Drawback of hypermilling

[TruckHyperMiler]

I've been driving around 50-55 on the freeway for the past few months, managed to get my '83 diesel f-250 work truck from 15 up to 19.5mpg (this is with various loads of furniture, boxes, dirt, appliances, etc in the back)

Last night on my way home, going 50, some cars merged very slow, and instead of accelerating to pass them, I slowed even more to let them in, but they were going SO slow I just moved to the left instead.

As I accelerated gently back up to speed I noticed a cop behind me, and just as I put on my signal to move back to the right, he moved to the right without signaling.
So I stayed where I was, and waited for him to pass on the right, still not having accelerated up to speed yet.

After a couple seconds, instead of passing, he pulled back in behind me.

And lit up the red and blues.

After answering a bunch of questions (last thing I ate was ice cream, 2 strawberries, and 2 almond cookies, I am not under the care of a doctor or dentist) I did a balance test, and when I passed that, took my first ever breathalyzer.

In an area where everyone goes 75, why would anyone drive slow unless they were drunk?
I told him I drive slow in order to save gas (and I was going particularly slow while I waited for him to pass - I didn't point out that he hadn't used his turn signal).
He said that I was going 20 under the limit.
I wasn't sure how pointing out that the "limit" was a MAXIMUM limit, not a minimum, would be taken, so I was just mostly quiet and agreeable.

In the end, no ticket, but I can imagine getting pulled over frequently wasting a lot of time and getting rather annoying.

[thisisntjared]

that cop is a weenier. how could he think that you should cut him off? or even worse speed up when someone tries to pass you? i dont think he is aware of his own road presence.

you made the right move in not pointing out his faults, that would have landed you some sort of ticket. police dont think they are above the law, they just think it doesnt apply to them.

[theholycow]

It's not 100% unreasonable for him to pull you for that. You were doing something very uncommon, so much so that usually it means something is wrong with the driver or vehicle.

The speed limit is technically the maximum, but treated like a minimum by the vast majority of road users. This means that going 20mph less than that is bound to get you into dangerous situations, annoying situations, and occasionally trouble.

Anyway, bummer about that. I hope you'll able to find strategies to help you save fuel with less difficulty.

[JanGeo]

I think there is a law that says if you are going below a posted speed by X mph you have to have your flashers on. You are expected to drive slower if conditions require it like fog, heavy rain, snow, etc. and you can be stopped for that reason if you are going FASTER than conditions permit safely.

[TruckHyperMiler]

I forgot to mention in the original post: I noticed once I got back on the highway that it was actually a 55 limit on that particular stretch, not 65, so I was only 10 under.
I'm sure I could have fought a ticket for speed, but since I had had a little wine with dinner (very little, but I have a low tolerance) I was only about 95% sure I would pass the breathalyzer.
Anyway, have yall heard much about tickets for driving too slow?
I can't imagine it being unheard of among this crowd.

[aalb1]

a few weeks ago i shared on here how I was P&Ging from 55 mph to 40mph with my hazzards on. Some people got on my case here on how that was illegal but in some parts of Pennsylvania on the highway it says use hazards for under 45mph. So it is a tricky situation.

In your case HOLYCow got it right. You were doing something unusual... you going under the speed limit instead of over

If going under the speed limit if wrong... I don't ever want to be right

[bigjimmysrock]

well by reading your post over you were only going 5 under so the real reason was prob. cuz you were driving a 83 work truck. (looking like poor trailer trash) and im not bashing because i like old trucks and still have one i had to sell my 84 k30 and buy the yaris because they were always giving me a hard time.
p.s. was restoring it and had not made it to the exterior so it looked trashy...

[Philip1]

Police look for things that don't match and a vehicle going slower than the traffic is different. Next time have a flier or decal for this site in the back window.... it works for me. I go dead on the posted limit but that is usually 20 slower than traffic. I get tailed by troopers on occasion but they never stop me .

[TruckHyperMiler]

50mph was my target speed.
Due to the on-ramp merging traffic, I had slowed down to 45, and hadn't had a chance to go back up to 50 when I was stopped.

Funny you should mention "trailer trash" - as it happens, I live in one of the 2 trailer parks in the city.
I'm into efficiency in every area of life, and my RV trailer uses in one month about the same amount of electricity the average US household uses in one day.
Literally. My electric bills, here in CA, in summer when I use the AC, come to around $5.
And my water use in a month is equivalent to a typical household's water use in a week.

A sticker is a really good idea, if just so other drivers realize why and maybe a few decide its a good idea.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by bigjimmysrock

well by reading your post over you were only going 5 under so the real reason was prob. cuz you were driving a 83 work truck. (looking like poor trailer trash) and im not bashing because i like old trucks and still have one i had to sell my 84 k30 and buy the yaris because they were always giving me a hard time.
p.s. was restoring it and had not made it to the exterior so it looked trashy...

LOL, I have 2 "trailer trashy" looking vehicles, my Buick and my 86 Chevy C-10. The 86 Chevy even comes with the trailer-park required paint scheme of one fender being painted primer grey...

I really don't care what others think of my vehicles. They are all maintained well, they are comfortable, and fun to drive (Especially the Buick). I kinda shock some people. I own a business worth millions, yet I still enjoy slumming it in my rusty old cars.

-Jay