Drafting a Transport Truck ... Am I Doing It Right?

[stefanv]

Am I too close?

[redpoint5]

Swerve now! Lol.

Depends on your speed. I feel 2 ways about drafting trucks. Either be 2 seconds or more behind so you can react to obstacles in the road, or be very close to the truck and accept that you probably won't avoid most debris in the road. I almost never follow close, and most would argue not to do it, and for some reason truckers get upset when they can't see you.

If you cannot see his mirror(s), he cannot see you.

Sometimes at night I'll follow closer just so my headlights aren't in his mirrors.

[oldtamiyaphile]

I don't draft because I don't want the stone chips.

[JockoT]

I find reverse not all that good for fuel consumption!
I travel about 2 seconds behind trucks, sometimes a bit more, depending on the conditions. We don't seem to have a lot of debris thrown up on our roads. All trucks must have mudguards and most of the newer trucks have those anti-spray mudguards, so that helps a lot.

[jcp123]

I try to keep a sight line ahead so I'm not surprised if the truck's gotta jam on the brakes. I also found that the benefits extend back from the truck a pretty good distance - maybe about 3 seconds?

On the flip side, as a trucker myself I don't mind someone drafting me all that much, more worried about their reaction time if I have to slow, or damage when a tire has tread separation, etc. unless it's at night when the headlights would be in my mirror, I find it a courtesy when my follower sticks to the side of the lane so I can see the car instead of just the shadow.

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by jcp123

the benefits extend back from the truck a pretty good distance - maybe about 3 seconds

I found that too. And the bigger and faster the truck the further back you still feel the benefit.

[jcp123]

Yup. The one time I logged 50mpg was chasing a truck about 5-7mph above my normal speed, right about at the back of the drafting envelope for a good long while. I can't remember the exact distance, but it was further backthan I'd have thought before.

[JockoT]

Best I found was behind a low-loader with a huge, wide, bulldozer on the back, doing 65 mph. He really pulled me along.
The big, interurban coaches Stagecoach run here also give a good tow. You have to do 70 mph to keep up with them. Uphill and down dale.

[teoman]

Busses over here drive like lunatics, its hard to follow them.

https://goo.gl/images/y4NTbQ



https://goo.gl/images/YXqB7x



https://goo.gl/images/9DLY3C



Not uncommon sights.

[JockoT]

My brother told me about a coach trip he made into Marmaris from the airport. Said it was the scariest bus journey he has ever made.