Many States have, over the years, passed laws to restrict 18-wheelers and other large vehicles from driving in the far left lane of Interstate and other Highways. Many times I have seen the signs that alert drivers to this fact as reading “No Trucks”. This is not a literal meaning, as I have never seen a pick-up pulled over for driving in the left lane. So, when is a "truck" a truck that has to stay out of the left lane?

While driving on a local Interstate the other day, I noticed a sign that read “No vehicles over 5 tons GVWT in left lane”. Ah! Now we have a definition!

5 tons is 10,000 pounds. Well now, that is a weight that many of us exceed when pulling our rigs. You folks that have a motor home take note also.

A large pick-up can easily weigh 6,000 lbs. Even the smaller ones typically weigh in at 5K or more. SUVs are in the same boat. Add a boat and trailer to this, and you are probably over the limit.

So, how many of you have driven in the left lane on an Interstate while towing your rig without a thought to this? Come on - be honest. :rolleyes: I have.

I think the aim of such regulations is to help enforce the use of the left lane as it was intended: as a passing lane. I'm a lot less concerned with the TYPE of vehicle using that lane, than with the indescriminate manner of its use. "Left lane bandits" are not only a pet peeve of mine, but are a significant highway menace. Get in it, go around the traffic, and MOVE OVER! The left lane is not for travel, no matter what vehicle you're in!

And yes, Big Blue has been seen in the passing lane at high speeds...

I agree, pass left, ride along to the right.

If you tow alot, speed may be OK, If you tow very seldom, the safest thing to do is to stay right and tow slow.

In our area, the purpose of these laws (at least what the Politicians were saying at the time) is to keep 18-wheelers out of the leftmost lane of our four lane highways. The reasoning (if you can call it that) was for safety. Even though truckers as a group are some of the safest drivers anywhere. They were getting a bad rap do to the number of accidents they were involved in. Never mind that these “accidents” were almost always the result of some other driver who cut off a large truck and caused it.

I agree that the left lane is for passing only. However, as anyone who drives in a congested area knows, that is an ideal that is rarely met. When traveling long distances on open road, I always stay to the right unless passing. The other time I will move into the left lane (if safe to do so) is to make room for someone that is entering the highway.

I wish I saw more drivers with your good manners, Sir Mike! Less and less common, it seems.

I agree with Seabuddy about the speed, too. Even with the thousands of miles we have in front of towed loads, we travel early and late to get empty freeways whenever possible. The big danger, as Mike alludes, is the passel of idiots willing to cut off any rig tall enough to block their view and "foolish" enough to leave space between their rig and the car in front of them.

The New York Thruway is a much more pleasant ride at 5:00 am Monday morning than it is on Sunday evening!

Many boat dealers drive slow and keep out of the far lanes while towing. They tow alot and they may know something.

In bumper to bumper merge lanes situations I have had cars try to get between me and the towed boat rig. I wonder if everyone understands that they attached to each other.

That's a good trick! I hope they discovered the "connection" before they became part of the fiberglass!

Someone around here really likes that "back" button. :rolleyes:

I have deleted the "double post". In the future, I may simply delete these kind of things and go about my merry way without saying anything. " src="cool.gif" />

A lot of violent hand waving kept it short of that.

It never ceases to amaze me at what people will do on the roads. :rolleyes:

I will move over to let someone merge onto the highway, but to be honest, a lot of it has to do with the amount of times I have had some joker pull in front of me without getting up to speed first. That’s when the brakes get real hot real fast.

That there are people who will try to get between the boat and truck makes me want to hang a big red flag between them.

Hi, my name is Skiboat Dave, and I'm a left laner.

I do travel in the left lane often. I tow at a higher speed than I probably should.
I am no stanger to 70 mph. Road conditions permitting.

Mike, you said to be honest.

(Edit) I am sorry Boatin Fool, I read Mikes post and had his name in my head. I should have said,
Boatin Fool, you said to honest. Sorry agian.
(end edit)

I do not stay in the left lane if there is open road in the middle or right and I am always looking in my mirrors for those fast guys in blue Ford pick up's towing Cobolts that want to pass me.
Don't get the worng idea, I am not one of those dolts that get in the left lane at 50mph and forgets that anyone else exists in the world.

Speedy Skiboat Dave

I will admit that I like to stay in the left lane as much as I can so that I have one less side to worry about. If the traffic is real heavy and everyone is using both (or all three lanes)already and I can keep up with the flow, I will tend to stay in the left lane. I do not like doing this, but feel it's the safest thing to do rather than having to constantly split my attention between the right AND left sides. If you ride in the far right lane, you have to worry about all the people who do not seem to grasp the concept of merging.

The problem is that riding the left lane can create an unsafe contition due to all the clowns who feel they just HAVE to pass you. Even though they will not be getting anywhere any quicker, they will try to pass you on the right and then cut in front of you, only to ride the bumper of the next car in front.

These issues are why I try to leave for a long journey either late at night or extra early in the morning.

No such law in AZ. General practice here is that slow traffic should stick to the outside lane. If you aren't "slow", use any lane you want.

