Not_Camping
Eastern Kansas
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Joined: 06/24/2012
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I hate to post a clueless post here so early but I am at a loss. I've actually thought about this a bit before posting.
I was on an interstate yesterday in my car. Traffic was moving along. I kind of make note of vehicles around me at all times and noticed a big black unmarked diesel motorhome moving right along with us. I was impressed. We were hitting lots of small up and down hills and he was keeping up.
We hit construction putting us to one lane of traffic. He pulls in behind me. Stays too close but what can I do?
We clear the construction and we all take off again. He immediately jumps to the left lane and powers up. Again, I note and am impressed. Traffic clears out in front of me still in the right lane so I accelerate. I'm in a 3,100 lb. vehicle. When I hit the gas, it goes. Without giving him any further thought, I'm down the road in the right lane.
Still being aware of my surroundings I check mirrors and see him in the left hand lane back there flipping me off. Ok.....
A minute later, I come up on the vehicle in front of me in the right lane and check to move over to the left lane to pass and he's STILL flipping me off back there. I am a good quarter mile ahead of him and I haven't even changed lanes yet.
He eventually decides his message got through, I guess. He finally quit flipping me before I lost sight of him. I kept watching because I was tired of driving and bored and that he apparently had a message to deliver.
I can't figure out what though. Did I commit some serious sin in the RV world? I'm not totally new to driving or towing but I've never driven one of the big rigs before. Is there some etiquette I missed? I figured that if you are in the left lane regardless of what you are and you don't go fast enough to pass me that it's ok for me to use the right lane and get ahead of you, especially if there is no one in either lane ahead of either of us.
Still baffled.
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dalenoel
S.E. Michigan
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Joined: 09/03/2007
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He may have been planning on getting back in in front of you and hoped you were going to maintain speed so he knew when he was clear. Since this did not happen he must have been upset that he had to think a little more and was not happy with that.
If he had gotten stranded out there then he might have a reason to question his initial try to pass you but not a reason to flip long term.
Since you were in a lane where traffic cleared out and then accelerated I see you doing nothing wrong.
He might have just had a bad day.
Forget about it and have a great week.
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2oldman
Winchester WA
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Not_Camping wrote: He pulls in behind me. Stays too close but what can I do? Dunno.. perhaps you 'forced' him to pull in behind you? Was the funneling down to one lane meant to have you do merge into his lane?
Hard to say.. sounds like a hothead left-lane Nazi to me.
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Not_Camping
Eastern Kansas
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Joined: 06/24/2012
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Thanks. Kind of my thoughts but I can imagine how hard it is to drive big rigs like that and I'm not one to try to cause problems for others.
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RedG
Fort Worth Texas
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He probably thought that you intentionally sped up every time he tried to pass. It's his problem not yours. Some people don't even know how to relax when they're supposed to be taking it easy on vacation.....
2005 Newmar Dutch Star 4024 DP 370 Cummins
Towing my 2012 Malibu w/Blue Ox towbar & Patriot brake system
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navegator
San Diego CA.
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You did nothing whrong.
You are actually No 1 in his book.
He does not know how to use the index finger.
Idiots on the road are not worth the effort to pay attention to them.
Navegator
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opnspaces
San Diego Ca
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Unfortunately you'll never know. if it was me I would just shrug it off as a nut cake RV driver. UNLESS, you maybe happened to commit that sin that many automobile drivers commit. They figure that just because there is a space in front of our vehicle then it is safe for you to dart right in.
Here's a few examples that I read about often on here.
I was tooling along in my 20,000 pound rig and coming up on slow moving traffic As I was coming to a safe stop some little Geo Metro sped up and zipped into what little space I had in front of me. I hit the brakes hard and managed not to hit them. DO these people realize that large vehicles just don't stop on a dime like their little cars?
Or, I was going down the freeway and it narrowed down to one lane. I put on my signal to move over and some little car just had to floor it to try to get in front of me while I was rapidly running out of room on the side of my rig.
If you possibly did something like one of the above examples, then you have your answer. If you did not, and you post seems like you did not. Then just figure it was a nutcase and move on.
Another thought. If the RV was constantly keeping pace with you, they might have been flipping you off the whole time. Maybe you angered them 20 minutes ago when they or you merged onto the freeway. 
1996 Suburban 4x4. 350, 4.10 3/4 ton
2005 Jayco Jay Flight 27BH
1986 Coleman Columbia Popup.
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M GO BLUE
Southgate, MI
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You can't make everyone happy with what you do SO WHY TRY...
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 dually CC/LB Duramax/Allison
2008 Jayco Designer 35RLTS fifth wheel
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RicJones
So. Cal.
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From reading your post a couple of times it sounds like he went to pass you after the construction, then you went to pass him on the right, maybe taking a while to do so? He may have had vehicles behind him pressing him and he couldn't get over because you were there. That's the only thing I can think of that could have caused a problem.
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hitchup
Fulltiming and on the Road.
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Maybe his finger locked in the upright position.
Truthfully, he didn't follow proper protocol. Those 18-wheelers, RVer's towing or with large MHs need to stay in the right lane except when passing. And if they can't pass smoothly or safely, THEY need to drop back behind.
We let them pass when we're towing, but when we're not, they block our long distance view.
2009 DRV Mobile Suite 38TKSB3 (38RSSB3)....our custom home w/2011 upgrades
2010 Ford F450 KR CC 4x4......his office
Working Fulltimers since 3/2005
"Shoot for the Moon! Even if you miss it, you will land among the Stars."
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