This is an honest question- not just a snarky observation. Is there a technical reason why trucks tend to wait until the last second to switch lanes in order to pass another vehicle on the left, cutting off drivers already in the left lane?
I spend a lot of time highway driving for work. I am a very courteous driver, so I check lanes before switching. If it seems like I will disrupt the speed of drivers in the other lane, even if there is time to get over safely, I will wait until they pass to get over.
Truck drivers, though, often switch lanes seemingly without this consideration. If they think there is room, they’ll just shimmy on over, causing the driver(s) in the other lane to have to slow rapidly, sometimes by 30mph or more. I can see that they are attempting to pass an even slower vehicle in their lane, but I find the practice to be very unsafe and largely universal. So I’m wondering if there is something to do with the nature of driving a large vehicle that somehow justifies the need to move over/ cut off drivers rather than just slow to match the speed of the vehicle in front until it is safe to pass.
Is it related to fuel savings of slowing down and speeding up over many many miles, or something to do with the engine that makes it unsafe or unfavorable to do it?
