The hammer lane is another term for the passing lane. Its etymology originated with truckers in North America and compares a foot pressing hard on an accelerator pedal with the slamming action of a hammer. Truckers often use the hammer lane in moderate traffic, where it is legal to do so, since they travel long distances. In many areas, tractor trailers are banned from using the hammer lane for safety reasons; these restrictions are normally found along urban, often congested highways with multiple lanes (e.g. Interstate 40 west of Raleigh, North Carolina), or on rural freeways with 6 or more lanes (3 in each direction). HOV lanes are not usually considered hammer lanes, but are also used for express travel by commuters.
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