Remember, this is cowboy country,
Kelly

I wish I could comment on "general practice" in the NY/NJ area on this topic, but it'd just turn into a rant! :rolleyes:

The only ones I really object to are the "left lane bandits" who insist on driving in the left lane at exactly the same speed as the car to their right. I try to keep in mind its a PASSING LANE. If you ain't passing, keep right (or center).

Boatin Fool, I just edited my earlier post.

Lost In Space Skiboat Dave

Years ago it was illegal to pass on the right in NJ, so those older folks should know better in that state.

Anyone new may think that they pay more taxes than me and so they own the road.

For those, maybe the "push bumpers" installed on CA highway patrol cars would be a good idea. Good old Broaderick Crawford. Said to be a great actor, but only before lunch.

Yes, he had the look of someone who really enjoyed lunch!

I will stay in the left lane if there is no traffic on the h'way. The reason that I tend to do this is that the outside lane is so rutted by the 18 wheelers that if I stay in that lane the rig wants to sway all over the lane like a drunken sailor. Missouri is not known for its fine roads. :rolleyes: I do keep a constant vigil for other vehicles coming up behind me so that I can give them all of the room that they need.

If you want to hear how a** backwards the state of Illinois is, just travel I-94. It is the highway that you get to Chicago from the north or south. They have a law say pickup trucks, any pickup truck without a cap on the back can't run in the "express" lanes. Pickup trucks here are issued a "B" plate and can only travel the "local" lanes. I don't mean when towing something I mean anytime, the "local" lanes are full of semis and exits, takes twice as long to get where you need to go.

Don't get me started folks!

Wet Doggg, I've "experienced" your pain up in the city.

I stay in the right lane as much as possible. I'm German and "dream" of the Autobahn. If they catch you in any lane left, with no one on your right, guess what? Ticket action! Pass and get out of the way. Should be applied here too.

When someone is merging, I'll do everything I can to allow a safe merge. Move left....and back to the right when safe.

When I want to pass slower moving traffic, I will "safely" pull into whatever left lane it takes to pass. Immediately returning to the furthest right lane when possible.

I'm not going to mention what speeds I have traveled pulling my boat. I will tell you this...
my 96' Dodge does not have 4x4, but does have a V10. On-ramps are no problem whatsoever regardless of speed limits.

(I WAS going to really get into this thread...but I digress.)

If you ask me if I like driving fast?...My answer would be "YES!". If you ask me again..."Do you like to drive your boat fast?". My answer would be "NO!". The boat won't and neither will I!!!

Hey...we're on a one-day vacation. Let my wife, whomever, and I, enjoy what little time we have boating. We'll enjoy the slow cruise..."AS SOON AS WE CAN GET THERE"

"OUR self-employed BONUS" is..we boat during the week. You can tan whatever part you want!

Being from the traffic state of Cali-for-nigh-eh, speshully lost angles, I'm pretty familiar with NUTS on the road! on ramps arent for merging, they're made to get on in front of the guy in the slow lane no matter what it takes... and he's trying to get in front of you at any cost!

I try to be as courteous as possible when towing, but I do have a tendency to drive fast..so the left, or next to left on multi lane freeways is my choice of lane. Anyone coming up on me from behind and I also move right, let him by, and get back in the previous lane.

By the way, when Im NOT towing... I AM that other guy!

So you guys got more than one lane on yer roads????

yea, and shoulders! Also no suicide frontage roads!

Out here in California, trucks and autos with trailers are restricted to the 3 and 4 lanes of the fwys. That's counting from the inside out, ie, the #1 lane is the fast lane, far left.

Also on fwys out here, in our FINE state of California, some might be posted at 70 mphs for auto but trucks and autos with trailers, are still held to 55 mph.

Lane violation tickets in our FINE state, will run you about $275.

So stay to the right with your autos with trailers.

Mark out " src="cool.gif" />

A couple of years ago, I had to drive in the UK for a few weeks while I was there on business.

After spending a few minutes getting used to sitting on the wrong side of the car, I made my way onto the roads - the first mile or so from Heathrow to the highway was an adventure - but once there I quickly figured out that they know how to drive much better than we do.

On the five lane wide Interstate Highway, virtually everyone was driving in the left (slow) lane 80% of the time. Most of the time you only had to move over one or two lanes to pass - when you did you immediately moved back to the left. Only once or twice did I have to get in the fast lane, in 200 miles.

This allowed folks to drive between 60 and 100 miles per hour on the same road without any holdup. In fact, I drove for an hour at 100 mph with the cruise control on, and never hit the brake - try doing that in the US during the daytime.

I really despise the left laners who ignore the law that says SLOW MOVING VEHICLES MUST STAY TO THE RIGHT. The comment about people talking about how much they pay for taxes giving them the right: Long time ago, I was managing a small truck stop. The full service island was full of semis, so this fat-cat in a new motor home pulls into the self-service pumps and then demands full service. He gets told that he would be taken care of after the semis and pops up with the "Do you realize what I pay on road taxes for this thing?". I almost hated to break up the truckers who where going to beat the crap out of him.