Giant Trucks

We've all heard how the truckers are having trouble affording the gas to put in their trucks (which comes directly out of their paychecks, I believe). After taking a ride on I-290 from Berlin, MA to Worcester, MA and back, I've suddenly noticed a really scary indication that this situation is getting really bad.

While going UP the rolling hills on my route the majority of the trucks slow way down - to about 45 or 50 MPH (in a 65 MPH zone). Which is fine, really, except that as soon as they crest the hill, it appears they may shift the trucks into neutral and coast down the other side of the hill, and they keep gathering speed until gravity slows them down when the go up the next hill - from what I saw, they were getting up to about 80 MPH or so, perhaps more (there were no passenger vehicles going fast enough to pass them) at the bottom of each hill. In theory, this is fine. Except that there are other people using the roads - and the smart people worried about fuel economy/speeding tickets using cruise control. So you keep passing and getting passed by the same truck. Throw into the mix the slowing of cars getting off the highway at exit ramps, and people merging onto the highways. Or the odd person going 55 MPH or so. And suddenly on the down hills you have these giant out of control trucks (weaving in and out of traffic). I saw one guy doing this using all 3 travel lanes (trucks are prohibited from left lanes around here), narrowly missing other vehicles on the road, tailgating, etc. Literally weaving in and out of traffic like some punk kid in a lowered civic - only these are 18-wheelers with full loads.

This wasn't one or two trucks. These were MOST of the trucks, with the exception of one or two normal driving guys (one of which was UPS - maybe any "fuel surcharges" we are paying are keeping the UPS trucks from endangering other people).

I was reading in the paper yesterday that some big trucking companies are holding classes for drivers on how to maximize fuel economy (they're starting this NOW?) and are installing governors on the transmissions to keep the trucks from speeding (which decreased fuel economy). Seems like a good idea, based on what I saw today. Scary.

Funny... I kept hoping for one of the many state police vehicles to pull these guys over. Did they? Of course not...