How do you approach a queue behind overtaking trucks?

How do you approach a queue behind overtaking trucks?

Author
Discussion

FreeLitres

Original Poster:

6,104 posts

185 months

Friday 12th July
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Imagine you are cruising on the dual carriageway and you catch up to one truck overtaking another truck with a line of cars patiently queueing in lane 2 waiting for the truck in lane 2 to complete his maneuver. On approaching this situation, where do you position your car?

A) Move over to lane 2 and join the back of the queue to overtake the truck?

B) Stay in lane 1 to pass the slower moving traffic in lane 2 and merge in to the queue nearer the front, ideally just behind the truck?

What do you do in this situation?


NDA

22,372 posts

233 months

Friday 12th July
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A)

Mad Maximus

487 posts

11 months

Friday 12th July
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A unless your a complete throbber.

ecsrobin

17,857 posts

173 months

Friday 12th July
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A

s p a c e m a n

11,010 posts

156 months

Friday 12th July
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3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?

hyperblue

2,817 posts

188 months

Friday 12th July
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s p a c e m a n said:
3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?
Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.

mac96

4,477 posts

151 months

Friday 12th July
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s p a c e m a n said:
3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?
That is probably less likely to cause upset/aggro than B, but still:

A.

pinchmeimdreamin

10,206 posts

226 months

Friday 12th July
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FMOB

1,994 posts

20 months

Friday 12th July
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Just stay in lane 1 until the elephant race is over, it could be quite a few miles until there is a winner and then overtake when there is a gap in lane 2.

The fact everyone sits in lane 2 going nowhere is daft, it is just a stressful way to drive with the random braking, trying not to get caught out and cause an accident.

QuartzDad

2,386 posts

130 months

Friday 12th July
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On a DC I'll stay in lane 1 keeping pace with the car that was in front of me when I arrived at the queue and pull out behind him when I reach the truck.

Riley Blue

21,681 posts

234 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
hyperblue said:
s p a c e m a n said:
3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?
Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.
I... um... may have done just this in my youth, heading westbound on the A272 at New Cheriton. The layby is the other side of the road and long enough to slam on the anchors if something was approaching round the bend. It was the stupidest of moves, the Moggy Traveller I was driving was probably little faster than the tractor and trailer I was passing.

MikeM6

5,236 posts

110 months

Friday 12th July
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I would go with B, but minus the pulling out bit. Just stay in lane one until there is a (good sized) gap or someone let's you in lane 2. No pushing or shoving, just patience.

If there are only a few cars in lane 2, I may join that, but I would happily let someone in lane 1 out, provided they indicated and waited.

No need for road captains here.

Galveston

737 posts

207 months

Friday 12th July
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A

LunarOne

5,775 posts

145 months

Friday 12th July
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Neither. I cannot possibly catch up TO anything because I'm not American. I catch up WITH things.

ScoobyChris

1,821 posts

210 months

Friday 12th July
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MikeM6 said:
I would go with B, but minus the pulling out bit. Just stay in lane one until there is a (good sized) gap or someone let's you in lane 2. No pushing or shoving, just patience.

If there are only a few cars in lane 2, I may join that, but I would happily let someone in lane 1 out, provided they indicated and waited.

No need for road captains here.
I think a lot of it will depend on how you present yourself. If you are pretty much matching the speed of lane 2 as you both catch up to the lorries and you signal to slot into lane 2 without needing to accelerate or brake, you'll have a much better chance of being let in than if you go full Audi-man and tank up lane 1, stand on the brakes when you run out of road and then try and force your way into lane 2.

In reality, I'd guess forward observation would mean you are already actively looking/planning to join lane 2 when you first spot the overtaking lorry and so should have plenty of time to merge.

Chris

Pica-Pica

14,537 posts

92 months

Friday 12th July
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This is advanced driving, you would not find yourself in that position - through observation earlier on.
However, as implied just now, there is a way of presenting your vehicle in position and pace as to be perceived as not aggressive but suitably placed to ‘nip in’ unobtrusively. Situation dependent, of course. Some may let you in, and like to feel magnanimous - as long as suitable thank you is given.

Toltec

7,167 posts

231 months

Friday 12th July
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It depends what lane I was already in, if I was already in the left I'll slow to match the speed of the last vehicle in the queue. If the line then slows down, which often happens, I'll usually just continue with a possible roll off the throttle if to about sixty so I am only slowly closing on the lorry in the lane in front of me. I have found that if you come parallel with a car on the right then slow to drop behind many drivers are happy to let you in. It seems that the combination of a steady drift past due to the right lane having to brake, then a slow position ready to pass clearly demonstrates you are not pushing, but simply driving.

I find the main issue is car drivers not getting on with an overtake once the lorry has pulled over. Possibly worse are the weirdos that slow as they pass a lorry then accelerate after the pull over.

Pica-Pica

14,537 posts

92 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
This is advanced driving, you would not find yourself in that position - through observation earlier on.
However, as implied just now, there is a way of presenting your vehicle in position and pace as to be perceived as not aggressive but suitably placed to ‘nip in’ unobtrusively. Situation dependent, of course. Some may let you in, and like to feel magnanimous - as long as suitable thank you is given.

Glenn63

3,146 posts

92 months

Friday 12th July
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Drive extra fast the whole journey so your ahead of the trucks before they start the elephant race.
There’s no ‘win’ here, if I was in lane one previous I’d just continue untill I was at the back of the trucks then stick indicator on and wait. As long as not blasting up the inside at a silly speed and trying to force merge, someone will let you in.

s55shh

509 posts

220 months

Friday 12th July
quotequote all
s p a c e m a n said:
3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?
Then slow down in lane 1 enough that truck 1 has to knock off his cruise control and truck 2 can complete his overtake and release the captive cars. Then boot it and leave em all for dust...