Reasonable Speeds

[Blue_Cat]

What does everyone consider a reasonable speed on I-285 around Atlanta. I know that it is posted at 55 and no-one is running 55. What seems to keep one out of trouble with the locals and what is just down right excessive?

Any and all thoughts welcome.

Thanks in advance!

[Lady18wheels]

65

[Blue_Cat]

That would be my thought too. I often see people at 70 or better (trucks, not the idiot 4-wheels). And I know some parts of 285 are more on the harsh side than others, but I am curious what others experiences are.

[Lady18wheels]

It's a good road, so for me it depends on how heavy the traffic is. Light / no traffic, I'll do my whole 72mph (NOSE BLEED!). Medium traffic - 65 is good for me. Heavy traffic - 60 or less. I tend to be really cautious when it's bumper to bumper. As far as the cops go - I don't think they even try to enforce the 55 mph. I think around 70 might be their threshhold - depending on which individual cop is looking at you.

I hear Cobb county can be real a-holes sometimes though. I believe that's the upper westen part of the loop.

[Blue_Cat]

Thanks, this is the kind of information I was looking for. Who is harsh, who is "fair", who is "too nice", etc. Along with are the parts of 285 that the traffic is more out of control than the others, etc. The curiousity stemmed from a converstation that I had with a couple of friends that live there. They said that Atlanta has been cracking down on the speeds and the way people drive, and seem to be getting results. Just curious what others thought....

I have heard that Cobb County can be some PIA. But really haven't heard anything else. Thanks for the input!

[285_HEAT]

I work as a traffic unit on 285. Not in Cobb County, so I'm not THAT bad. I tend to look at big trucks over 70, depending on what the traffic is doing. I would say that 75 mph or more will get my attention, pretty much any time of the day. Even at 2 - 4 am I rarely see a truck over about 72 or 73.

However, I can promise that anything starting with an 8 will get my attention. In the last two weeks 80, 83 and 84 on trucks, and between 12noon and about 4 pm. I'm not sure why these guys were doing this, considering how serious that is for a CDL, and especially daytime traffic, but they were. I believe that they are also the minority that makes the rest of the trucking community look bad in the public eye.

Cobb County's traffic unit is almost all cross trained as truck inspectors also, and they are a PIA for cars, also. However, from what I've seen they also tend to be uniformily fair, sorta the pick on everyone equally. *I* don't speed by more than 7-8 mph there, so take that for what it is worth.

I hope this helps!

[Rob_0126]

I work as a traffic unit on 285. Not in Cobb County, so I'm not THAT bad. I tend to look at big trucks over 70, depending on what the traffic is doing. I would say that 75 mph or more will get my attention, pretty much any time of the day. Even at 2 - 4 am I rarely see a truck over about 72 or 73.

However, I can promise that anything starting with an 8 will get my attention. In the last two weeks 80, 83 and 84 on trucks, and between 12noon and about 4 pm. I'm not sure why these guys were doing this, considering how serious that is for a CDL, and especially daytime traffic, but they were. I believe that they are also the minority that makes the rest of the trucking community look bad in the public eye.

Cobb County's traffic unit is almost all cross trained as truck inspectors also, and they are a PIA for cars, also. However, from what I've seen they also tend to be uniformily fair, sorta the pick on everyone equally. *I* don't speed by more than 7-8 mph there, so take that for what it is worth.

I hope this helps!

Heat, would driving the speed limit of 55mph, be ok?

Im a cautious person, and being in a big rig, I think that warrants A LOT of it.

I get ppl all the time, in my passenger vehicle, that ride my tail, and Im doing the speed limit :x I get so sick of tailgaters. And while riding with my instructors, ppl like to crowd us sometimes while in the rigs.

I see instances down here in Valdosta, GA, that amaze me. Like ppl following a rig, on his bumper, going 70 mph down I-75.
All he has to do is have an emergency stop, and bam! or worse.

Honestly, I dont like to speed in a rig; going over 65(probably cause im a noob) gets me a little edgy unless it's a good stretch of open road.

[285_HEAT]

Hey, I'm all for the 55 mph thing. It ties traffic up a bit because all the cars get pissy, but then again, it makes the wrecks a whole lot less trouble, damage, etc. (Insert "party line" here ) I see most truck traffic on 285 at about 60-67 mph with a few at 70 and a very, very few at 75 or above. As I've said before those I tend to get to talk to. By and far you guys are much nicer than the people driving the cars.

Same thing with the cars, just skew it by about 8 mph. The vast majority (I see) are between about 70-77, with a few hitting 79+, and those I get to see closer.

