How Close?
While in Peoria for a truck show, one driver complained about the trailer tails on Henry Albert's trailer. The 
man said that when he came up behind a trailer with the tails that there was a wind turbulence behind them. Now, I have never experienced this circumstance. That led to the question – How close were you? The driver said that it didn't matter. Really? It kinda does?
He went on to describe the situation where he was in the right lane and catching a truck ahead of him. In the meantime, someone was coming up the hammer lane a little faster than he was going. He did the “polite” thing of waiting for that truck to pass before going out into the left lane. As he got closer to the trailer tails he felt a turbulence. Again, I asked: How close were you. Again he answered: It does not matter.
My truck has a sweet spot of 62-63 mph. It also comes with a collision mitigation system (CMS). This circumstance has happened to me. After the speeding truck went by, I pulled into the hammer lane and the CMS slowed the truck, a lot. This happened once. I changed the behavior. That is probably a good thing. My basic rule of thumb is to accelerate to the speed limit and get around the slower truck quickly. Now, I would 
never want to cut off a truck. I give that other truck plenty of room. Now, if it is close, I back off and wait. If it is not that close and I am going 65 mph to get around a truck that is going slower than 62 mph, it does not take that long. As long as I am going the speed limit the other truck can wait.
One of the things that has bothered me is the lack of enforcement with tailgating. How many times have you passed by law enforcement in the median taking pictures while a 4 wheeler was less that a car length behind you? Then that cop did nothing? At the same show, the IL State Police had a booth. I asked one of the troopers. When was the last time he wrote up a car for tailgating a truck? He could not remember. I asked him if he had seen this without ticketing the car. Now, just for reference I will get on the CB and chastise the police for letting this go. Either they are not listening or they are ignoring it. I have never been answered on channel 19. The trooper looked at the floor. He thought about it and said that I had a point. They need to do a better job of ticketing cars that tailgate trucks. I would never want to go back and see the result of a new convertible – stuck under my wagon.
WHAT IF? Think about this for a second. The second is up. That 63 mph truck has traveled about 93 feet. If you are within that 93 feet you can't see what is ahead of the truck in front of you. WHAT IF? WHAT IF? That driver had to hard brake. At that point there is only one question. How much life insurance do you have?