Cars and Trucks!

By the_wolf_scorned on Jun 30, 2008 | Reply

In most construction zones through out the entire U.S.A. they have a sign at the beginning of them. Those signs say “Truck in left lane” they do that because is is suppose to be safer for everyone but myself don’t see how. Also I know this because I am one of those big slow trucks in the left lane.

By jmhtraining on Jul 1, 2008 | Reply

I live in California, and while we do not have any of those signs here, I have read that at least a dozen highway construction workers are killed every year in California. While most large truck drivers are very careful, wouldn’t you prefer to get hit by a small car rather than a large truck? I don’t know for sure if that is why those signs are posted but that would seem like a good reason to me.

By Wired for Sound on Jul 3, 2008 | Reply

Hey Kevin… Now that I have a better idea of the situation, I will try this again. :-}

With the 3 lane configuration, the shoulder lane is out of the question for trucks for a couple of reasons. 1) There is now no shoulder. The margin for error is reduced to nothing when you consider that the lane is probably 10′ wide thru the construction zone (normally 12′) and you are putting an 8′6″ wide truck in that lane. 2) The shoulder of the road has maybe 6″ of asphalt on it, or maybe concrete, but with 80,000 pound trucks going over it in mass numbers, it wouldn’t take long for it to break down and turn into rubble. If you take a look at the new construction, you will see that the concrete they are pouring is somewhere between 14″ and 18″ thick. This is to support the constant weight of trucks bearing down on it.

The middle lane is out of the question because you now have access for cars on both sides of a truck. If the car running in the right lane, bobbles on the rumble strip, they could end up under the truck in a heart beat. If a car is in the left lane, up against the barrier and the truck drifts into that lane, the car has nowhere to go. It’s going to look like the ball in a pinball game until everything comes to a grinding halt.

The only option left is put the truck against the center barrier. It is the safest place for everyone concerned. Yeah, I know… a truck doesn’t belong in the left lane, but think about this…. The truck’s left side is against the barrier when the driver can judge distance to the barrier the best. If the truck drifts over the line on the right side, a car next to him has a fighting chance because there is a traffic lane to his right to escape to. Again, this may not be the best choice, but it is the safest one for all concerned.

This seems to be a thing they do in the Midwest. Trucks in the left lane in Construction Zones are a normal thing in and around Chicago. While I am not familier with your particular situation, I have see a bunch of them in Illinois. I-80 between Joliet, IL and the Indiana state line and on I-90 between Rockford and the Wisconson state line. All of these were done for the reasons I listed above.

I hope this helps clarify things a little better for you. Thanks for the “Best Answer” on the last one. :-}

By The Mr. Pine on Jul 6, 2008 | Reply

Also is is a rule to yield the right of way to workers by changing to the next lane however some truckers won’t drive on the k rails. I slow and drive the rails like a good trucker.