I do actually write following too closely a good bit. More on car to car issues. Normally trucks are pretty good (I have seen exceptions...) and I figure someone in a car tailgating a truck is just stupid.

Mostly within about a mile or so of me it is just me and a several hundred vehicles, so although 55 is the ideal, I tend to just skim off the top of the vehicle class (faster than the majority of trucks...or cars) or pick off the pack leader if it is a pack of cars at elevated speeds. Although I'll admit I've been known to fish from the middle of a pack if I get a good reading on one there, just to keep that position from being too "safe". (Laser for anyone interested....)

[Rob_0126]

....I do actually write following too closely a good bit. More on car to car issues. Normally trucks are pretty good (I have seen exceptions...) and I figure someone in a car tailgating a truck is just stupid....

Wish you would transfer down here to valdosta; People just love to tailgate.

Glade you are against it. :wink:

[NapaBavarian]

I'm still confused on why tailgating iritates so many people, If I'm in a car I can see the problem, but in a truck they would be the ones to get the short end of the stick :evil:

Wouldn't people driving in the blind spot be more of a problem? Or can they pull a fast-n-the-furious move driving under the trailer :?:

Oh yeah, then there's the ones that come up fast behind ya on a windy mountian road with their high brights on, normally I'd pull over, but for you I'll just slow down 5-10mph if my name/number isn't on the vehicle, yes, I do have a sports car too (or two)

[Rob_0126]

I'm still confused on why tailgating iritates so many people, If I'm in a car I can see the problem, but in a truck they would be the ones to get the short end of the stick :evil:

Wouldn't people driving in the blind spot be more of a problem? Or can they pull a fast-n-the-furious move driving under the trailer :?:

Oh yeah, then there's the ones that come up fast behind ya on a windy mountian road with their high brights on, normally I'd pull over, but for you I'll just slow down 5-10mph if my name/number isn't on the vehicle, yes, I do have a sports car too (or two)

huh?

I didn't quite understand what you were getting at?

[littleman2]

is this reasonable speed limit?

[285_HEAT]

I didn't quite get it either.

I think we all agree that a car tailgating a truck just proves the driver of the car doesnt' get it.

Car on car...bad, truck on car...bad, car tailgating a truck...just stupid. Anything tailgating a motorcycle...bad, Motorcycle tailgating anything just stupid.

[Lady18wheels]

Dingleberries. Can't stand 'em. Irritate the hell out of me, cause now, not only do I have to be mindful what's in front of me - I gotta try to take care of the dingleberry too.

[warsaw]

I'm still confused on why tailgating iritates so many people, If I'm in a car I can see the problem, but in a truck they would be the ones to get the short end of the stick

Yes they would be on the short in of the stick ...3 weels ago I had a TMC flatbed come in at 4am or so....Driver was sitting still (loaded) and a new Chevy full size hit him at over 55mph in the rear...pushed his ICC Bumper into the tire on the Passenger side.(Alum post and ICC)
and completle destroyed the truck ....now It took me 4 hrs and $500 to fix it...not bad comparied to the truck

But down Time for the Acc,, and the Cops to get there...to drive to my shop 35miles away for me to give an Est. and the the 4 hrs to fix it and then the paper worwork to do the Com-check...

So how late is that driver going to be ?

[Rob_0126]

I'm still confused on why tailgating iritates so many people, If I'm in a car I can see the problem, but in a truck they would be the ones to get the short end of the stick

Yes they would be on the short in of the stick ...3 weels ago I had a TMC flatbed come in at 4am or so....Driver was sitting still (loaded) and a new Chevy full size hit him at over 55mph in the rear...pushed his ICC Bumper into the tire on the Passenger side.(Alum post and ICC)
and completle destroyed the truck ....now It took me 4 hrs and $500 to fix it...not bad comparied to the truck

But down Time for the Acc,, and the Cops to get there...to drive to my shop 35miles away for me to give an Est. and the the 4 hrs to fix it and then the paper worwork to do the Com-check...

So how late is that driver going to be ?

Surprised the chevy fullsize didn't fold up hitting the rear of a trailer at 55mph :shock:

My instructor told me the strongest part of the trailer is the rear, because they are made to back into walls(docks), basically.

[285_HEAT]

Ick!!! So was the pickup DUI? 4am and hitting something sitting still, with all that reflective tape, etc? Sounds like the driver of the p/u would be lucky to have survived it, if he did.

[285_HEAT]

You know that's a whole new light on the idea. Even if there is essentially no damage to the truck there is still probably an hour of down time between calling, getting the report done and notifying everyone else you guys have to notify after something like that.