interstate merging?

Slow down if you want, speed up if you want. I'd advise against changing lanes unless there are no other vehicles within 200 feet of you. If you change lanes and an accident occurs you'll more than likely be at fault. Idiot 4 wheelers panic and do all kinds of stupid maneuvers when they see a big rig changing lanes. Hold your lane! Let the merging vehicles eat dirt of side swipe you! That's my 2 cents

 

A lot of truck drivers aren't any better. A lot of times driving home in my car, truckers will merge right at me. The other day, I was in my car in the right lane, a semi on my left side, and another one merging into my right side. I honk the horn, no one moves. Had to slam on my brakes to avoid being smashed between two trucks and probably killed. Luckily the people behind me did not slam into me. When i caught up to the driver and gave him the one finger wave he just laughed at me.

 

Rule. Merging traffic has the yield sign to obey. Merging traffic needs to observe the flow of traffic and adjust speed to merge with out interrupting the flow of traffic. Thru traffic has the right of way. Thru traffic does not have to move over or adjust speed. .
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That means if merging pay attention to traffic, speed up or slow down to blend in at same speed if possible with the flow. Have turn signals on when moving down the ramp to give other motorists an indication of your intentions.
My take on this is=
People move over for one of two reasons or both.
Reason 1
They are afraid the merging vehicle will hit them.
Reason 2
They are being courteous by moving over.
Something to remember .
You can get a ticket for improper lane usage for moving over for merging traffic if the cop wants to give you a ticket. I know that the cops in Auburn CA will write you a ticket for it. That is a major violation on the CDL. Keep that in mind .

95% of drivers of all vehicles do not know the law about merging. Far too many truck drivers think everyone should move over for them because they don't have passing gear to pickup speed with.Boo Hoo.
With enough notice I will move over but not because it is a truck merging. They have to follow the same laws as every one else.

In all honesty, If you can see traffic heading down the ramp, It is up to you to make the decision to either slow down or speed up to avoid an accident or a possible Road Rage incident..

Important.
Do not cut off another vehicle if you move over for merging traffic. That will cause you some heart ache down the road. If you cut them off you need to cut your CDL up and and find another career. Dash cams tell the story. Lots of them now being used.

Too many safety managers don't have a clue. They think that applying the brakes is the answer to avoiding every incident or accident. NOT TRUE. If you see traffic is beginning to enter the ramp and you can speed up that will let them merge behind you that is good.
However if you begin to slow down or apply the brakes they will be surrounding you trying to merge and more than likely there will be an accident and YOU WILL be blamed for it because your in a truck.
Be safe in all you do.

 

They have the yield sign.

 

As long as we are on the subject of merging traffic,
When your traveling down the multi lane highway and you come upon the sign that says Right lane or left lane closed ahead You are now at the beginning of YOU ARE NO LONGER PART OF THRU TRAFFIC, It is your responsibility to put your signal on and merge to the next thru lane. Following the white line does not give you the right of way. That white line is to designate the edge of the highway ONLY.,

 

TAP your city horn or air horn if need be for people not paying attention. I got some woman texting on the phone who was totally oblivious to her surroundings. I moved over and watched as she rode the merge lane with a phone in her hand. She starts merging and I toot the air horn for a second, she turns her head and I wave my pointer figure like a school teacher saying "Nuh uhhh! Naughty naughty!" She looked disgusted and kept going.

 

Merging traffic must match speed and find a hole.

But the merge sign also requires, if there is no hole (bumper to bumper traffic) you must make a spot for the merging traffic to slot into.

I drive Chicago and have no trepidation running the second lane at the speed limit so I don't have to deal with merging idiots.

For those that want to run ten over the speed limit, don't even try to explain why I should accept the hazards of the merge lane so you can run in excess.

If you have a problem with that, petition for higher pay instead of having to run more miles.

Mikeeee

 

Most people these days coming down an entrance ramp are texting or on a phone call or twattering or whatever else they do. I don't even drive a semi truck, I drive a 26 foot Fedex truck in a busy city. So many times I've dropped my speed to let an on ramp car merge, and then they drop down instead of understanding how things work and hitting the gas, while ###### around on there phone, and then we're both at 45 MPH at the merge point. I avoid the right lane like the plague.

 

Hardly ever see a Yield sign on the ramps any more.

 

Half of the answers to this point should be ignored.