 miles
apart would be 90 minutes to two hours apart, on back roads.
That ment you had to show up at 8, get started, unload 50 to 100
packages, paperwork, seal up, drive 90 miles, and arrive 120 minutes
from first arrival. Other stops would have you in there for a half hour
or more,

Some weeks in Wisconsin/U.P., others were Kansas, or
New Orleans/Houston.

When this mountain born, Yankee had to hump that crap
out of a trailer in La, in August, I wore shorts (gasp) sneaker, headband,
shirt came off the instant I was in the trailer.

I couldn’t drive day after day. That’s got to be hard!!

This is so true.now.Many truck drivers of today are really car drivers in a truck and rules of the road mean squat to them. Just my take on today. Cheers NC